This is a guest blog post by Natasha Attal, a social media marketer from Composure Marketing. She helps businesses expand their presence online and writes on the Composure blog where she discusses social media news and optimizing content for effective outreach. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and via email at Natasha@composuremarketing.com if you want to get in touch with her directly.
There are now more than 500 million people on Facebook with just about 65 million people “liking” things (posts, comments, photos, fan pages, etc) on a daily basis. Businesses are realizing that the question is not “should we be on Facebook?” but rather “how will to leverage Facebook to engage with our audience and attract potential customers?” Think about your Facebook page as your home and envision how you would welcome a new guest while hosting a dinner party. Would you just leave the door unlocked and expect them to figure out where to go on their own? Of course not. You would open the door, introduce them to your other guests and lead them to the room in the house that you are having the party. Companies should be doing the same with their Facebook page by creating custom Welcome tabs to invite customers into their home (page) on Facebook rather than throwing them directly on to the wall which I call chaos.
Custom landing tabs can be used to differentiate your brand from the competition by offering valuable information to Facebook users once they get to your fan page. Many companies are now using these tabs as a way to create website experiences within Facebook. This is the first part of a four part series where we will be discussing various landing tabs and tips on how to maximize the content of each. Today we will be discussing the Welcome tab. You can set up the account so that all users who don’t yet “like” your page will view the Welcome tab upon landing on your fan page. The content within a Welcome tab should give Facebook users enough of a reason to make them “like” the page.
The 5 components we believe create a strong Welcome tab (cases vary depending on your business but this is a good place to start) include:
1. Brand Introduction
Prior to even creating a Facebook page, a company should decide what the goal is for their Facebook page and outline ways to achieve that goal. When a user lands on your page, there should be a clear message with information about your brand and what you have to offer. This can be done through a variety of ways whether is through a video introduction or a short text message to the readers.
Mari Smith, Facebook marketer and guru, has a fan page that makes great use of video to introduce herself and discuss what you may find by “liking” her page. In the video she also discusses her speaking engagements and invites you to check out her upcoming book release. She does it in such a way that is just a simple introduction and not a promotional “buy into me” speech. Good job Mari!
2. Share Your Knowledge
Blogs/Microblogs have had such a success because readers not only get to see an authentic point of view in real time but also because often times they learn something new from the blogger. You want to create that same experience for Facebook users where you share your knowledge with them. If you give users a sneak peek into what you have to offer, they will be more likely to click that “like” button and revisit your fan page on a regular basis.
StringCan Interactive recently created a Welcome tab that includes a document that describes 3 Ways to Increase Facebook Engagement. By doing this, Jay at StringCan Interactive is giving his potential Facebook fans a teaser of the type of content they can expect to see if they “like” the fan page. Instead of calling the tab “Welcome” the company renamed it “Cut The Noise,” which further complements the brands motto of getting your message to your target audience by using the most effective channels.
3. Calls to Action
Although it might seem clear what you want Facebook users to do once they land on your Welcome tab (to “like” the page) but sometimes users need you to tell them what you want. Mashable has clear instructions on their landing tab that asks users to “like” the page and then head over to their wall to join in on the conversation. TOM’s shoes has a well-designed and informative Welcome page that tells you about their One for One program. For every pair of Tom’s shoes that you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. They give you this information and ask you to “like” them. It’s as simple as saying please. Polite manners go a long way, even via the internet.
4. Fan-Only Content
Brands need to give users a distinct reason why they should interact with you on Facebook and fan-only content is a great way to offer incentives for people to “like” your brand page. Some companies offer white papers while others give away discount codes exclusively to people who “like” their page. 1-800-Flowers has a custom Welcome tab where they offer a discount code that only appears on the page once you have “liked” it. Another page that does this well is Russ Robinson Photography where by liking the page you are instantly given a 10% discount code that can be used within 10 days.
This provides a clear incentive for the reader as well as instant gratification. I recently interviewed Russ Robinson and he offered some great tips on how he uses Facebook to attract customers and engage with existing ones.
5. Interactivity/Invite Customer to Experience Your Brand
Social media is all about engaging with people online and a great place to start doing that is directly from your Welcome tab. Inviting interaction on your custom tab can range from simple to more complex features. Some simple ways to get people to interact with you is to include the brand’s Twitter feed and a sign up form to your mailing list (Clothing retailer Tory Burch has done this well). A more advanced way to interact with potential “likers” is to invite them to submit photos or stories.
Toyota USA is doing an amazing job of interacting with people on Facebook. They launched an initiative on their Welcome tab that invites customers to share their story about their Toyota. It is a way for existing customers to talk about their experiences and the 3 step process of submitting your story is really easy. The Auto-biography campaign basically says “Every Toyota Has a Story. What’s Yours?” If I had a Toyota I would submit my story in a heartbeat just because it looks so fun (in Step 2 you get to tell your story and in Step 3 they let you add photos and videos, all of which is done directly on Facebook).
Go ahead and take a look at the stories that are being shared on the Toyota USA Facebook page. This is one of my favorite Welcome tabs right now because Toyota is engaging with their customers and leveraging brand loyalty to create a fun experience for Facebook users.
**Do you have some tips on how other ways to make your Welcome tab more exciting? Or maybe you know of some great Welcome pages that you want to bring to our attention? Let us know in the comments. Feedback is always appreciated.
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