Catapulting Your Startup with a Facebook Fan Page

A Facebook fan page is an excellent medium for creating buzz about your product or service. But just like any marketing tool, you have to know how to use it. The first step is to understand Facebook’s viral nature and how your fan page can harness it. The average Facebook user has over 190 friends, each with the ability to like, comment on, or share a post. That means that when a company promotes a new product or service to a fan, they could be reaching an exponentially larger audience. The best way to tap into a fan’s extensive network of friends is to create quality interactions.  A marketer who truly understands what their customers want has a better chance at achieving the coveted viral ripple effect.

Starting Out

For companies new to Facebook, it’s tempting to just push your brand as much as possible, but you could be doing more harm than good. Don’t force your brand down an audience’s throat. Instead, view your brand through the eyes of your consumer. Always keep in mind your customers’ goals and motivations, as well as what might offend them and what gets them talking. When building your fan page, ask yourself, “If I was my customer, why would I care to spend time here?” or “Why would I listen to what this brand is saying?” First, think like your audience, and then let your branding follow.

Avoiding the Bulk Fan Traps

As I said before, successful fan pages are all about quality content that leads to meaningful interactions. The same can be said for quality fans. When it comes to fans, it isn’t always about quantity. There are plenty of services offering companies the ability to buy fans in bulk quantity. These places claim things like, “Give me $100, and I will deliver 5,000 fans to your fan page!” This method of acquiring fans is not only dishonest; it’s also bad for business

Bulk fans don’t care about your products, and they are not interested in your services. They are dead weight. You are better off spending your money to target real fans. Reach out to people who are more likely to become invested in your brand, as well as valuable members of your community. These are the fans who quickly become your best customers.

Keeping Your Fans Engaged without Tying Up All Your Time

It is incredibly important to keep the content on your fan page fresh. Share a post, ask a question, or give a link to a relevant blog, but never let your page appear abandoned. Abandoned pages hurt your brand. It would be better to simply not have a fan page at all than to let it fall into disuse. However, that does not mean you have to spend hours on your fan page every day.

If you are a busy business owner, have someone else, like an intern, monitor your fan page, comment back to users, and simply ensure that nothing out of the ordinary is going on. It shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes a day. It does not need to be extensive; it just needs to be done.

Once your fan page is up and you have someone to help you maintain it, you can then focus your time on email follow-up, calling potential customers, and making sales. Facebook fan pages are tools, but they should not get in the way of driving revenue. Build your page right the first time and then let someone else manage it, while you focus on the rest. The audience you grow virally will do much of your work for you if you manage your relationships correctly – and isn’t that the point?

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