Tutorial Blog 3: Creating a Facebook Fan Page

During my time as an Account Executive with Alpha PRoductions, UF’s student run PR firm, I was asked to help build a social media presence for my client, the Institute for Public Relations. I helped design their Facebook Fan Page, which is currently being followed by 45 people (the number of people following the page has been going up as word gets out about IPR). Go ahead and “Like” it so that IPR can continue to grow its audience.   Since the page has been built, the Institute has shared videos from their annual conference in Coral Gables and posted relevant articles on public relations.

Today, I would like to show you how to build a Facebook Fan Page for your business. It is a great tool for businesses as their latest updates are shown on their follower’s news feeds and they can keep track of upcoming events and watch original videos.

The first step you need to do when creating a Facebook Fan Page is to go to the website, http://www. Facebook.com/pages/create.php. On this page you have the option of choosing Local Business or Place, Company, Organization, or Institution, Brand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure, Entertainment, or Cause or Community.

Figure 1

(Facebook Fan Page – Create a Page, http://www.Facebook.com/pages/create.php, Screenshot w/ Snipping Tool by Matt Hersch, Copyright 2011)



Once you agree to the terms, Facebook will allow you to design your page and gives you tips on how to build your fan page. You are now able to add images, invite friends, tell your fans and post status updates. Before you invite people to access your page, you need to add information about your company and give your page its own visual identity. After you are finished adding background information about your company, you should add logos, photos and videos to promote your page.

   Figure 2

(Facebook Page Terms, http://www.facebook.com/terms_pages.php, Screenshot w/ Snipping Tool by Matt Hersch, Copyright 2011)

  
For my client, the Institute for Public Relations, I identified the company as a Company, Organization or Institution. Next, I had to choose a specific type of company from a long list, list the name of the company and check a box to agree to Facebook’s Page Terms. The Page Terms goes over the terms and conditions you must agree to in order to start a Facebook Fan Page and is very similar to the EULA that we learned about earlier in class. By signing the Page Terms, you agree that only an authorized representative of the subject matter may administer the page and agree to prohibit third party advertisements. You must allow all information posted on the Fan Page to be public information and to be made available to everyone.

Figure 3

(Institute for Public Relations Fan Page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/Institute-for-Public-Relations/148415338553371, Screenshot w/ Snipping Tool by Matt Hersch, Copyright 2011)

People who use Facebook use it mainly for social networking as well as establishing and maintaining relationships. The same rules apply for businesses that create Facebook Fan Pages. In order to get and retain the most followers, companies should invite their Facebook friends, colleagues and those that belong to their target audience to “Like” their page. In order to maintain relationships with their fans, companies need to post frequent and relevant status updates to gain interest from friends of the Institute and keep them informed of all recent activity.

A benefit of building a fan page is that you are able to link your page to other online venues, such as Twitter, your company’s website and RSS feeds by adding widgets. A widget is a mini application embedded within a web page that adds content frequently supplied by a third party. It allows your fans to quickly navigate to your site and to the other social media sites your company actively participates in.

Now you can create your own Facebook Fan Page for your company so that you can interact with your supporters and encourage them to go to events, watch updated videos and visit relevant websites. I really hope you “Like” this tutorial and wish you luck on building your own Facebook Fan Page.



Figure 4

(Institute for Public Relations – Get Started Page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php#!/pages/Institute-for-Public-Relations/175513365829804?created, Screenshot w/ Snipping Tool by Matt Hersch, Copyright 2011)