Preparing Your Facebook Page for Launch
Before you launch your Page, it should be ready to make a good first impression, which is often the only impression you get to make. Include these elements on your Page:
- Pick an appropriate name for your Page. You can boost the ranking of your Page in search engines by choosing a Page title that includes the name of your brand.
- Display an attractive avatar or a main image that reflects your brand. This image is displayed in a number of sizes (and as small as 32 pixels square), so keep it simple. Omit the name of your business, in fact, because the page name appears wherever your page avatar appears on Facebook (in News Feeds, timelines, and hover cards, for example).
- Remove any tabs you aren?t using. Nothing is more discouraging than to see the message ‘This Page has no events’ on the Events tab because the Page administrator forgot to remove it.
- Create a short URL at http://facebook.com/username.
- Add a few posts to your Page. Then new fans have content to like, comment on, and share after they arrive.
Enhancing Your Facebook Page with Content before Launch
Before you initially promote your Facebook Page, you have to seed it with photos, videos and links that new fans can share, comment on and like. Again, when fans engage with your Page stories, their?friends see that activity. Via this fundamental connection, awareness about your business slowly (but surely) penetrates the vast network of Facebook users.
Adding a Compelling Reason for Users to Like Your Page
Users are unlikely to like a Page for the simple pleasure of liking it. Telling customers and prospects that you?re now on Facebook isn?t a compelling reason for them to like your Page. Facebook users are people like you and me ?they need a good reason to like it. The exchange of value has to be clear. Here are a few ideas to help you start developing a compelling reason for Facebook users to like your Page:
- Offer a discount. In exchange for people liking your Page, create a custom tab to display and manage a discount.
- Focus on the community. Communicate the value of the community of Facebook users who?ve already liked your Page.
- Offer exclusive content. The best way to offer value may be to publish content that cannot be found on your website, in your Twitter feed, or in any other channel.
- Highlight contrast. Research your competitors? efforts and offer a benefit that?s unique in comparison. For example, a hair salon might post short how-to videos on quick do-it-yourself trims that you can do in a pinch.
Adding photos and videos
You can upload an unlimited number of albums, and as many 1,000 photos per album, to your Facebook Page. You can reorder photos and rotate them.
Adding photo albums
Facebook lets you create photo albums that contain multiple photos, which is an excellent way to organize content based on specific topics for your fans to enjoy.
Adding milestones
The Facebook Pages milestone feature lets users easily view important moments in your business?s history. Examples of milestones are opening a new store, releasing a new product, and winning an award.
To the right of the Page timeline is a date selector that lets Facebook users quickly navigate to different years within your Page timeline.
Networking with Friends to Launch Your Facebook Page
One challenge of launching a brand-new Facebook Page is users? lack of awareness of your Page within Facebook. Often, the first step that many administrators take to launch their Pages is to leverage their existing networks of friends, such as personal connections developed via e-mail and on personal Facebook profiles.