Thursday, April 12, 2012

How to Create an Engaging Facebook Fan Page

“55 minutes – average time spent on Facebook per day. 130 friends per average Facebook user. 62% of people that “like” a page would buy from it. 68% of people “like” a page to get promotions and discounts.”A – VendorShop
Statistics show that Facebook is a great platform for business owners and entrepreneurs to introduce their brand and generate leads. In fact, a study reported that small business owners who are using social media area primarily engaging through company pages (75%) and status updates (69%) on Facebook or LinkedIn.

The main goal of setting up a fan page for your business is to interact with your audiencea€¦to introduce your brand and generate sales. It is not about collecting tons of fans and automating contents to keep the page active.A But how will you spice it up, to make it more engaging? Here are some tips:

Tip #1. Ask Questions

Starting a conversation is a tough task, especially for people you don’t really know personally. So the best way to start a conversation with your fans is to ask a question.A Asking questions is better than talking about yourself and promoting your brand.A It is by asking a question that you show interest in your fans and engage further in more conversation.

You can also take advantage of using the “Question” feature on Facebook. This is a great feature for pages to get a lot of visibility from one question if many people answer it. It will also increase your reach because their friends can answer it too.

Tip #2. Create an Online Contest

Everyone wants to win something and lots of people love to join online contests. Creating an online contest can give your fans a reason to visit your page again and again. It is also a great way to promote your website.

In creating a contest, it is important to determine what it is you want to give away during the contest and give your fans clear guidelines on how to join in.

Tip #3. Add Relevant and Compelling Content

Give your fans something to watch and read aside from your company news to make it more engaging. Add relevant content related to your niche (blog posts, news articles, videos and photos) regularly but be sure not to share any content that may promote your competitors. People won’t have a reason to “like” your page if they can’t expect new and interesting content regularly.
You can use Google Alerts to feed your page with current news, blogs and other information related to a particular niche.

Tip #4. Interact and Keep the Conversation Alive

Bombarding your fans with daily content is not enough to make the page engaging. It is about interacting with them and adding a genuine voice to introduce your brand. Here are some points to consider in keeping the conversation alive; The first step is to establish rapport.

Use the 5W (who, what, where, when, why) and H (how) questions.A A surefire way to keep the conversation going is to use the 5W’s and 1H questions about the subject that matters most to your fans and by that, you can then find ways to introduce your brand.

Don’t be boring. In a social media conversation, boring conversation is a big no-no! Try to avoid subjects that are all about you. Instead, find ways to introduce your brand in an exciting way. Avoid making your fans feel as if they are forced to listen to what you have to say. Be lively. Converse with humor and incorporate fresh topics to the conversation.

Tip #5. Have FUN!

Keep in mind that introducing your brand is not immediate. Don’t give in to pressure. Interact and just enjoy the whole process!