How to set up a Facebook fan page that works
I’ve been talking to several people recently about setting up a Facebook fan page, how to get more fans, and how to use Facebook effectively.
Full disclosure: Yes, I have a Facebook page, but it’s private. I use Twitter and LinkedIn for business, but I haven’t set up a page for my copywriting business.
However, I DO run a Facebook page for the same nonprofit that I mentioned in a recent post on email marketing. It’s performing well, averaging 50 new fans a day.
The first thing people ask me is what type of account is best? A group or a fan page? For me, that’s simple. A fan page. Why? A post on Mashable about the difference between Facebook pages and groups lays out the differences nicely. Here’s a summary:
Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.
A fan page lets you grow as big as you want, send updates to an unlimited number of people, and keep the focus on the organization without revealing the administrator (unless you want to).
Okay, so once you’ve set up your account as a fan page, then what? Here are some tips:
Upload a logo or photo with a web address at the bottom. It won’t be clickable, but fans can see where to go if they want to visit your website.
Fill out your info page completely. Here you can have a clickable web address, company overview, mission, and products. You can give only what Facebook asks for or get creative and provide other information as well.
For example, in your company overview, you can list links to pages on your website, your newsletter signup form, other social media, or whatever you want.
Use FBML to create a landing page. FBML is Facebook’s version of HTML, which you can use with an application called Static FBML. This lets you render basic HTML in a box or tab on your page. You won’t find it in your default applications, but you can find it with a search in the application directory.
The idea is that instead of sending people to your wall, as most people do, you send them to a landing page with whatever message you want to provide. For example, you can give a short description of your organization and tell people to click the “become a fan” button.
This is one of those “duh” things you may not think about at first, but which can dramatically increase your Facebook growth. A landing page is just good direct marketing.
Use your tabs wisely. If you think of a Facebook page as a secondary website for your business, you’ll realize that the tabs at the top of the page are like site navigation. You can have a tab for your newsletter, a tab for donations, a tab for products, etc. How? With that nifty FBML application.
Don’t forget the sidebar. Anything you can put in your tabs, you can also put in your sidebar. A newsletter signup form fits here nicely. So does a poll (another application you can add), affiliate banner, or set of links.
Post often. The same rules apply to Facebook as any other social media. It’s all about content and interaction. Posting something every few weeks won’t cut it. Post every day or even several times a day to make sure you’re showing up in the news feeds of your fans. This can be links to your blog, product announcements, questions, news items, or anything your fans would be interested in.
Every time someone becomes a fan, comments, clicks the “like” link, or shares your post, it shows up in that fan’s news feed for all their friends to see. So “viral” is built in.
Link to your page from everywhere. If you want fans, you have to let people know you’re on Facebook. Put an icon or link in your newsletter, on your website or blog, in your email footer, everywhere.
Email and blog it. Don’t be shy. Do an email blast driving subscribers to your fan page. Post a blog about what’s happening on your fan page with an invitation to become a fan.
Send updates to your fans. This feature is a little like email. Don’t abuse it, because Facebook fans aren’t expecting (and don’t want) an avalanche of messages from you. But used wisely, this handy feature lets you update fans about your products, sales, and events.
Subscribe to similar fan pages and groups. You can buy ads on Facebook, but the consensus is that response is poor. A cheap way to reach beyond your fans and attract new fans is to subscribe to similar pages and groups and post short messages inviting people to visit your page. Don’t do it too often. And don’t be spammy.
There’s more you can do with Facebook, but this is plenty to get you started.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. I’ve found that Facebook can drive significant traffic to your website as your fan base grows. And it gives you a totally independent way to interact with potential customers or supporters.
***
UPDATE: Facebook has changed “Fan” to “Like.” So you don’t become a “Fan” of a page now, you “Like” the page.
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Thanks so much for this – great information and easily understood. Cheers
Your welcome. Let me know how these tips work for you.
The landing page is incredibly important. How on earth could visitors possibly figure out what the page is all about by reading the wall posts? Thanks for the article!
Good for you! You’re doing something right — Beth Kanter shared a link to your post via her facebook fan page!
Thank you very much for sharing.
.-= Elaine’s last blog … Moving to Xero.com and more financial news =-.
There is some misinformation and missing information in this post, as well as some solid wisdom.
If you realize that facebook is part of your communication strategy, hire a professional.
I am a novice. How do you set up your Facebook account as a fan page? Also, can you link it from your Web site?
Thanks so much.
Margaret:
After you open a new account, you’ll have the option to set up the page. Here’s a link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Thanks for the great sharing.Learn lots from here.
.-= eONs’s last blog … Karnival Telefon Bimbit @ Econsave Pandamaran | Malaysia Sale =-.
This is great advice. Facebook is one area I need to get more knowledgeable in. It can be a great tool, if you know how to use it properly. Thanks for the quick lesson.
Greg
While most of the information is good, something to remember is that sometime early this year, Facebook will be reducing the width of application tabs from 760 pixels to 520 pixels. That is a 30% reduction in usable space, so it is probably best to wait until the rollout to create any custom tabs unless you have some pressing issue that justifies it.
Also, Boxes will be removed soon, which makes using Static FBML in the sidebar moot.
Brian
.-= Brian Altenhofel’s last blog … Are You Ready for Facebook’s Upcoming Changes? =-.
Brian:
Do you have a link for that? I can do an update when or if this happens.
Thanks Dean, this has cleared up much of my confusion about fan pages. I have one for the non-profit I run, but it’s associated with my personal account. That’s not really a problem, but getting to the fan page to update is cumbersome. I must always do a search to navigate there. Would setting up a new fan page in a new account help with this problem? Appreciate your work here.
.-= Jeff Speigner’s last blog … Workshop 3, Day 6, 7 – Preparing and Presenting =-.
Jeff:
I was in the same situation. I help run a non-profit and wanted a fan page. In my case, I didn’t want my personal account associated with the fan page, so I set up a separate account. Every page must be set up by an individual, but with a fan page the administrator can remain hidden (as opposed to a group, where the administrator is displayed).
As for “finding” the fan page, I became a fan of the page with my administrator identity so when I log in, I can just click on the latest news item to go to the page. I don’t know why Facebook just doesn’t provide a link to your pages, but this workaround is only one click.
Great summary! Especially the difference between a fanpage and a group is good to distinguish. I’ll keep this in mind while setting up my own fanpage! Thanks!
I had no idea that you could create a custom landing page with FBML. *Facepalm
Of course I’ve seen cool landing pages, but they were always for big companies who I assumed had some sort of special privileges.
Just added a bunch of stuff to my todo list. Thanks a lot.
Fort Wayne Web Design
.-= Chris’s last blog … The Best WordPress Form Plugin: Gravity Forms =-.
Really great information. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
Dean, thanks for the response to my comment. That will help me keep closer tabs to what’s going on. By the way, if you want to check out what’s happening there you can follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Design4Kids/56181959976
Dean thanks for the tips. I just set up a landing page for my Facebook fan page using FBML and HTML:
http://www.facebook.com/rubylearning
.-= Satish Talim’s last blog … Patrick McKenzie Winner RPCFN #5 =-.
Great post – really enjoy your perspective.
I have been working on our FB page and wanted your feedback on optimizing discovery of our page through FB. I originally set up our Fan Page’s name with our not-for-profit’s acronym (NYCEDC) and I am regretting that I didn’t spell it out completely (New York City Economic Development Corporation). I feel like if I did spell it out in the title it would help FB users searching for economic news/info relating to New York City – any suggestions?
Matt:
That’s a long name for the organization, but I agree that spelling it out would be best.
Does anyone know how to edit your name after you have already had a fan page live for 4 months? I thought once it was live, it was too late to edit it? Thanks!
.-= matt sudol’s last blog … NYCEDC President Seth Pinsky joined the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporate to cut the ribbon on their second industrial facility in North Brooklyn. The 3,000 square-foot facility will provide affordable space to small manufacturers and create approximately ten jobs. To learn more about the ways we are helping the manufacturing sector, check out: http://bit.ly/NYCEDC_ManuIndust =-.
Thank you for sharing. Well organized with enough information. Very useful. Will share with our readers.
.-= ram dutt’s last blog … How To Create Your Business Cards using MOO =-.
though i have one fan page on FB …but didn’t knew how to use it effectively………….will be using the tips….hope to see some good results.
thanks
.-= Hitesh’s last blog … Smiley Face =-.
nice tips. really helpful…
i’ve added tab applications i made to my pages… i used FBML and FBJS for this
check them out…
http://www.facebook.com/boysruletheworld
http://www.facebook.com/girlsruletheworld
Thanks so much for this clear, concise information to setup a Fan Page on Facebook. I especially like the suggestion for a landing page which will be my next task.
I entered a name for my fan page but it won’t work!:( It’s not a business or band or whatever though. I would do it as a group but I want to be able to post updates.
how do i set up aaccount
Jess:
Just go to Facebook and sign up. http://www.facebook.com/
Your information is very helpful! But, I do have one question…
I already have a personal account on Facebook and would like to add a Facebook Page for business. And I would definitely not want to have the two mix. I’ve found the following related info on Facebook…
“Please keep in mind that the fans of any of the Pages you administer will not have visibility or access to your personal account or profile. Any actions that you take as a Page administrator on your Page will show the Page’s name as the actor and not your personal name.”
This is wonderful, but what about the reverse? I would really like to keep it totally seperated. Would my personal friends be able to see the Facebook page for my business?
Allison:
When you create a “page,” your personal account and the page are not visibly related. So your friends would only see the page if they decided to become a fan. They wouldn’t necessarily know it’s your page unless you told them. So that’s about as “totally separated” as Facebook allows.
Do I have to set up an Ad in Facebook to set up a fan page?
Jennifer:
No. Ads and pages are not related. Anyone with a Facebook account can set up a fan page. If you have a personal account set up, you can start here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Very helpful article, thanks.
To ‘bg on January 17th’ – not helpful lol.
Why Facebook Fan Page?
In the Era of Social Media where facebook and twitter took place of every marketing mechanism over the internet, People are now spending more time over these social media platforms and your pressense on these social platforms will give you some major benifits like:
Promote your business/product amongst 10+ million users base
Connect directly with your fans
Drive Traffic and profitability
Impress your clients/customers with videos, photos, links and more.
View Sample = http://www.facebook.com/brandegg?v=app_6009294086
How do you add things to your sidebar?
Meghan:
As an example, this shows how to add a profile box to your sidebar: http://www.webdesignideas.org/2009/04/23/adding-custom-html-box-to-my-facebook-profile/
It works pretty much the same way to add any other application to your sidebar.
This was so good, thanks for writing it. I just started my Fan Page today and this was really helpful.
Do you have any FBML instructional blogs on how to get started making a decent landing page?
Thank You.
.-= Grady Polcyn’s last blog … Reading @ChrisBrogan ‘s Post: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/my-love-for-blogging – See if I can pick up a few things =-.
Thanks for answering my earlier questions. I’ve set up my page and have published it earlier in the week. I also added an FBML box to link it to Google Analytics for tracking and am waiting to see how this will work. Here’s my page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lecie-Gallery/301608373343
THANKS!
Great article! I have a question that I can’t seem to find an answer to. Is there a way to have my page become a fan of another page? I see that there is an option to “add to my page’s favorites” but that doesn’t put my page on their list of fans.
Thanks!
Angela:
Not that I know of. I think the idea is that only people can be fans. Pages can’t be fans.
Facebook has and will continue to grow and become a major forum for advertising businesses. So agreed, setting up a Facebook Fan page that works is essential! If done right Facebook can be one way to give your business exposure. Great article, easy to read and understand!
I still see big brands that are missing the boat completely by not utilizing the Facebook fan page like they should be. It is a really powerful source of marketing that should go overlooked.
.-= Maciej (ma-chi)’s last blog … Don’t Be Hyper with Internet Marketing =-.
hi dean, i want to setup a fan page for facebook but the name is too long, ive seen pages with longer names and i wonder how did they do it. any advice?
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works [...]
[...] How to Set Up a Facebook Fan Page That Works [...]
[...] How to Set Up a Facebook Fan Page That Works [...]
I have a very basic question. When I try to share somethng from our website to our FB fan page, instead it posts to the profile I had to set up to create the FB Fan page.
How do I get the items instead to post to the FB Fan page?
Have a nice fan page….having trouble logging into it on my phone. How do you log into just the fan page without logging into your personal page? I want to be able to use the app for the Fan Page, and not my personal page…..I cannot log into just the fan page and operate….please help!
George,
Easiest answer: use HootSuite. It lets you post to your personal page or fan page.
Russ,
You can’t. Your account is your personal page. You have to log into that to run the fan page.
Now I’m really confused… I always thought that a group page was an OFFICIAL page for an organization, band, etc.. This would be the ‘go to’ place to find all the current happenings for that particular group. And I thought fan pages…were just that..a page for fans of a particular group. For example…There could be 100′s of fan pages for a particular celebrity but just one Official group page where all the official information comes from. I thought Fan pages are set up by fans not someone affliated with the group (I guess they could be affiliated but in most cases it’s just a fan starting a open forum to discuss their favorite celeb or something).
I’ve been searching this topic for hours and I keep reading mixed information.. I have a headache! lol! I have to make a decision whether to start a fan or group page for a non-profit organization. After all the reading…I thought I had figured it out (i was going to start a group page) but I clicked on this link and now I’m back at square one! lol! arg. If all this info, is in fact correct…then a fan page seems to make more sense.
Lisa,
I’ll make it easy. Start a fan page. Unless you want tight control over the page, a fan page gives you far more flexibility.
Dean, I just might… but I’m still skeptical
Are these my only page options..Profile, Group, Fan or Business? When I was admin for my son’s band fan page, it drove me a little nuts that I couldn’t respond to posts as ‘Myself’…I’d always appear as the band name. Is there a setting for that I might have overlooked? Another problem I can see is that as a fan page you can’t be-friend others. So that would eliminate the possiblitly of networking. for example..it would be great for my son’s band to be “friends” of local clubs/restuarants/promoters etc. but they don’t have that option on a fan page. I guess they could invite them to be fans..
Sorry…. I know I’m over thinking this. But our organization is making a big move and want to get the word out. We’re embarking on a capital campaign and have sumbitted a propsal for the pepsi refresh contest in May. I just want to reach as many as possible and be able to have adequate communication.
Lisa,
It’s good that you’re considering all the options. But you can’t have it all. Again, I suggest the fan page. A fan page will give you more options to reach people than any other choice.
Great article, thanks for putting together. Ted
Helpful article, thanks for sharing!
Does a person need to set up a personal fan page before setting up a business page?
Pat,
You have to set up a personal page from which you can administer one or more fan pages.
Great article, very informative – I’m slightly surprised you don’t seem to have any ‘share links’ so that I could share it on facebook
(or did i miss them?)
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works [...]
Dean,
I’m interested in creating a landing page for my FB fan page. Do you have any instructions on how to create a landing page?
I created a page for our business thru my personal FB page. Is this the correct way to set up a Fan page for your business or should it be set up as its own seperate FB account? I believe the way it set up currently I I make a post from it will go to my personal wall post..any ideas? thanks
Greetings:
Clearly written, effective article. Question: Is there a way to change the order of the boxes on the sidebar; and/or to change the order of the tabs on the FB fan page?
One other suggestion: Use a “pretty” username for fan pages.
http://www.facebook.com/LifelinesTheBlackBookOfProverbs
Dr. Hodari,
You can change the order of boxes you create by dragging them, but not the default boxes. As for tabs, I’m not sure. I think you can change the order of those your create by creating them in the order you want. But they don’t seem to be draggable.
Dan,
That’s the only way to create a fan page. FB wants you to have only ONE account. If you create another one, you could end up getting banned. FB’s wrath is swift and unforgiving.
Is there any way to share or post something direct to my business/fan page? When I try this it just goes straight to my personal page and all my personal friends think I am nuts and spamming.
Earlier in your reply to George you mentioned something about this (April 22)
George,
Easiest answer: use HootSuite. It lets you post to your personal page or fan page. can you elaborate?
Googled this and it just brings up something about a twitter client
Thanks
Liam,
To post to your fan page, you just go to your fan page and post. If it’s posting to your personal page, then you need to adjust a setting in Facebook. I was having the same problem and tinkered with the FB settings to correct it. As for HootSuite, it lets you post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a couple other social networks. I highly recommend it.
Thank you! I have a fb “page” but when I make a post to the wall it does not show up on the fans pages to allow them to see what I am posting. How do I get my fans to see those updates? I’m not seeing it on my person account so surely they aren’t either right?
Just signed up for Hootsuite – very good. thanks
But my actual question related more to being able to post direct to my FB fan page when, for example, I click on a 3rd party FB Like button or a FB Share button.
When I click on either of those always posts to my personal wall which is not good.
Cheers
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[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works http://www.directcreative.com/blog/facebook-fan-page [...]
good info thanks alot if you have the time become a fan of my musician page thanx a mill here>>http://www.facebook.com/stax242
hey really very very thanks for this step by step guide, now i am going to create a fan page for my site thank u
Totally awesome post and have been looking for someone to just tell me how it is and what the best and simplest way is to setup a FaceBook Fan page. Going to get onto it immedaitely tonight. Exciting stuff and thanks again for the great post!
Liam Kiggen on May 24th, 2010 4:24 am
Just signed up for Hootsuite – very good. thanks
But my actual question related more to being able to post direct to my FB fan page when, for example, I click on a 3rd party FB Like button or a FB Share button.
When I click on either of those always posts to my personal wall which is not good.
Cheers
Liam—I have the same exact question and cannot find the answer anywhere online!!! Someone please help.
I figured if i opened my fan page and then “liked” or “shared” someone elses posts that it would go to my fan page but is not!!!
Tiffany,
I don’t have an answer for that question. It seems to me that you can’t do what you’re wanting to do because a page is not a person, so a page can’t like something. Only a person can like something. But if you find out differently, please let us know here.
Agreed with Dean. Researched this further and no way could I find how to post direct to a facebook page. Its not what FB want, they want real people liking things not virtual sites.. sadly.
This is a very informative article. I don’t know if it is still as affective today with all the changes Facebook has been making, so an update might be needed soon.
Richard,
Facebook has made many (annoying) changes, but most of this article is still good. “Fan” has been changed to “Like.” But many people still use the word fan.
Where do you go to set up a fan page Im so confused…lol
For some reason my page allows people to post comments and start discussions. I don’t want feedback!!! Lots of reasons why, including not being able to monitor it regularly. I looked at the settings and the checkbox is not checked next to allow posts, so what the heck? Frustratingly, I emailed FB about this months ago, several times later to follow up, and even mailed an old-fashioned letter to the corporate office. No response, problem still exists, I’m getting mad.
Setting up a fan page has become more difficult then it used to be. Consider a business page if you are trying to promote a business and stay in touch with your customers.
Dumpster Rental,
A business page and fan page are the same thing. They’ve just stopped calling them fan pages recently.
My son passed away a few weeks ago and we have decided to keep his personal Facebook page up and running for all his friends to continue to visit and look at photos/videos etc. We have also created a scholarship fund and would like to use FBML to add a PayPal button on the personal page but apparently can’t do this unless I have a Fanpage. How do I allow all his friends to visit the personal page and contribute to the cause? Do I create a Fanpage? How do you advance from the personal page to the Fanpage? I’m a novice at this obviously.
Jerry,
Just add a link or use the PayPal graphic with a link via html right on the personal page. I don’t see why you would need a fan page to link from a personal page to a PayPal form. Maybe ask one of your sons friends who know more about these things to do all this for you. It is not complicated.
i create a page and whenever i update it wont show in news feed? is it not working or is it because i’m an admin????
Claire – did you ever figure out how to keep people from commenting on your posts on your page? I have the same issues – box unchecked, people can still comment.
Hi, Dean, do you know if there’s any way to have FB e-mail an admin every time someone posts to a fan page? I work for a government entity that recently created a fan page, and we’re very big on records retention, so legally we need to keep a record of every post and comment on this page. We thought it would be easiest if I got an e-mail notification every time, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to do that via Account Settings, so I was wondering if there was a work-around you knew of.
@Hannah: I don’t know of any way to do that. And it seems to me that would get overwhelming if your fan page grew to several thousand fans. Also, you should probably point out that you’re retaining these records because I think a lot of people wouldn’t like the idea that every comment would be retained in this way. I sure won’t be commenting on your page if that’s what you plan.
I’m starting a film festival and want to be able to publicize it and get lots of contacts. Should this be a group, fan page or business? Thanks.
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works [...]
Hi Dean,
Through my personal facebook page I have created a business fan page. I saw from your previous answers above that once you are on the fan page that you are admin of, and you make a comment, that this will appear as a comment from the fan page.
However, when I go to my fan page through manage my pages in my personal account, and if I leave a comment it says that it’s from my personal account, not my fan page. Also, when I go onto other fan pages it gives me the option to ‘like’ those pages which shouldn’t happen as I’m using my fan page. Can you please let me know how I can sort this out?
@Dee: I don’t think you can leave a comment and have it come from your fan page. It will appear to come from your personal page. I don’t know a way around that. However, you might set up your personal page with a name and icon that are the same as the fan page as a workaround.
How do I work with FBML? I’ve heard of HTML, but have no clue as to how to work with it. I’m not technically minded. You just say to use FBML, and do not say how. I need small easy steps. What is a tab? Where do I find them? I tried linking to Twitter, but I think my website designer will have to do that. How do I do an e-mail blast? Where do I post a blog on Facebook?
@Lynn: If you know know anything about HTML or basic Facebook procedures, then you need to learn it or find someone else to do all this for you. There are plenty of HTML references out there. And Facebook has lots of reference material. Dive in.
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works by Direct Creative Blog [...]
Some good tips here, thanks. I’ve set up my first landing page after reading this. Somehow I wasn’t sure how before. Two things: 1. Facebook gave me this notice “Soon Facebook will no longer support profile boxes from applications. Learn more about this change in the Help Center.” Re: the sidebar. 2. I really don’t know how to post to another page ABOUT MY page without it being spammy … anyone??
What do i need to do to set up a fan page i’m a publish author
Dean, thanks for the great article, and I am double-impressed that you’ve kept up with all the questions. Very helpful to read those as well.
Could you post a link-example of these ‘landing pages’ you spoke of?
@jLaib: Have a look at this: http://designm.ag/design/designing-a-facebook-landing-page-12-of-the-best/
The landing page for Mashable is good because it encourages you to click the “Like” button.
Once you have setup the facebook fan page, you might want to check how much is your facebook page worth. Check this out to get the worth and potential of your facebook fan page.
http://www.buzzingup.com/2010/09/how-much-is-your-facebook-fan-page-worth-calculator/
Great posting. It will help me lot. Thanks!
Great tips about FB fan pages. I was wondering if anyone is having issues with links published from Facebook to Twitter? The links show on my Twitter page published by FB but when you open the link (such as this one http://fb.me/JcR7n955) it goes directly to my website rather than fan page.
The purpose of posting on FB is to drive traffic to my fan page and increase fans but that is not happening.
Does anyone have any tips or recommendations on how to fix this? The settings under http://www.facebook.com/twitter are all selected for my page. When I had unselected Links, status updates with a url address would not auto publish to Twitter. Help!!
Hi
I want to leave a post on another Page wall from my own Page but my log-in profile shows up instead of Page name/icon. How can I sort this?
I have seen this working on the following page for instance with Truly Madly Baby Page leaving a post on the Little Impressions Page. I notice there is a little label tag at the end of Truly Madly Baby line?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Impressions-York/308337102170?ref=ts
Thanks so much for your help … I can’t seem to find an answer anywhere else!
How do you set up a business page without having them connected to a personal account?
@Mike: You can’t.
@Mike: You can’t. And you can have only one personal account.
@Heather: I think the only way you can do what you want to do is set up a personal account with the same name and image as the business account. If there’s another way, I don’t know it. Others have the same problem you do. Just remember, you can only have one personal account. There are ways around that, such as using another email or fake name, but you’re running a risk. Facebook is heartless and swift in their retribution for rule violations.
Thanks fot this magnificent article, I think you put here everything you need to make a good marketing campaign via facebook fanpage.
Regards
I like the tips, but I’d just add a caveat about “posting several times a day.” One main reason that people unsubscribe to blogs (and “hide” Facebook page updates) is that posts come much too frequently.
While posting updates is more art than science, I would guess that daily posts are plenty. My 2 cents: be sure the majority of those posts contain interesting and relevant content, humor when applicable, and limited promotion.
Thanks for the article!
@Eric: I run a FB page for a political nonprofit and we post several times a day. There are more posts from fans. The more posts, the more new fans we get.
If you have people who basically don’t want to hear from you or get irritated because they hear from you 2 times a day instead of once a day, then they probably aren’t real fans and aren’t doing you any good anyway.
@Dean: That’s interesting. Playing devil’s advocate…I’d imagine there exists a possible difference between a non-profit with a mission versus a company selling a product/service.
And on the flip side, of course, both are technically “selling” something.
Still, I stand by my comment!
If you have any polls, surveys etc that you can share on this topic, please do. It would certainly be good information to review. Thanks again for the article!
This was amazing article on facebook fan… now i m your fan. i have bookmarked ur post.
Nice.
[...] fan page everywhere you can. When you build other profiles don’t forget to leave links to your Facebook fan page so people can get there. Don’t ever assume your audience will just simply find it. It doesn’t [...]
Great Info…Thanks a lot. I got you as one of my fav.
Hermes Hernandez
New York
Really informative to the point i have bookmarked. I have a profile and a community page that I am an Unkown admin. If oyu go under search you will find my page name..but in the address bar its facebook, with a ton o f numbers and characters…i have 100 fans, but i cannot seem to change the address to facebook.com/communityname
ihave tried but all i get is a link to change MY profile name but not my page…please help?
suz:I have exactly the same question to you,anybody knows?How to chage my fan page URL to facebook.com/communityname???Thanks.
Thanks this was great info. Just what I was looking for. I started a facebook fan page for my website http://www.backyardgardenponds.com emediately after reading. Name of page is Backyard Garden Pond. Thanks Again.
This is a great article that I just found. It pretty much nails the points that we make to all of our facebook customers. I am bookmarking this and sending them this article for reasons WHY you need to do a Facebook Fan Page.
I have been looking for some guidance on fan pages and what to do to promote a website and business of mine. I must have missed this a few months ago, but it hits the nail on the head and gave me the information I needed.
[...] http://www.directcreative.com/blog/facebook-fan-page VN:F [1.9.5_1105]please wait…Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)VN:F [1.9.5_1105]Rating: 0 (from 0 votes) [...]
Hi Dean,
I just recently set up a fan page for myself and I am having major issues! I have about 72 fans and I update the page regularly and NONE of the updates are showing up in my news feed or my friends news feed, but yet, they show up when i use fb mobile. Do you know why this is? Why are my fan page status updates showing up on mobile fb but not on the news feed when im on the computer? MY page is published and I have some interaction with fans but its just not showing up. However, I manage another fan page for my job and when I post status updates for that one it shows up both on fb mobile and on the compute.
Please help,
Thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/KimRMoore
Kim, are you sure you’re checking both feeds? There’s “top news” and “recent”? Also, are you updating directly in FB or are you using a third-party application? Sometimes applications don’t play well with FB.
Hi Dean,
Thanks for the rapid response!
Yes, I have checked both feeds and they dont show up in either one. I use the twitter application to update but sometimes I dont and it STILL doesnt show up in the news feeds. The other page I manage, I use ‘selective tweets’ and they show up in both news feeds even when I dont use that app. I don’t understand whats wrong or how to fix it.
I am interested in opening a facebook official page for my website, however I don’t want to open an account that would reveal my name. I was thinking about making an account with faulse name but I’m sacered if my official page gets too popullar there will be nothing that can stop facebook from taking it away from me. is it advisable to open a community page with my website name and through that page to open a official page?
Please if anyone has any suggestuion, let me know. Thanks…
Katty: Facebook can be brutal in the enforcement of their rules. If you fake your name, you’re running a big risk.
Yes I know and I don’t want to lost my self in a facebook quarel. However I wanted to ask you if you have any seggestion about how to open that official page without revealing my identity? Schould I open a community page with the name of my website and thereafter open the official page?
Hello,
I am wondering how you you get your company’s facebook page to “like” another company’s page. When I “like” someone or something, it always comes from my profile (me).
Thanks!
Tanya
Tanya,
I’m not sure you can do that. You can add favorite pages to your page, but since FB is built on the idea that every user is a “person,” when you like something, YOU show up as the liker.
The only way around it would be to set up a personal page as a business name then you could like other pages as the page. But this is risky. FB might consider that a fake account.
I created a business page for my office, but it doesn’t come up when anyone searches for it. What am I missing. I did publish it. Also, does it matter what my privacy settings are on my personal page are as i am administrator, in other words, do they affect the business page
Tess,
Check your privacy settings. You have to allow the page to be visible to search.
Tess – can you post a link to the page? I’ll see if I can find it.
Your personal privacy settings shouldn’t matter. I believe Dean is referring to the setting (in the EDIT PAGE, SETTINGS tab)that allows it to be “public” versus “private.”
Tess, I would like to ask you whether you have revealed you real name onto your FB community page before you have made your official page? I want to find a solution for opening an official page without showing my real identity on my community page. Any suggestion?
Hi Dean,
Just discovered this blog and your website from a search for Facebook Fan Pages (#1 position!). Great content and a place I will visit often. And, I’m impressed how freely and quickly you offer advice. Thanks for paying it forward. Please help me to understand how I can know who is a fan on my business page. Also, is there a current resource on how to use Facebook for business that I can refer to without having to trouble you?
Thanks,
Great! this would help me a lot in promoting my new new blog through Facebook fan page
My page setting (at the page edit tab) says published. I made my personal page available to everyone, which i don’t want. I only want my business page to be available to everyone. I have had others search for metro animal Hospital, the only thing they find is the linke to our website, but not a link to our page. I did create this as a business page, not community. So far the only person who found the business page was someone I added as a friend on my personal page. Please Help! As far as the link goes..http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Schofield-WI/Metro-Animal-Hospital/112185598845274
Thank you for any help.
as far as that link is concerned, something is very wrong. maybe im not cut out to be a facebook user! LOL
Don,
Facebook now uses “like” rather than “fan,” but they work the same way. You’ll see a box on the left that lists all those who like your page. I suggest you just google for a more thorough guide or search Amazon.
I do no have an FB account and FB page also but I want to have soon because I am a publisher of Commission Junction and I have a handful of advertisers that approved my application to promote their affiliate links but I do not own a website. Is it possible to promote affiliate links to FB page, free of charge? Hope you can help me.
Harry,
That’s not a good idea. No one will sign up for a page that only promotes affiliate links. And FB frowns on this and is likely to deactivate your page when someone complains.
Thanks for this amazing tips and tricks for Facebook .
I loved this Post.
how do I separate my personal pages from my business page … I “liked” another page and I want their posts to show up on my business page but they show up on my personal page so I had to unlike them. I’m trying to keep them separate and can’t find the settings to stop this. Can you help?
Leisa,
You really can’t separate your personal page from your business page. However, you might try to set up an RSS feed that goes to your business page. Look at Hootsuite http://hootsuite.com/. You can use this to set up RSS so it automatically publishes to your page. However, it may be easier to use a Facebook application to do the same thing.
Keep in mind that FB is a little quirky and getting your personal page to work separate from your business page can be difficult. I run a business page and manually add updates because the auto features kept showing up on my personal page.
I appreciate the help, and for your quick response – you’re right FB certainly is quirky. I am about to set up a page for a business promoting music for young people. It will be all about the kids not the business. I want the page to have all the functionality of personal pages. I’d like the kids to be able add posts, images videos of themselves playing music etc but I want to be able to invite them like you do with personal pages. Fan pages and business pages seem to have no way to invite people, except through people you already know? How do I get young people to “like” the page when I can’t contact them… which would be my best option, business, fan, or group? or should I get the business to create a personal page? any suggestions would be much appreciated Dean.
Hi Dean,
I understand Fan Pages not being able to “like” other pages. My question is this: I use my personal page to interact with fans on a radio station’s fan page. I don’t think I can do this with my fan page. Is there any way I can get all of the fans of the radio station to see my fan page? I think they would enjoy it, but I don’t want to spam and risk being deactivated from facebook. Any suggestions?
Jon,
If the page appears to welcome posts which invite people to other pages, you should be able to do this without consequences. It just depends on the page administrator’s tolerance for these sort of promotional messages. Of course, you could buy ads on Facebook too.
People better hurry because they way we know fan pages now are soon going away. This is not speculation. It comes from within Facebook. They are moving to iFrames.
Once they have the security issues resolved all new Fanpages will only be able to use iFrames. Existing fan pages using FBML will be frozen with the template that you currently have when the change is made; so you better have your template completed for the long haul. You won’t be able to change it after.
I did a post explaining iFrames and how to use them within you website. The same will eventually be true within Facebook. http://kyleclouse.com/adding-iframes-to-your-wordpress-website-and-why-you-should/
I run a fan page for my business. I don’t want anyone to be able to post on our wall except for us. I keep getting feedback (people commenting on our posts, etc.) even though the settings say that it is all disabled. Am I missing something? Are there separate settings for both the personal page and the fan page that is attached to it? Any help is much appreciated!
Tyler,
Yes, there are separate settings. There’s an option link under the comment box, center column. This takes you to the settings for the fan page.
[...] via How to set up a Facebook fan page that works. [...]
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works. Tags: Fan Page Comments RSS [...]
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works [...]
I recently setup a Facebook Fan Page for our firm, and am unable to find the page via search. The only time it comes up during search is from the personal profile I have it attached to. If I log into my other Facebook account, or try to look it up from Google or any other account, it does not show. I have been trying to find out what I am missing, and it appears many others are having the same problem. I have “liked” my own page, and the page is published…so I don’t know what else to do for people to be able to find and “like” my page too.
I’d like to share posts on our aturbanmagazine.com website on Facebook utilizing the “share” button we have installed- the issue is when I do this- it post to Facebook on my personal page and not the page set up for the magazine. Help!
Christina,
You have to adjust your privacy settings to allow your page to be visible to search.
Catherine,
I recommend that you download HootSuite (free) along with the plugin for your browser and use this to post items to your page. I use it and it’s flawless.
@dean plz send link for hootsuite free.
I also want that.
Hey great advice, will try to do all this. I already have a fan page but will add these things thanx. By the way i tried to subscribe to your blog thru rss and email but it doesn’t allow me to????
Dean, how do you delete/remove a fan page that you’ve created? I have two fan pages with a more complete name on the second one, but can’t figure out how to delete the first.
Hi Dean, Great Blog have to say. I have been searching google to try and find an answer to my issue. I noticed a few people on here have the same issue but has not been resolved.
I manage several pages and until now have had no issues. The latest page I have created has over 70 fans and I have posted pictures up and general posts but NONE of them are showing in the news feed. I have even asked a few others to check their news feed and they also tell me its not showing up when I post.
I have tried to find an answer but no luck. I really dont know what to do as I cant see a setting that I may have missed.
My other pages show up fine just this one???
Thanks
Barry
Helen,
Click Edit Page then Manage Permissions. There’s a link at the bottom where you can delete the page.
Barry,
There are two feeds, Top News and Most Recent. Look through both. Also check your permissions settings: Edit Page > Manage Permissions.
Dear Dean… I am currently setting up my corporate page and have searched exhausively for this…
Is there any way I can get the ‘profile’ or personal section of the facebook domain to push content to the ‘page’ or corporate section? I currently have friends, details and twitter feeds to the profile that do not show on the page.
Or should I forget this and treat the ‘page’ as the #1 space to upload info to and limit the visibility of the ‘profile’?
Thanks in advance.
Braddan.
Dean,
Someone has set up a fan/like page for a product our business sells. We are appreciative & flattered by this.
But, I would like to be able to control this page as some off the info is incorrect (ie: description of product, misspelled words, poor grammar). I feel this is a bad reflection on our business and that the fans probably think we (the owners) started the page. Also we would like to be able to add new information. Is there anyway the administrator of the page can be changed? I believe I know who may have started the page…if I talk to him, will FB allow changing administrators? Thanks!
Braddan,
I don’t know how you would push content from one page to another. Just post stuff on your fan page.
Liz,
If the administrator of the page wants to make you an administrator, it can be done easily. He/she just clicks the edit link and then “manage admins.” However, if the current admin won’t do this, you’re out of luck. Anyone can start a page on anything.
Hi Dean,
I have checked the settings and its the same as my other pages. I have also checked both tabs, and none of the updates I do are showing on my wall. I have asked 20 people when we did a post, and only 1 seen the wall post the others did not see the update? any ideas, as we need this to work for our client.
Thanks Barry
Great advice for those new to Facebook pages.
Awesome post and really helped me get my head around how to use Facebook as a business tool. Thanks so much! One question though – can one run multiple fan pages from one profile successfully?
Thanks for the great article.
I have one question… I have a fan page, but I don’t know how to even search for other fan pages. The search box on top doesn’t work. I want to search for all fan pages that have to do with yoga and it brings me to my account page instead.
I have facebook account, twitter account and linkedin account but need some help to drive qualified traffic and leads. I need assistance from one who has passed through the agony of increasing traffic by learning it himself in the hardest way. i look forward to your response. Regards
[...] http://www.directcreative.com/blog/facebook-fan-page [...]
Thanks a ton for this post! How does one subscribe to Pages from a Page? I am trying to keep my facebook personal profile page separate to my business page. There is no ‘like pages’ button on my facebook page. When I go to ‘like’ a page, it is added to my personal page. I want it to be added to my business page.
Thank you for the useful tips. I already have a Facebook account, how do I change that to a “fan page”? or do I need to start a different account?
Lola,
If you want a page, you have to create one with your personal account. So you’ll have your personal page AND a fan page. http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=904
Very informative post.. And my question may have been covered in the comments, but I did not see it.
I have just created a fan page for our company ‘Batky-Howell, LLC’. I have included a discussion page which I think our ultimate audience will find useful. However, it appears that only admins can initiate new discussion topics. Not sure if this is normal or an anomaly. I would like all visitors to have the permission to initiate a new topic.
Can this be done?
Thanks,
Gordon
Awesome Information I am Just getting on the Band Wagon of making a Fan Page. It is the Future of Marketing. Thanks So much For teaching us your Tips
Hi there Dean, I scrolled through the posts and comments in hopes of finding a link to a professional facebook guru that I can hire for some help. I already have a fan page for my business listed on facebook as Bad Ass Cars but I want to make sure it is set-up as good as it can be, and that it is set-up for people to “Like” it, become fans & friends, etc. and to do things such as the “landing page” you talked about. I ak NOT computer savvy and could really use some help. Do you do this or do you know of anyone that could help me in exchange for some $? Thanks!
Arron,
No, I don’t consult on Facebook pages. I suggest that you search for pages of major businesses and brands to see what they’re doing.
Hi Dean,
I am a publisher from Commission Junction for 6 months now but only getting clicks and no commissions, sales and leads on my account; so I wanted to have an FB Page to promote my 12 affiliate links with CJ and see if this can improve my status as an earner. Under what category will I fit in? Is it not bad to promote too much links on FB Page? I need your advice?
Another thing Dean. Up until now, I cannot sign up with an FB Personal Account? Is there anything that cause the problem? Can I have an FB Page without an FB Personal account? Thanks. Happy New Year, btw.
If you like to have more number of fans on Facebook, then Facebook fan page is the solution. It gives you more control over the page style and you can even have a small site by using FBML, which is similar to HTML. And,like Dean Rieck said above, you could have a page just like big brand and new moves.
Harry,
Be careful about promoting too much on FB. Some people consider this spam, unless they’ve specifically friended you for this kind of information. And you must have a personal account to set up a fan page.
We just created a fan page but for our local neighborhood but we are concerned with managing all the posts from people. Is there a way to use for supplying info to others only and not allow anyone to post messages back?
Great advice and comments by many – Thanks.
Hi Dean,
I created a FB fan page that’s been up for about 6 months now and has a decent amount of traffic. I would like to create a FB Comments plugin on my website, and when users post comments through my website using the FB comments plugin, I would like those comments to appear on my FB fan page’s wall. Is this possible? Thanks so much!
Hi Dean,
Great article! I hope you can answer a question that I haven’t been able to find the answer to anywhere.
Our company has multiple product lines, each with different audiences. Ideally, I wanted to have a tab for each audience (communities, chambers, associations, etc.) so that each could post on their page. One landing page would greet everyone and give them a place to provide their email for additional information. BUT, that doesn’t seem possible. The static FBMLs would enable me to import a custom designed page with the individual tabs, but there wouldn’t be any way for them to post to it.
So, what do companies with multiple product lines do? Can I create four separate fan pages under one profile yet still have them go to the same landing page? Can I have the other pages listed on the sidebar, so if they want to explore the other pages, they can?
I am the poster child for computer illiteracy and this is starting to make me a little nuts, so I appreciate any help you can provide!
Thanks!
Robin
Robin,
I’m not a tech guy and it sounds like that’s what you need. I recommend you research other pages you like and contact them to find out who did the work for them. Or contact a social media expert who can set this sort of thing up for you.
Hi Dean.. trying again.
I created a FB fan page that’s been up for about 6 months now and has a decent amount of traffic. I would like to create a FB Comments plugin on my website, and when users post comments through my website using the FB comments plugin, I would like those comments to appear on my FB fan page’s wall. Is this possible? Thanks so much!
I’ve been able to create the landing page for my FaceBook fan page with a new application called FaceBizPro.
The template of this application enabled me to embed one of my own videos at the top of the page. It also provides 6 buttons that can link to other websites/blogs and space for 3 statements.
I’ve really appreciated your article with all the excellent tips, comments and replies. I still have a way to go Dean, but this is my landing page as it is now ~ http://budurl.com/FBYCM ~ Before directing my visitors to click on the ‘Like’ button ~ Smile.
So I set up a facebook page but it won’t let me suggest the page to friends. When you click the suggest button a grey bar appears and then nothing happens. Any suggestions??
Hi Dean,
Great info –
I created a landing/welcome page for my business page that requests visitors to “suggest” or “like” the page as the first action (can’t hurt to ask!)- here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Original-Oil-Paintings-by-Pati-Almost-Daily/113933515343137?v=wall
and I found a post that showed me how to set it up so that the visitor only sees that welcome page the FIRST time he/she comes to visit; after that the visitor goes straight to the wall. I have to hunt down where I found that post and I will come back with it.
Regards,
Pati
I noticed the above post’s link just went to her fanpage (not a landing page)–is a landing page still possible? Since FB has changed the look of profiles, my fan page is no longer visible on my profile (it can be found if you go first to “info” then to “activities & interests” and THEN to a list in “show other pages”–but this is hardly great visibility. Anyone know how to have my fan page be an obvious link (or at least visible) on my profile?
Karl Beckstrand – Author
Karl: Landing pages are still possible for fan pages. But I can’t help you with how FB keeps redesigning the site. Every week it’s something new.
I am by no means an expert (and ready to tear my hair out by how convoluted FB is making this), but you can set the default to be whatever page you want (under Manage Permissions for the page, not the profile) and click the drop down menu for “default landing tab” to whatever you want.
Regarding the landing page, Jo Barnes of Free Fan Page Templates offers a great (and free) video series on how to design a landing page email sign up form using Aweber.
I just designed ours using Pagemodo, the basic version, which is also free and FB-friendly and requires zero knowledge of HTML or FBML (which is good, since I am the poster child of computer illiteracy.) I hope that helps.
Robin
[...] more information about setting up a Facebook page, check out: http://www.directcreative.com/blog/facebook-fan-page [...]
Dean,
Can you suggest a discussion FORUM online in which we can find more detailed (esp. some of the technical) discussions related to FB pages, etc?
Is anybody using iFrames instead of FBML nowadays?
Thanks for this resource and discussion here.
Facebook Fan Pages are becoming the fastest growing area of the internet however it will soon lead back to a similar issue that we had with website design. For example you hagve a nice Facebook Page designed but have no Facebook followers!
Thanks for the information as finally decided to take the leap and set up an account as google seems to be giving more prominence too websites with facebook and twitter links. Information given here has been highly valuable.
Hello,
I am Vietnamese and trying to help our village in Vietnam but i am a newbie, so i created a page using your advices, but what to do now ?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/asiansnakewinecom/203010933049587
Please only easy things as it’s not a full time job and can’t focus on this only.
Thanks a lot for your precious help.
Finally found someone useful. Thank You. Could someone here please answer this, maybe I read it and missed it or it wasn’t spelled out clearly. MUST I have a personal account already set up in order to create a page for the organization in town I volunteer for? I really don’t want the two linked at all, but if it must be, I need to understand that, and right now I DON’T.
If I want to create a page for my small business, must I also have a personal site to start off with there as well.
Proper, full and clear help from someone will be much appreciated. Been working on these sites for months now, and need to once and for all be able to use them and move on to other tasks in life, grin.
Spencer
SevenMay2009[AT]Yahoo[DOT]
Follow-up to prior message…
I just tried to create a page for a local business, under the green SIGN UP button on the login page, it says copied “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business.” I than click on “Local Business or Place”, same happens with window to the right of that one … I fill out info, soon as I type the first letter in [City, State] it takes me out, forcing me to log in (to my account I assume) and that’s the end of the sign up for the company. I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. In my account the only thing remotely close I see is a “create group” link, and I don’t think I’m trying to creat a group. This has gone on so long, I’m sooooooo tired.
Thank You,
Spencer
Spencer,
You must have a personal account to set up any page or group. Many people don’t want to link a personal account to a group, for various reasons, but FB will not allow you to do anything unless you’re a real user with a real account. In fact, I had a page shut down for trying to work around this rule.
Spencer,
Just google “create facebook fan page” and get some step-by-step directions. Facebook is not always user-friendly.
Thank You very much Mr. Rieck.
I was indeed able to get my small business site up and running, although I’m still not quite sure it’s working the way I think it should. That doesn’t mean it’s not working, grin.
And the page for the non-profit, haven’t done that one yet, perhaps tomorrow or over the week end.
I guess there is no other option than to keep toying with it and eventually I’ll achieve my goals.
Another thing, seems like when I take one of my accounts and like the other, it just shows that “one person likes this”, not showing names and faces like I had on previous page attempts, don’t know why.
Thanx, L8r
I built a personal page Rescue Volunteer and am at almost 5k friends. I think that is the limit? What happens to request 501?
Also, my new fan page, I cannot figure out how to build it to add more people/there is no find friends feature. Suggestions?
Thanks!
Jane
Hi i made a fan/like page last night looks great but when I went to create the much needed ‘like’ button I just couldn’t figure it out… There’s two little forms to fill in with ‘codes’ I couldn’t find …. Not computer savvy please help
Definitely some solid information. I have already made a couple fan pages and what’s interesting I am getting some likes without even having to promote the page.
This just lets me know the power of facebook.
[...] to set up my Business on Facebook, How to set up a winning facebook fan page, setting up a Facebook page that works No Responses to “Facebook For Businesses that [...]
[...] fan page everywhere you can. When you build other profiles don’t forget to leave links to your Facebook fan page so people can get there. Don’t ever assume your audience will just simply find it. It doesn’t [...]
Unfortunately, the new Facebook Fan page system is broken. I found hundreds of people complaining about it on Facebook support forums. Basically, once you create a fan page, there is absolutely no way to bring friends to it. In fact, one user says:
“It appears Facebook provides this feature as a false sense of security and it doesn’t actually work. It’s just to keep spammers off the site by thinking they are spamming everyone when they actually aren’t.”
Well, so much for using Facebook’s fan page. I tried using this feature, not only was my personal “like” of the fan page not on my own newsfeed or profile, but the suggestion to friends didn’t show up in any of my friend’s inbox. What gives?
No idea what you’re talking about, Axel. I run a fan page for a nonprofit organization with over 9,000 fans with new people “liking” it every day. Works fine. ???
I need to create a page that is private, and I cannot seem to do that. I would like for people to be able to request to join or request to like…What is the best page to do that? Fan or group and how do i make it private?
Missy: You want to create a “group.” These are set up to be smaller and more private. People must get approved to join.
But I do not want the content to be made public. So far, I cannot change it to private, any suggestions?
I have a facebook business page, and have been trying to create a facebook badge (button) on my website that would take ANYONE (with or without a FB account) to my facebook page. I have managed to get it working only for those who have a FB account and are loged in. What do i need to do to have someone without a FB account to click on the button to come to my FB page?
Similarly, I would also like to put twitter and linkedin buttons on my website.
I have spent a few nights searching for answers but this is the closest I have come by finding this website. Hopefully someone will help me out over here.
Thx
Sindibase: Are you sure you have the link right? You have to use the URL for your page, not the generic link that comes with most buttons. And of course, you have to be logged in to comment or interact with the page. Facebook is useless for anyone without an account.
Thx Dean. True what you say about facebook being useless without an account. Here is an example of what I am trying to achieve. Click on the FB, twitter, and linkedin buttons in the website below. You will notice that they all work without you having to logon to your respective accounts.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Sindi
The difference is that the link to FB on the WhiteHouse page is just a link to the page. I suspect you are trying to use the FB generated link on your web site to get to your FB business page. That does immediately ask you to sign in or sign up.
I think this is a good point Sindi is making. It’s a good idea to make a regular link on your web site to your business FB site so people can use view the page without signing in. Of course you should also add the FB coded button. I’m going to go change my company web site tonight to make it easier for non-FB users to learn more about my business.
Great post! It works for me!:) Thank you very much for sharing this post on How to set up a Facebook fan page that works! Keep posting!
[...] How to set up a Facebook fan page that works. Tags: Fan Page, marketing (social) Comments RSS feed LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
I operate a Fan page on behalf of a local Vet practice. I would like it to be a sort of general introduction to the practice – but then with separate pages for each of its three disciplines – ie Farm, Small Animal and Equine. Could you tell me how to do this please?
Gilly, you can use FBML to do that. It’s Facebook’s version of HTML. Here’s a place to start learning about that: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-customize-your-facebook-page-using-static-fbml/
I did not even know that Facebook offers a service whereby you can create your own fan pages! Wow! That sounds like something I should do. Thanks to your great article, I think I now know much more about facebook than before.
great..learnt a lot.
[...] fan page everywhere you can. When you build other profiles don’t forget to leave links to your Facebook fan page so people can get there. Don’t ever assume your audience will just simply find it. It doesn’t [...]
Hello,
Thank you for all of the greats tips but my question was not answered and I cannot seem to find the answer anywhere. I have added the “like” button for my Fan page on my website but on my website it shows 13 “likes” but on my Facebook Fan page feed it is only showing 3 “likes”. I am not sure what to do as it is not picking up the feed to update it. Help!
Thanks for the great tips. Keep posting!
Mano
Dean,
Very informative article. My only question is, do I set up a business account, then put the fan page there, or do I just set it up under my personal account?
Thanks
Lynne, everything on Facebook starts with a personal account. You must have that first, then create a fan page. You could create a new “fake” personal account, but you’d be running a risk. Facebook frowns on this practice and often deactivates such accounts, which means any page connected to it would vanish. I’ve been through this and it’s not fun.
Thank you so much for the info and the quick response!!
[...] How to Set Up a Facebook Fan Page That Works [...]
I have a fan page for my business but cannot get the FBML app to add to the page. Every time I click “add to page” it just takes me to my profile page. Did FB suddenly change something that broke it or am I missing something?
Facebook has stopped supporting Static FBML. Users who have already installed Static FBML need not worry as they’ll still be able to make updates. The change comes for new users who won’t be able to create Static FBML pages, as the custom tabs will now only work on IFrames. Coupled with Facebook’s recent changes to profile pages, there’s no doubt that Facebook now offers its users more freedom to create, essentially, full websites within Facebook.
Flexibility is perhaps the greatest benefit of IFrame based tabs. With IFrames you’re able to change the welcome tabs according to the seasons, or introduce new offers by creating multiple pages.
Read more:
http://www.techwyse.com/blog/social-media-marketing/static-fbml-no-more-make-way-for-iframes/
Allen, I had the same problem which I was finally able to resolve by downloading tabs for FB. These links will let you directly add up to 12 tabs to your page. I tried tabs from two other websites, but these are far superior, and very easy to work with. You can also enable/disable scroll bars easily. Great with Google Chrome when you have to edit any HTML code. Try it!
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=207382782627172
I created a FB Page for the nonprofit I volunteer with. The thought never crossed my mind to create a fan page instead. However, since creating the Page about a week ago, it has yet to show up in a public search. Is it something I did or, Google, et al? FB Help directs me to change my account privacy settings but that would be for my Personal profile, which they won’t let me create for a Page. I’ve been going around in circles with this. Thanks.
Is anyone interested in doing a Facebook Fan page exchange? Basically, it’s a you “like” me, I “like” you sort of thing. However, you should only “like” pages that are of interest to you and that you would comment or post on. If anyone is interested, please visit my page at http://www.facebook.com/clean.burning.candle and let me know you are connecting via Dean’s blog.
Make it an awesome day!
Deb,
I don’t understand. You have to start with a personal account. When you have that setup, then you create a “fan” page. And there are separate privacy controls for each. I can’t tell from your post whether you’ve done this or not.
This guide is slightly out-of-date, a lot has changed since it was written!
We’re just about to release a guide on how to do this with the new interface, and the things you should be aware of in the context of other Facebook changes (EdgeRank changes, Sponsored Stories, new profile layout).
Watch this space!
I set up a Facebook badge on my website homepage to start a fan page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Self-Catering-Lochearnhead-Briar-Cottages/147546028596414.
When you click the badge from http://www.stayatbriar.co.uk it goes to the sign in not the information or landing page. The badge also advertises page promotion for Facebook which is a bit ugly on my website. Other pages I have seen take you from a “Find us” button straight into an information page. What am I missing? Thank you
Kim:
The problem could be that you’ve used the gobbledegook code Facebook gave you. You need to save your badge as an image on your own server and just use the simple address link to whatever page you want to land on.
Your write up is very detailed and walks through the smallest procedure of setting up a page! Loved reading it and will be back for more.
Hi Dean: I’ve been hired into a position where we would like to start using FB regularly for advertising. The person in this position prior to me created a FB link from our website but it was never used frequently so i want to change that but know very little. The first thing i’m trying to do is add myself as an admin (I do have to do this to be able to add newsletters, pics, etc. don’t i?)
I found instructions on the net to add myself to the site but when the instructions tell me to click on “All Fans” that there s/b a button to add admin. First of all the people associated with the site are referred to as “friends” not “fans” so I’m guessing that the FB page should have been set up differently?
The next thing is that when i click “show all” it does show all the “friends” and although there is a little drop down box with the option to click on “admin”, it then shows the currenty admin with no option to add myself.
Any chance you can help…please?
Thanks
I created a facebook business page, but now all of my personal friends are getting tons of advertising in the media feed from some of my fan’s pages (many of them have business themselves). Is there anyway to separate my personal facebook page from my business one as far as a media feed?
I will try more time but facebook page not work properly.
I have a page on facebook facebook.com/b3digigrafx Whenyou are not logged into facebook you are redirected to facebook.com log-in page. When logged in you are redirected to my personal page, how do I make facebook.com/b3digigrafx open to direct access? Here is an example of one that works, facebook.com/adzinmotion
Ed: You’re using the code from FB for your link, aren’t you? That directs people to a signup page. Just go to your page and copy the address of your page for your link.
Hi there
I am coming in desperation in the hope you can help! I had bookmarked this page of yours a while back to re-look at when I was almost ready to start actively marketing 2 children’s books I have written – and I am at that stage now.
I set up two FB pages for them a few months ago and ran a very small amount of advertising – and now have 65 and 85 fans respectively. Now I would like to give these pages a more friendly fb URL.
I have tried in vain to find out how to do this following the instructions – which don’t work – and tried in vain to find out how to post my query about this on FB – and failed (I can’t see any options in FB help centre that allow me to post a question!)
When I got to the page http://www.facebook.com/username/ it asks me for a mobile no. in order to verify my account before I can set up my username – it then texts me a code which, when I input it in the requested box, it says it does not recgonise.
Oddly, when googling around to see if anyone else is having this problem, post seem to say that this page should show give me a drop down list to choose from of friendly urls – but I get none of this.
I am logged in as the administrator when I do all of the above. So sorry to email you with this query – but I can’t even see how to ask a question about this in the fb help centre! I do hope you can help. My fb pages are as follows in case if it’s of relevance… http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eeek/180996308612179 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Lake/120383541372392
Kind regards,
Karen Inglis UK, London
Dean
I am having the same problem as others. I have created a page. When people “like it” it doesn’t show up in their news feed. In fact when people like anything on my facebook page it doesn’t show up on their pages. How do I change this?
great help..thnx!!
My facebook page upgrades are not appearing on members wall??whats da reason kindly help..waiting
my facebook page updates are not appearing on members wall//why
great source of effective & successful strategy with which anybody can increase their friend following.
Again thanks 4 great tips .
Hi, so my question is related to privacy. I have a fanpage for my biz. My personal page has high privacy (friends only) settings. This means that my fanpage is friends only?? How do I make my fanpage open to everyone while keeping my personal page “Friends only”? Thx
Shana
Hi, I created a page on FB to market my product and it is not linked to my personal account. But now i am not able to log into the page again. It does not recognize my email ID and even the forgot password tab does not help.
Can’t create FB page for business. When I get to City/State, it says please log in. Can’t get past it… rrrrgggg!!!!
Hi, I have created a Page and I cannot find a way to make my albums and wall only available to people who like my page… Is this not available now???
Thanks
There is a link to our facebook page on our website. When you click on it it use to go directly to our fb page but now it goes to the facebook login page. How can this be fixed so that users will be directed to our fb page instead?
Thanks
really nice info. Fanpage are so important. We have just created our first fanpage for our company and are pretty happy about it. We wanted to run a campaign so we used coolmojito.com. Our page look awesome !!!!!
I created my page but I cant get the publish button to appear. I’ve done all of the getting started steps. I want my page to be searchable but I don’t know what I am doing wrong.
Nicole – maybe you need a certain number of fans before that happens? I think it is 30, then things change.
Nuno/Shanna – I think the two are not connected. As fae as I see FB pages are open and cannot be restricted.
Today I see that my page has disappeared from left sidebar. Not asure of my fans have the same thing but it makes it harder to get to the page for updates etc.
hi..i have a photo liking on my page.. how would i let people like my page first before liking their entries? pls help….:(
thank you for your nice and very helpful tips and information…
Please can you help? I followed all the ‘get started’ instructions but something is still not right….how can I stop people from commenting on my fb page without having hit the ‘like’ button first? Those who are commenting without ‘liking’ the page have their posts go direct to ”hidden posts”…is this an automatic thing? How can I prevent this from keep happening?
That’s not a good idea. No one will sign up for a page that only promotes affiliate links. And FB frowns on this and is likely to deactivate your page when someone complains….
[...] pageHow to make a facebook fan page easily and for free! You probably already know that a facebook fan p… you like as long as stay inside the facebook guidelines and don't break any [...]
[...] content strategies of brands on Facebook. More information is available at http://www.unmetric.comSan Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2011 Google and Microsoft have some of the most active fan p…hrome has close to 7 million fans and the search engines rack up some good numbers too – Bing has [...]
I am trying to better my way of bulding my fan pages and this article has been the clearest and simplestt way of explaining how to go about it.
Thank you for the information which had added a great deal to my humble knowledge of using facebook and it practices.
I followed every instuction I could find but I have no idea why my page on FB reads as http://www.facebook.com/pages/Think-Ink-Plus/187376317947632
Everyone elses would be http://www.facebook.com/ThinkInkPlus
No “pages” ,no numbers at the end…what am I doing wrong?
THANKS!!!!!
Hi Dean,
Thank you for this informative tips in creating facebook fan page. I just created mine and this tips really help.
Thank you
Hi,
This is a good writeup on fanpages. I build two to three fanpages every week. With Facebook requiring https, its more challenging to get the fanpage / fangate done right.
Let me know if you guys need help on fanpages or fangate.
Thanks
–
Jay
fbreveal.com
I want to set up a goup page for people to interact without my involvement, but have it acknolowedge my page and asking the group participants to like my page, and have it as an adjunct to my page. Can I do this? Am I a bad person for wanting to do this?
Thanks Dean,
The summary of clear points is really useful. As you state it is important to understand if you want to send folks to a landing page or wall. The most important factor is to give them something for becoming a fan.
Regards
Sven
Hi.
I use my private account with all my friends, posting pictures of nights out, making funny status updates etc. Now I am starting an iPhone app business and want a business page for it on Facebook.
If I merge the business page with my private account, will the two then be seperated? I am not interesting in customers seeing me and my friends downing beers all night if I upload a picture and then use “places” to log in at the local bar. I dont want customers (or rather “fans” of my business page) to see what I am saying to my friends.
Is it possible to keep such a line between private and business, and If so, how?
Thanks so much in advance!
I am setting up a fan page but I am lost. Is their a easy way to explain it?
[...] Likes for Facebook are an interesting beast. In the world of internet marketing, building your prese…your online business. Remember, Facebook has more than 750 million active users that exchange billions of objects such as web links, stories, blog posts, photographs and videos every month. If, in some way, you are able to build a strong web presence in Facebook through Facebook Fan Pages, the amount of traffic that you can give to your business will most likely spell the difference between your failure and your success. [...]
applications are things like games and quizzes.. pages are for the “fans” of businesses, musicians, actors, etc.. . applications are more for fun and pages are more for representing something.
Hi Dean,
I set up a business page and for the last three weeks it stopped posting updates in my newsfeeds on my profile page as well as on my fans’ pages. It still gets posted in the ticker feed and I have lost all previous posts on my profile page. While my updated status aren’t posting onto my profile page, my activity on my business page is slowing down. There has been no interaction on that page for three weeks and all the work/info posted has been wasted.
I’ve been trying to post my question on the facebook forum, I reported my question to facebook’s technical support, and I’ve been searching everywhere for a phone number or a live chat but to no avail. If you have any clue how to rectify this issue, I’d love to hear from you and it will be greatly appreciated. I am quite frustrated that no one has responded to me yet. Thanks in advance, Susan
Hi,
I find your tips really helpful and easy to understand.
Thank you so much for the nice post.
Regards,
Suie
Susan, it’s unlikely you’ll ever talk to a human at FB. About all you can do is send an email and cross your fingers. They have no competition and, therefore, don’t give a darn about customer service.
Our non-profit ministry, New Life Ministries/Camp New Life, has a fb page. I have run into a wall, and that is that, as one of the admins, I want to post from my droid to the fb page. I don’t know how. I thought I could post to my own fb, then Share. However, the NLM page won’t come up as a friend because, I just discovered, it is listed as a Place. I want to change it to be an organization, non-profit, but don’t know how. I don’t want to lose what we have. I also want to incorporate some of your ideas. I don’t know if I am clear in what I want,…..but can you help?
Fantastic website you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Bless you!
‘fans’ on my new created page, tell me they cannot share links(songs)/ photos on it ?..
Although my page settings seem all right to admit them to do that ?…
Could anyone please tell me what the problem might be? (Sooo unpleasant)…& really don’t find any solutions on FB or internet)..
Hi there, Any help would be appreciated. I have started a facebook fan page. Have worked hard to get my first 50 fans. The problem is noone can search for my page in facebook search – noone can find me and as such I cannot grow my fanbase further. It simply doesn’t appear! I have tried setting up other fb pages and I have the same issue. What is happening? Any thoughts? The page is Stylecase
Hi I am having the same problem as Prue. I already started a fan page but some people that aren’t on my friends list is having a hard time finding my fan page. The purpose of setting up my fan page was to keep personal and business life separate. My fan page setup is open to the public. I can’t figure out what the issue is. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance
thanks for the post! would be nice to see a update regarding new timeline.
cu
I’ve been trying to set up a Page or Group for my husband’s military command. My issue is that they want it to be invite only and to have the people in the Page or Group unable to comment. Our main goal is to distribute information to a large group of people without it turning into a “why this command sucks”. Any recommendations?
Thanks, Jen
Thanks Dean for your post, I was searching on google for this information and I came across you post.
The advice you give is very clear and I just know what to do because I’ve never been to facebook.
Thanks!
But how do you start the fan page? the only options i have are for business pages
Can someone tell me how to set up the url to a facebook page that is working?
I have created fan page after creating personal profile. After switching personal to fan page view. it is available. but after log out when i log in it shows again personal profile. I just want to put permanently fan page each time i log in. so how it is possible ? and one more problem is that my fan page is not appearing in fb search result.
Hi Dean
Thanks for the information on here all very helpful, I am trying to create a landing page for our Facebook page but I cant seem to find the FBML app that you were talking about, the only ones I can find wont load up when I click on them, can you help?
I have a Facebook page, but it’s private, so can you tell me how can i set up page for my copywriting business?
I am a third party creating a facebook fan page for a business. After I create it, I want to hand it over to them and forget about it.
I do not want it linked to my personal account. Is this possible?
Thanks!