One of the most notable tools that's exploding almost exponentially today is the use of Facebook fan pages. An interesting statistics you can check is a post at Allfacebook.com that lists down the top pages in terms of number of fans and growth rate. And of course they also have the category where you certainly wouldn't want to belong, the ranks of the Least Popular Pages. Okay, so  before you get frustrated with that handful of Facebook fans you have, have you asked yourself, what makes a fan page “likable” to its visitors? Or, What makes your page worth liking?

There's really a lot of factors that can affect a page's popularity and numbers. I've been managing quite a few myself and I've noticed that there are “naturally popular” Facebook pages who already have built a strong following even in traditional media while there are also those that really need some extra effort to promote before it picks up the numbers simply because they are the unknowns.

So what do you have to do if your page lags in fans and interactions? How do you create a Likable fan page? Here's some points for you to check.

Activity and Content

Regular updates and relevant content works hand in hand to make a page successful in attracting and keeping those fans/friends to your page.  It's a charm that attracts like a magnet and makes them stick like a glue. One big mistake most marketers make is that they are only good at attracting but not in keeping. The secret is, keep your audience at the center of your activities and make this a resounding message in your posts. Well, I know ROI is always at the forefront of your goals but take it slow and sure. You wouldn't want to lose them before you actually get your ROI.

Build a good recollection factor for you brand that can be easily seen or felt. If they don't see you or couldn't find you (easily) then you're out. It's not a silver bullet but it's close to that. I suggest you update your pages at least 2-3 times daily. Try to anticipate your busy days. You can use some scheduled posting through Hootsuite to ensure that you don't go empty. This is something I'm sure is very possible considering that there are so many apps and tools that you could actually use to make sure you can post something (worthwhile) for your audience to read, watch or follow. Whether it's tips, news, quote, or a question, as long as it is something that has an impact to your audience then you are in the right track.

Design and Functionality

As they say; “You don't get a second chance with first impression” so make sure that your design is something that will make a mark on your visitor's visual experience. If you are still polishing a few rough edges, then it would be best to hold off that tab until you get it right. If you are installing an email subscriber form for you mailing list, be sure to test it, (specially the thank you page) and redirect URL once they have completed filling out the form.

If you are not well versed with the coding but still want to take your page to a different level of experience for your visitors, there are freelancers and sites that offer Fan Page customization that you can do even without knowledge of FBML or html.

I've tested out Lujure and the test was great so you may want to check them yourself. They offer a free version and a paid plan suitable for social media marketers who are not too inclined with coding.

Freebies and Discounts

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Site visitors are practical. They don't just visit a site for the sake of it. Visitors are now more inclined on frequenting pages where they can get freebies and discounts.

According to an allfacebook.com article, a study by Digital Agency Beyond which analyzed more than 14,000 posts on the corporate Facebook fan pages of the world’s 100 most valuable brands showed that 42 percent of people friend a brand to get a discount or offer. If you are serious on making this move, here's a good read on the  4 Things You Must Do To Build Your Brand on Facebook

Multi-Channeling

If you want to aggressively use your Facebook fan page for business purposes you must use other channels to funnel visitors to your Facebook page. Your blog, Twitter profile, Linkedin, can all point to your Facebook page.  One thing to keep in mind however, is to avoid making your page or other social platforms spammy because of multiple posts with the same content. A quick solution, recreate and rephrase before you post on different channels.

Monitoring

How to: Create a "Likable" Fan Page 1The ability to monitor your campaign's effectiveness is as important as the campaign itself. Before you make any changes, improvements, or customizations, be sure to get the current statistics. Before and after stats works best if you want to show a client what result you have produced through the campaign efforts you've made. You can use the built in Facebook Insights or you may also use Google Analytics for a more specific tracking.  You can check a step by step tutorial by social media examiner to learn how to do it. Here's also some Top 25 Facebook pages you can check out for inspiration.

Share your thoughts on how you are effectively managing your Facebook pages.

Drop those links to your Facebook pages and let's see how we can help each other out to make our pages more effective and appealing to our audience.
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