Facebook Pages present an awesome opportunity for brands to directly engage with their existing and future customers, even the occasional passer-by. The latest release of Facebook Pages is so important for brands because it encompasses the power of all the other social media tools and a platform with a fan base of 250+ million users.

Below, are the top 5 tips for creating engaging Facebook Pages. These are only the top 5 and there are many other lessons to be learned but this should serve as the starter guide for any brand/company looking to make their entrance into Facebook.

1. Develop Custom Tabs for Custom Ads





Advertising your brand’s page is always extremely important. One of the greatest features of Facebook’s new pages product is that you can link directly to specific tabs. You can separate which pages a user views by default based on the ad that they clicked on. For example, if you’d like to target two groups of users in different geographic locations. You would display one advertisement for people in Des Moines, IA. and those users will land on a page which is specific to users from Des Moines. A different page would be displayed to users from Los Angeles.

This system can instantly increase the conversion of new visitors to fans by providing a relevant experience, however it isn’t necessarily the most scalable. Having 500 tabs would make for a cluttered Fan page. The customization of your Fan Page will take a bit more effort, but it is worth it as your conversion rates will increase.

2. Don’t Let New Users Land on the Wall




Why, have a different landing area? There is a huge opportunity to present users with engaging information and while the content provided by fans of your brand can be engaging, you have absolutely no control over it. It’s much better to have new visitors enter a controlled environment and then proceed to navigate through areas with less structure. Yes, the wall can be extremely valuable for user interaction and to talk to you and your brand, but unfiltered conversation is the last place you should force a new user to navigate through. You can provide your users with a safe entrance to your Fan Page.

3. Create a Unique Page Image
I honestly believe that this can have the greatest impact on your users. Within the 200 pixel wide box is a simple component, yet powerful engagement point of your page. Recently Rob Banagale, a guest author on AllFacebook, published an article entitled “5 Creative Ways to Hack Your Facebook Profile Photo“. It is an interesting and informative article. More impressive than the photos included in the tutorial are the photos that numerous users posted at the end.


4. Integrate Applications To Increase Engagement

The last thing you want is for users to land on your Facebook Page and leave immediately. The greatest opportunity you have to capture their attention is through engaging applications. The folks at BAM!apps provide Facebook Application Templates, the cost is less than a fully customized application and it takes much less time to launch. Also each application template is designed with five streams of revenue. So now your engaging application also makes money on Facebook.

For larger brands I highly recommend that you work with the BAM!apps team to develop a more robust experience for the user. Games, quizzes, and other types of dynamic content in general can help keep users on your Facebook Page for longer durations of time. As you know, we live in an attention economy and that means you want to get all the attention you can from consumers. To immediately engage your new users, make sure the application has a compelling call to action.

5. Join the Conversation

With the new Facebook pages, brands can take advantage of the opportunity to be a major part of a user’s conversation on Facebook. That means every time someone comments on your new status, a photo, a video, a discussion thread, or anything else, you need to comment on it. We are in the midst of a conversational revolution and your company needs to be part of it. It is imperative that you actively participate.
Failing to engage your customers and potential customers means less revenue, and it also means you’ll be losing to your competition who is engaging with their customers on a regular basis. Whether you are a small business (dentist, cupcake maker, restaurant, etc) or a large corporation, you need to be talking to your client and the only way to do that is through a two way dialogue. They’ll ask you questions that you can reply to and you can ask questions as well. Ask about what would improve their experience with your company. Also, ask them about the world in general because at the end of the day, they’re humans just like you.

It takes extra effort to engage your clients and going that extra mile will always keep clients coming back. You want to promote an exceptional brand right?

Are you using your Facebook to engage users? What is the most engaging area of your Facebook Page?

This post was inspired by a Nick O'Neill