Tagging
When you post photos, you are able to tag anyone who is on your friends or fans list. This can be a nice way of thanking someone for a purchase; post a photograph of the product they bought from you, if appropriate, and tag them with a thank you! Likewise, if you have a brick and mortar business and can take photographs of your clients and customers, tag them so that Facebook alerts them that they’ve been tagged in a photo. Most Facebookers have their notifications set up to alert them anytime they are tagged in a photo, which brings them back to your page again. You can also set your page up so that your fans can upload photos and tag people in them as well, which gives your page a nice social image as well. You are giving back to your customers by adding photographs, and keeping your company and your brand firmly planted in their mind.
Contest It
Use contests to make your page engaging to current fans and enticing to potential fans. There are lots of ways to do a contest- random drawings, trivia quizzes, 100th fan, etc., so do make it interesting and compelling. Contests which include giveaway prizes can be exceptional marketing tools for a page.
Double up your Networks
There are lots of Facebook applications currently, and it seems a new one is launched daily, that helps to import your information from other social networking sites. With the latest applications, it’s easy to pull in Flickr, Twitter, and lots of others quickly.
Thank You! Thank You!
People love to feel appreciated, so when someone signs on to become your Facebook fan, thank him or her immediately. In fact, giving them an ebook or discount coupon as a thankful gesture would be even better, and can be huge at spreading goodwill about your brand and your Facebook page. It may even give them incentive to partake in your contests and other resources on your page, or share information about you with other friends.
Write for Grownups
Many people make the mistake of writing to the level of teenagers, because Facebook itself has certainly grown up in the last couple of years. Though it started out as the online social network for college students and even younger people, its largest demographic is not the 35-54 age group, more than 29% of all Facebook users. In fact, the fastest growing segment is the 55 and above crowd. Obviously, your company or brand has a specific target audience that your writing style should be tailored for, but be sure that it encompasses all age groups.
Keep it Up
Many people create a Facebook page and expect fans to just show up, and these people cannot understand what the big fuss is about Facebook. However, these pages need to be nurtured and fed. It is not enough to just put it up and leave it alone. Frequent updating is necessary.
Facebook pages are great places to engage customers and potential customers, even those who are not on Facebook because pages are public and therefore visible to everyone on the internet. Posting stories, articles, videos, and photos are great tools to encourage discussion and add value to the community.
Everything you do on Facebook should be aimed at keeping your fans engaged and active. Successful fan pages are seen more as a community that fans enjoy visiting than a brand.