Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Getting Social Media Happy Part 1: Facebook Page Redesign


There are so many components that go into running a business and creating a successful brand, especially when it comes to retail where the competition is fierce and you encounter a similar establishment at every direction you turn. In order to stay in the running’s you have to be creative and resourceful. Taking full advantage of the free social media tools available on the web to generate brand awareness, increase sales leads and to interact with current and potential clients is a must-have! One of the ways we included social media into our overall marketing strategy was through the creation of a Facebook Fan Page.

We started with our main image, which is 200 pixels wide and 600 pixels long. In using the maximum size Facebook allows for this space, we are able to give new visitors a quick snapshot of the brand and immediately grab their attention. If you want to learn more about how I created this avatar, learn from the same source I did and visit “How I Tricked Out My Facebook Page” by Gabe O’Neill.

Next we moved on to create our own version of an interactive side bar. I came across an awesome social media expert, John Haydon that has an easy step-by-step “How to Add An Interactive Sidebar". If you take a look at our sidebar you will a lot of images rather than simple links. Our sidebar consists of an email sign up form, a weekly promotions graphic and images directing folks to our other social networking sites. So get creative once you have a feel of how this all works.

Since we are a new business it is important that new visitors learn who we are, what we do, and why they should be interested in Less Less right away. With all of that in mind, we created a Facebook welcome landing page, using pretty much the same know-how from the John Haydon Interactive Sidebar” video. If you have not watched the video just yet, I can let you know that the easiest way to create a new welcome tab within your Facebook Page is by using the Static FBML application. The only downside of the Static FBML application is that you need to have a basic understanding of HTML. If you are foreign to HTML then you use an application like Dreamweaver of Microsoft Frontpage to design your landing page and then copy the HTML that’s provided by the software.

Once you have 25 fans on your Facebook page, don’t forget to create your own “Vanity URL” (i.e www.facebook.com/lessless). This is probably one of my favorite things and it takes 30 seconds. To create one for your business visit: http://www.facebook.com/username

We have Facebook promotions and other strategies lined up for our Facebook page, so stay tuned. If you have any other information don't forget to share with us because sharing is caring.

Cheers :)