Do you need a Facebook Fan Page?

Facebook is more than just a bunch of college students staying in touch with their friends. I’m sure you’ve heard that businesses are flocking to Facebook too. Should you, or your company, have a Facebook fan page? The answer is – it depends.

Things to consider before setting up a Facebook fan page:

1. Where are your customers or target audience?

Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are the fastest growing group on Facebook. Good news if this is your target audience. However, these folks are using Facebook to stay in touch with friends and don’t necessarily look to Facebook for business information.

2. What is your goal for creating a fan page?

Do you want to attract more customers? Get the word out about your company? Create a brand awareness? Like anything, you should have a goal in mind before you do anything.

Also, you should think about how you’ll measure the success of the fan page. How will you know it’s working like you want it to?

3. Is there a better way to achieve your goal?

Facebook and other social media are not the be-all end-all answer to everything. It might be more effective to offer white papers or a free e-books on business solutions.

4. Do you have the time and resources to commit to managing the fan page?

The biggest mistake I see companies making is assigning their Facebook fan page to the college intern. Sure, these kids eat, drink and sleep social media. But, do they have the maturity, discipline and knowledge to represent your company’s brand? Will they know when to escalate a message?

5. What content will you create for the fan page?

It is pretty easy to set up a Facebook fan page, but keeping it going with interesting content is another thing. Using the fan page as pure advertising for your business will not get you anywhere. It will end up turning off your customers. Stay tuned for a future blog post on creating great content.

Do some research before blindly jumping in with a Facebook fan page. See what your competitors are doing. Learn more about your customers and target audience to understand their needs.