A quick and easy way to encourage your fans and potential new fans to interact with your Facebook business page is to 1. let them, and 2. let them see their interaction right away. Here's how to do this:
Your Facebook business page has the ability to default to different views. It can default to show The Wall, or the Photos, the Videos, or a special tab of marketing-type boxes that you have created. If you have it default to The Wall, which is where you as a business can post links and status updates, then all of the status updates that you post for your business will be shown, plus any comments that your fans make, or if anyone "Liked" one of the statuses.
If you want to bring the Fans up a level, however, you can change The Wall setting to show the direct posts that Fans make to it - separate from just commenting on your status update. What does this mean? It means that on The Wall, there will be updates from Fans (with their avatar pictures showing next to the update), and updates from your business (with your Facebook logo next to your update).
Do you see where that person named Katie Danziger (a Tin Shingle member), founder of NomieBaby, commented about a promotion on her website? Her post shows on the main page of the Tin Shingle Facebook Fan Page. We made this decision because our foundation is based on promoting entrepreneurs. People can not only use our page as a platform, but they can leave words of encouragement, which they do and we appreciate. :)
To enable this setting, go to Edit Page in the top left corner of the page.
You will be presented with the settings that make your page work. One of the first ones is "Wall Settings". Click the pencil, and then click Edit. Make sure the Default View for the Wall is "Posts by Page and Fans". If you *don't* want fans to be able to be seen right away on your Wall, then select "Only Posts by Page". There are some other settings there you can look at, but you should be all set now to have a Wall that is open to your fans.
When you are ready to send an update to fans, click here for directions.
NOTE: If you are going to use a Facebook fan page as a vehicle to promote something about your company, do be mindful of where you are posting. Make sure your language is within the realm or feeling of the Facebook business you are posting in.
