Facebook fan pages

Another guest post from the social media expert, Sarah Arrow.  She really walks the talk so she knows what she’s doing – take note!

If you have a Facebook page and you are not quite sure what to do with it, or what to update it with then this post is just for you.

Facebook Pages are not like ordinary pages on the web, they are similar to blogs in the fact they are dynamic and that they should be updated regularly with engaging content.

More interaction on your Facebook page means more people are likely to see the status updates of Fans who like your content or leave comments about what you’ve posted. More interaction = more exposure.

Here are  5 things you can post on your Facebook Page to keep fans interested in your brand and message.

Links to Relevant Articles

Articles that pertain to community interests are a great way to provide information and keep people coming back to your page for more. For example, writers could post a link to the latest ‘how to tutorial’  from their blog.  A small business might link to a money saving article or an important industry update. Software developers could share tips from their fan’s blog sites. There is a huge amount of information on the web, use it to your advantage.

Keep posting informative articles on your page and it becomes a trusted resource for relevant information. You should link to individual pages on your website that feature articles. This is a great way to direct traffic back to your own site.

Videos

Videos are always fun and engaging content that people love, no matter where you put them. Consider posting YouTube videos from other video producers if you don’t have your own videos to share. Uploading your own videos on to Facebook pages is a great idea –  you can create exclusive content just for the people who like your page, this helps keep people coming back to your page and looking for the things they really want.

Try using free services like Screenr.com to quickly create screen cast videos that can easily be posted to your Facebook Page if you have no content on your own.

Regularly Posted Content / Series

Developing a regular series is a surefire to way to encourage fans to regularly visit your page and remain engaged in your brand and content. Consider doing a weekly question and answer show, or a regular series of posts featuring tips and tricks that pertain to your product.

Asking questions either during videos or in other updates is a great way to increase comments and likes. And if you do create exclusive video for your pages, remember to ask for the “like” in the video. If you only ask one question, ask that one.

Polls or Questionnaires

Polls allow businesses to assess the interests of their fans and remain on top of current trends in their industry. Be sure to make polls fun and exciting by posting questions about current events or celebrities. Your questionnaires don’t always have to be about your brand or business but are effective when they are relevant to your product. The results from the polls can be used in blog posts and press releases, giving you more great, relevant content to share.

Audio Posts

Audio posts are another type of dynamic content that can be posted to Fan Pages. Recording messages with free services like Talkaroo.com is easier than you might expect. Link back to your recordings on your website or blog for more traffic. You could even have your own weekly live podcast about industry related news or what is happening in your company. A great idea is to have some type of contest during the podcast for listeners. This will ensure that people listen to your show on a regular basis and share the show with others –  we all talk about great ideas and competitions.

Photos

Okay, that’s six things, but you should never under estimate the power of an image when it comes to sharing. If you add your URL to the image description when the photo gets shared, so will the URL.  The images don’t have to be unique, just take a look at George Takei’s Facebook page.  All kinds of photos are shared, thousands of times. If you try this strategy think of the copyright implications –  don’t pass off images as your own. If this is something you’d like to undertake, talk to a photographer and a graphic designer and see what you can come up with.

There are so many types of content to share on Facebook that it makes sense to use a mix of different media – text, video and audio. Used creatively, any business will benefit from constantly engaging fans and discovering their likes and dislikes.

How do you engage your Facebook fans?

Sarah Arrow

You can find out more about Facebook and other social media marketing tips from Sarah over at SarkeMedia.com