7 Simple Steps to Build a Fan Page

 

By: Matt Bacak

Earlier this year, Facebook changed the look and feel of fan pages to a more visual look called Timeline. While this change was not well received by many Facebook fans at first, many users have since grown accustomed to the new look and the new Timeline.

If you’re new to creating a fan page or if you’ve been avoiding tackling your existing fan page, we’ve got 7 simple steps to help you build the Timeline journey.

1. Image-focused for Branding: There are ample opportunities to show off your brand through fan page real estate dedicated to images or graphics. For example, the Cover Photo at the top of the page offers 851 X 315 px of space to place your logo or brand while the Profile Photo offers 125 X 125 px of space. Just below the profile photo is an area dedicated to four Custom Tab images measuring 111 X 74 px in size.  They say “a picture is worth a thousand words”  – use these areas wisely.

2. Cover Photo Do’s and Don’ts – This is the first area visitors will see when they visit your fan page. Use all the available real estate space to show off an image of who you are and what you offer. However, what the cover photo area allows in space, Facebook has added restrictions. You cannot advertise specials or sales (i.e. 30 percent off), nor provide contact information (this belongs in the About section), nor suggest the visitors “like” or “share” your fan page with others, nor include call-to-actions like “buy now”.

3. Profile Photo Tips – While 125 X 125 px sounds like ample size to show your brand or text, this square image will do double duty and serve as your avatar when posting on your page or commenting on others’ pages. The avatar icon size is only 32 X 32 px meaning your image which looks gorgeous at the larger size will now be greatly reduced in size. Be sure the image you chose looks great at both sizes.

Several web developers took the cover photo and profile photo one step further and integrated the two. On first appearance there is no distinct separation, the end result was two photos seamlessly pieced together. Corona (beer) and Fanta (soda) are two examples of this idea.

4. Custom Tabs—The loudest complaint Fanbook fans had was eliminating the ability to set the default landing tab for non-fans. The custom tabs feature is the next best thing. Your fan page can have up to 12 custom apps of which 4 images will display on the fan page while the remaining 8 are kept hidden. It is easy to switch the order of these apps to display as the top four, except Facebook’s own apps are static – they (i.e. events, photos, videos) cannot be moved.

If you have multiple products or books for sale, the custom tab images are a great place to show off your works. The key to using this space effectively is to be consistent with your message and brand. The custom tab image can include only an image, an image with text overlay or just text.

5. Have a great post? Timeline offers two new features: the ability to highlight a good post and “pin to top” option. With highlighting, your post gets displayed across the width of the timeline allowing you the opportunity to draw attention to certain news. Pin to top feature lets your post stay at the top where visitors will see it first.

6. Interact with Contests—If you’re looking to improve traffic to your fan page or increase the number of likes or buying customers, consider running a contest. While Facebook has rules about contests (be sure to read the rules first), people love the opportunity to compete for free prizes! And the prize doesn’t have to be expensive; a bag filled with your own books or products would suffice. One more tip: Keep it simple.

7.  History and Milestones—One important feature of the Timeline is the opportunity to “tell a story” about the history of your business, milestones you’ve accomplished or memories of your friends or customers. People love read stories because they can relate—we all know someone who has survived a terminal disease or a story of triumph or beating the odds. Show your vulnerability by sharing your story.

The new Facebook Timeline is image-focused which also means you can take advantage of sharing these images on Pinterest or posting on Instagram (be sure to include a link). The opportunities are endless.