A Facebook landing page can increase the chances that someone will like your company’s fan page by 50%. When you combine sound strategy with valuable content and the right aesthetic, you’ll have a powerful marketing tool. When you don’t, you run the risk of creating a bad first impression – and you know what they say about first impressions.
Too many business owners settle for “good enough” when they create a Facebook landing page instead of developing an effective strategy. “Good enough” may get friends and family to like your page, but it won’t help you start a relationship with someone who may actually pay you for your product or service and become a valuable member of your core client base. If you really want to get over the hump and start building a following on Facebook, avoiding these common mistakes with your landing page would be a great first step.
1. The giant arrow. A giant arrow pointing to the “Like” button won’t make visitors like your landing page. It’s more likely to detract from your design and push meaningful content further down the page. If you want people to like your page, give them compelling reasons to do so and then direct them to like your page in the call-to-action. By the way, the “Like” button is at the top of the page, right in the middle. Is an arrow really necessary?
2. Weak headline. Visitors will determine in a few seconds whether or not your page is relevant to them and worth liking. A strong headline should powerfully and succinctly convey why the visitor should develop a relationship with your business and grab the visitor’s attention, increasing the chances that you’ll earn their “like.”
3. Not taking advantage of the full size profile image. Technically, this isn’t part of your landing page but it should be part of the overall package and presentation. Your profile image can be 180 x 540 pixels. It’s essentially a free skyscraper ad. Why limit yourself to a small box when you can have a skyscraper?
4. Navigation and external links. The single goal of a Facebook landing page is to get visitors to like your page. Navigation and external links distract visitors from doing what you ultimately want them to do. Links to your website, blog, Twitter page and Linkedin profile don’t belong on your Facebook landing page. Effective marketing overcomes obstacles. In this case, navigation and external links create obstacles, so save them for your “Info” tab and content.
5. Inconsistency. If someone has seen your website, blog, brochure or other company literature and then sees a different design and message on your Facebook landing page, a red flag goes up. They may wonder which is more accurate and up-to-date. Your landing page is one of many tools in your arsenal and should be consistent with the rest of your marketing mix.
6. Too much or not enough content. Most visitors won’t read endless content or scroll down below the fold to read every detail about your business or a list of every product or service you offer. At the same time, a logo, slogan and giant arrow aren’t enough to convince someone to like your page. Your content should concisely explain why your business is relevant and valuable to the visitor and how they’ll benefit from the content you’ll share after they like your page.
7. No visual appeal. Not every person who gets his or her hands on Photoshop should be a designer. Awkward design, cheesy fonts and effects, microscopic or oversized text and grainy images don’t do justice to your business. Whether you want to showcase images or content, simplicity and visual appeal are key. If it doesn’t reinforce the reasons for liking your page and reflect the personality of your business in a way that’s aesthetically appealing, it shouldn’t be there.
8. Ineffective call-to-action. See #1. One of those giant arrows that says “Like Our Page” is not a call-to-action. That’s more like begging. What is your value proposition? Give visitors a clear understanding of how they will benefit from developing a relationship with you and your business if you expect them to click that “Like” button.
9. Lame sales pitch. Facebook is about building relationships, not selling. That’s why they call it social media. People don’t like to be sold to and a sales pitch right out of the gates can be a turnoff. That said, there’s nothing wrong with offering an incentive (coupon, prize, contest, etc.) to get people to like your page. BUT, that incentive must be valuable enough to motivate someone to like your page and it must be perceived as part of the relationship building process, not a sales gimmick.
10. No thank you greeting. Simple manners go a long way. An automatic thank you greeting that appears immediately after someone likes your page allows you to start every relationship on the right foot while reminding people why they should visit your page often. Just like the full size profile image, a thank you greeting is a no-brainer, but most businesses fail to take advantage of it.
Try to look at your Facebook landing page from the perspective of your target audience. Make it impressive enough to get their attention and keep their interest so they’ll want to get to know you better. If you’re not sure how to do this, hire a professional to do it for you. The investment will be well worth it.
What is the best Facebook landing page you’ve ever seen?
Really useful article! Thanks for sharing…
Glad you found it helpful, Karen!
Great Post. I’ll share on my blog.
Much appreciated, Steve. Thanks for sharing!