February 22, 2010

So your business is on Facebook, and brand engagement is up, thanks to some savvy social media strategy. You may even be interested in further distinguishing your brand by building a custom landing page or a Facebook fan page for your account.

But what kind of value does a custom Facebook fan page offer? What are your fans looking for on a social network that they can't get from your business website? For some insight, let's check out how some big-name brands have stepped up their engagement by investing a little more TLC into their Facebook presence.

Interactivity

Social networks are not passive, so your Facebook landing page shouldn't be either. It's nice to have a great looking "Welcome" splash, but users are going to want to do something when they arrive.

Facebook is all about sharing, and The Gap has an ingenious promotion on the Baby Gap tab of its fan page. The simple splash image has a link to one of their photo albums where fans can upload pictures of their babies wearing their favorite Gap denim gear.

This kind of campaign provides a wealth of free, user-generated content that displays Gap products, and best of all, the functionality of photo uploading is already built into Facebook--no development necessary. This is an interactive idea that any small business could implement.

The Home Depot has built a bit on the shareability of Facebook actions with their DIY Gifts app. From Home Depot's fan page, you can grant the app access to share your gift purchases with the recipient and your friends. While this approach may not work for everyone, it's a step toward increasing consumer visibility on Facebook -- a growing trend.

A Full Website Experience Within Facebook

Some companies go all out when it comes to their Facebook presence, integrating fully fledged mini-websites right into their fan pages. Adidas sneakers is a good example. They've added a multimedia content hub under the tab "Your Area" that offers photos, videos, and events based on your region. The site is built entirely in Flash and isn't all that interactive, but it offers a rich media experience without ever leaving the boundaries of Facebook.

Dell's Design Studio page is another example of a full-tilt Flash site inside Facebook. This one lets you browse and tweak custom artwork for your new laptop before linking you over to the corporate site to complete the purchase. You can also share your design choices with friends, all without connecting a single Facebook app to your account.

Deals!

The key to Facebook, and any social network, is to keep pushing out content that your fans are interested in. Many businesses do a great job keeping their fans apprised of deals and discounts through status updates.

Another great way to keep content fresh and visual within Facebook is to promote special offers on a custom tab. This may be something new visitors see when they land on your fan page, or a rich destination you can link back to in a post.

Walgreens does it very simply. Their landing page is a nice branded splash image that simply touts their "Exclusive Offers for Our Facebook Fans." Their promotions are in their updates, but this simple, static custom page encourages users to become fans without any bells or whistles. They leave the deals to the built-in functionality of Facebook, and your business can too.

By simply changing the image on your custom page, you can call attention to a new product or promotion that your fans will see whenever they land there. It's an easy way to keep your page looking fresh, in addition to regular updates.

Conclusion

These examples have been built for large companies that probably have more web development resources than the average small business. But if you're serious about your commitment to Facebook engagement, consider taking some inspiration from these examples and exploring the possibilities that custom pages and apps can offer your business.

Join the conversation ( 13 )

• SocialEngine Themes 13 days ago

  

  Free Facebook Fanpages http://www.bioforyou.net/

• get_facebook_friends 2 months ago

  

  Get Facebook Friends is key! http://mytrafficsoldier.com/get-facebook-friends.htm

• get_facebook_friends 2 months ago

  

  I agree and this was a great post. You have to
  
  
  [URL="http://mytrafficsoldier.com/get-facebook-friends.htm"]Get Facebook friends[/URL]

• Jay Pal 3 months ago

  

  Hi,
  
  On fbreveal.com, if you mention that you saw an offer of 10% on openforum.com, the good guys at fbreveal.com will take 10% off your order.
  
  fbreveal.com creates custom Facebook fan pages. You can even get your Daily Deal Aggregator running on your own fan page.
  
  Thanks
  –
  Jay
  fbreveal.com

• Ankit Sharma 3 months ago

  

  Hey if your facebook fan page need likes then let me know...................my email id is mahajan17ruchii@gmail.com

• Tushar Khanna 3 months ago

  

  Have a look Guys...on My Tech page...Geek's World--- www.fb.com/geeksworld

• Blue Wheel Media 4 months ago

  

  Nice post. Every business should know why it is so important to make a Facebook landing page! http://bluewheelmedia.com/make-a-facebook-landing-page

• Mates Mihaela 7 months ago

  

  Check this out http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zynk-Reader/234993373196189?sk=app_190322544333196.
  This was made by me.

• Stephen White 1 year 3 months and 0 days ago

  

  One good way to manage your fan pages is by using ShortStack. It is a great CMS that is currently completely free because it is in beta. ShortStack makes creating and managing your fan pages quick, easy and less stressful.
  
  http://www.shortstacklab.com/

• Juliette Tai 2 years 0 months and 1 days ago

  

  Thanks for the info....now adding to the "To Do" list - look at fan pages to better brand ourselves.

• Dustin Plett 2 years 0 months and 1 days ago

  

  If brands are using Facebook, or are thinking of using Facebook, moderation of content is essential. For brands or organization with few fans in-house moderation can work beautifully, but if that page becomes to busy for your staff to handle efficiently an outsourced solution may be beneficial. Often these outsourced solutions will come with added benefits such as activity reports and the 24/7/365 moderation your team just can't provide. In working for ICUC Moderation Services I often find people who manage company Facebook pages or other brand properties don't realize there are companies like ours out there. But there are and if the content being seen on your properties by other users is a concern to you, even on Facebook, you may want to look into finding a moderation partner.

• LAURA CHRISTIANSON 2 years 0 months and 1 days ago

  

  Thanks for sharing these examples of creative landing pages. Pages such as these are more affordable than many small business owners might think -- there are many excellent freelance graphic designers and writers who can put together something similar for a reasonable price. Don't avoid creating a branded landing page just because you think you can't afford it.

• Ivana Taylor 2 years 0 months and 1 days ago

  

  Just when you think there can be nothing new on Facebook, you've come up with this excellent write-up. Thanks so much for all the great examples!