Facebook, Now More Page-Friendly Than Ever
Last month Facebook introduced some big changes for fan pages. If you manage your organizations’ Facebook page then this is essential reading! Find out what’s new and learn how the fan page upgrade can help make Facebook marketing more effective for your organization. Here’s our rundown of the top three changes:
1. I’m a Fan Page, Hallelujah!
Here’s a fantastic upgrade to fan pages. You can now log in to Facebook and interact with other pages as your brand, not an individual. Your brand can follow other pages, comment on their walls and interact in the same way individuals do on profile pages. Note that this functionality only works on other pages, not on personal profiles. And that’s a good thing. Who wants Coke or Walmart leaving posts on their personal Facebook profile?
2. Where the Heck are My Tabs!?
The content in the tabs that used to line the top of your fan page hasn’t gone away, it’s just less prominently featured below your profile picture on the left side of your page. Don’t worry, even though tabs have disappeared, you can still access tab functionality, like setting a custom landing page as your Facebook “home” page.
A great example of this is the World Wildlife Fund fan page. It features an online giving catalogue and makes it easy for users to donate through a custom-built HTML tab, within Facebook. What a great way to embed calls to action from your website inside Facebook! The Body Shop also extends website functionality and branding into Facebook. We have iFrames to thank for this custom approach. Originally, developers depended on FBML when it came to custom tabs and functions. Now, anyone can place a page within a Facebook page, all thanks to iFrames.
3. Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words
Which is why photos are far more prominent in the new fan page layout. Just like on a personal profile, fan page admins can control which photos appear at the top of their fan page. We like how these prominent photos add a personal touch, encourage users to browse through albums, and generally makes a page more interesting and interactive.
We think all of these are positive changes and encourage you to get your hands dirty with new fan page capabilities.
