by Claudia Bruemmer

Facebook has over 600 million users. It’s no wonder every business on the planet wants to create a fan page on this hot property. But many marketers don’t know what their page should consist of or how to use it interact with customers. If you’re a wholesaler selling general merchandise, you want to connect with retailers; if you’re a retailer, you want to interact with consumers. No matter who your target audience is, you want to create an attractive, functional fan page that engages your customers. Below are some tips to get you started.

Build a page focused on your target audience. More fans will “like” your fan page if it’s designed to appeal to your target demographic. If it’s visually appealing and offers the type of info you know they’ll be looking for, you can’t help but draw more fans into your community. For instance, TopTenWholesale’s fan page offers information for wholesale suppliers and retail buyers. It’s a place where they can connect and share information. It is visually appealing and the information is refreshed often. Therefore, its business fans feel comfortable going there and posting information.

Post information of current interest to foster dialogue. You can prompt a discussion on what’s happening in the industry, give your opinion, invite other views or tie it into your business. Many people have something to say about hot topics and want to give their opinion. So invite them to engage.

Ask for comments when you post information. Customers like to give their feedback, especially if you ask for feedback on your products and services. They also will let you know what they think of your website if you ask. The beauty of this is you can get feedback in real time, which helps if you need to know how customers feel about an important matter quickly.

Update your fan page with photos, videos and good content. If you post interesting content daily or several times a week, you will get a reputation as good source of useful information, and your traffic will continue to grow. Post humorous short videos and images that grab attention. Everyone likes a moment’s distraction in their busy day.

Give your audience an incentive to visit your fan page. Your traffic will grow if you give your visitors something of value. It might be a discount, a coupon, free products or services (trial), contests where they can win a prize, etc. This can build momentum on Facebook with “likes.” So offer something of value and they will come.

Create interest in your brand. You can get a lot of attention if you do something fun and creative, like having a contest. Going viral on Facebook with a contest or a catchy video can create a lot of loyal fans by word of mouth. A great example is the Folgers “The best part of wakin’ up” contest which has been ongoing for the past few months, with a finalist for the Folgers jingle to be announced June 18. This contest has created tons of user generated video content. Additionally, Folgers has posted recipes for using its product, offered coupons, and has used every promotional trick in the book to create momentum, gaining thousands of new fans.

In conclusion, Facebook fan pages offer a lot of opportunity for a business to reach out to their audience and to get to know their customers. Just remember to give them plenty of compelling content and they will engage with your brand and help you attract new fans and potential customers. There’s no better way to promote your company than through a Facebook fan page.