by Robyn Short

If you are like most businesses, you are always looking for new and exciting ways to promote your brand and engage your fans on Facebook. Unlike Twitter, which is finally making enhancements to support brand promotion, Facebook offers the exciting capability to build customized landing tabs using iFrames, social plugins and geotargeting, opening the door for numerous opportunities for brands to increase Facebook engagement.

By investing in the right types of tabs on Facebook Pages, brands can increase LIKES and enjoy real engagement growth.

Of course, it is important to carefully consider the type of tab that will most likely engage your brand’s fans.

1. Build Facebook Pages that Specifically Target Your Brand’s Fans

Build pages that will be important to your specific audience. For example, a restaurant might consider creating a daily special page. This type of page can be developed utilizing a content management system, making it easy to update and offers. A Daily Deal or Daily Special page offers an important reason for fans to make daily visits to your Facebook page and will also encourage fans to share the page on their own wall. Who doesn’t like a daily special?

Another option might be a daily tip page. For instance, a PR firm might want to have a PR Tip of the Day or PR Tip of the Week — again, know your audience and create something that will specifically valuable to them.

By creating a tab that is relevant to your audience, your Facebook page can consistently deliver on-point content and rich engagement, allowing you to directly target and communicate with your consumers and customers.

2. Get Clear About Brand Engagement Goals on Facebook

Facebook tabs offer limitless possibilities. Rather than have only one goal per tab (such as to increase likes or engage fans), consider creating a tab strategy that targets specific demographics within your brand audience with specific desired results. For example:  Like the page, watch a video, share stories or leave a comment. Be as specific and clear as possible with your goals.

sample facebook page created by goodmedia communications – Leslie Christine Designs

3. Build a Tab So Cool People WANT to Click On It

Once you’ve determined the strategy that will best optimize your fan engagement,  you need to make sure you build the coolest, most effective tab possible. This is the time to real show off! Be sure your tab includes the following three features: a hook, fresh content and a rich experience. The page below offers numerous opportunities for exploring social media sites that are relevant to this book as well as links directly to purchase points.

sample facebook page created by goodmedia communications – Battling Goliath

4. Create a Strategic Plan for Tab Management

Once your facebook tab is in place, it is essential to have a tab management strategy and system in place to ensure optimum fan engagement. The last thing you want is for comments and questions to go unanswered or for daily features to go stale. Some companies outsource their social media marketing as a solution to ensuring effective tab management is in place.

sample facebook page created by goodmedia communications – Fen-Phen Deadline 2011

5. Drive Traffic Your Tabs

Don’t rely on the “If you build it, they will come” approach — that philosophy truly does only exist in a field of dreams. There are a variety of ways to drive traffic to tabs including Facebook ads, sponsored stories, Wall posts, email blasts, newsletters and share buttons. As traffic to the Facebook Page increases, so do Likes and community engagement.

As Facebook’s popularity grows, small and large businesses are realizing the importance of creating and maintaining a well polished and engaging social presence. Facebook tabs are currently one of the most effective methods for accomplishing just that!

Robyn Short is the founder of goodmedia communications, llc. She passionately assists small businesses build and strengthen their brand and gain recognition for their expertise in the marketplace. Contact Robyn by email or by phone at 214.240.4503. goodmedia communications, 25 Highland Park Village 100-810, Dallas TX 75205.