It has been over a year since ChurchMag shared how to create a Facebook Page and Facebook has undergone so many different changes. Unfortunately, during that time Christian organizations seem to have not invested in the power of the social network to show the products, services, or community that could be shared with people that might have an interest in what you do. With these changes in Facebook, users now have more marketing power than before to share a brand or network to people.
The basics of a Facebook page are the Wall, Photos, Events, and Questions. They are the staple of Facebook that can be seen in an individual’s page as well, but we want to set Pages apart from a typical user. We want to add functionality to our Facebook page that creates excitement and an increase in interaction with viewers. The solution is custom pages and more specifically landing pages, a customized first page new viewers get to see. This allows us to put our best foot forward and give a great first impression.
From FBML to iFrames
When custom pages were first introduces, Facebook made up its own language to allow your custom pages to interact with data from viewers. Yet, their are many limitations with this model as well as having to learn and keep up two different ways of maintaining pages with Tabs and Canvases. The new solution is iFrames, a very common website concept. An iFrame is an inline frame, an HTML structure that allows another HTML document to be inserted into an HTML page. Google uses iFrames for their image searches when you initially view the image on the original page after you leave Google’s search results.
This means that the content of your application is located in an HTML document that is NOT hosted on Facebook’s servers and so you can develop the full page on your own web servers first and then put it on the Facebook page. This also means that Facebook has had to create an API (application programming interface) so that developers can continue to interact with user data. In fact, the API gives much more flexibility and power to developers. We will look at that API in part two.
A Simple Solution
I titled this a simple solution because that is what it is, but it is also a very limiting solution. For many organizations and people, they would not and should not settle for a third-party app because there is so much more flexibility and creativity that can be accomplished making an app yourself. (We will discuss that in a second) But for some that simply want a quick and easy presence on Facebook that is more than the basics that Facebook provides, we can utilize prepackaged custom pages.
Wildfire has several Facebook applications, including their most popular: contest and sweepstakes apps. Their app is easy to install right from their website and has the option for fan-gating. Their iFrame app takes care of hosting your content as well as utilizing fan gates (providing fan-only content). While this is the best option available right now, they have recognized this and are considering making this a paid service. Thus, be aware of other products like TabPress and TabSite.
Utilizing Facebook Apps
With these changes, we will need to not only jump into the world of Facebook Pages, but the entire other world of Facebook developers and apps. Yes, we will in fact be making our own application, though for the purposes of this tutorial series, we will only skim the surface of what you could do. The process is tricky, but hopefully over the next several posts, we will make it a little bit easier for you to navigate.
So for now, set up a basic Facebook page and develop a strategy of what you want to present on your future Facebook page.
Brenda Rick Smith says
I’m not sure I’m sold on the necessity of having a whiz-bang customized Facebook landing page. Perhaps I’m not seeing the application.
Here’s where I am:
I see the value in our organization’s Facebook Fan Page in sharing content, driving customers back to our website, connecting our fans with each other, and — most importantly — being present in the lives/minds of our fans. Our status updates are the most important interaction we have with fans. Our fans will rarely, if ever, even visit our page. They will experience us as they do all their other friends — in their news feed.
What am I missing about having brand landing pages? What are some possible benefits? Are there benefits beyond the excitement created by the custom landing page on first impression?
Could there also be drawbacks to a custom landing page? Am I disappointing my potential fans if they go to the page expecting to find my wall posts and instead find custom info? Am I making them figure something out that is different from what they typically expect to experience on Facebook?
Thanks, as always, for the great content on this site. It’s a terrific resource!
Jeremy Smith says
Brenda,
For some, a whiz-bang Facebook page may be overkill. It is my own policy that if you do not utilize it, do not set it up. The worst thing you could do for your brand is show everyone that you do not care how you look by posting something once and forgetting about it. There are a million different reasons for having a great page, but here are three.
But for many, a custom landing page could be vital. For organizations that are just starting up and want to get their name out there, you need to constantly present logos, products, faces of the company, and services to future viewers. This landing page is that first impression.
For some, social networking is their one and only means of communicating with their market. Youth workers need to be present on Facebook and a sweet landing page can be perfect for showing off the youth group.
Finally, companies like Starbucks can reach more people, quick, cheaper, and for a longer time on Facebook for new products like their new Pumpkin Spice Latte than any other market. Images of this drink, sharing tweets, and pointing them to their rewards card is perfect for their landing page.
If you think you are wanting to explore using a landing page, I’d love to help dream up ideas with you.
vietchristian.com says
Thank you for the information. I created a FB application: http://apps.facebook.com/vietchristian . You can buy a SSL for under $10 to setup a FB app.
Jeremy Smith says
Facebook offers free SSL hosting! You should just do that.