Fan Page Research
I’ve been conducting considerable research on Facebook Fan Pages. I communicated with 36 fan page owners/administrators and asked them a pile of questions about what worked and what didn’t work on their fan pages.
Small and Large
I connected with small and large businesses from small specialty shops to non-profit organizations, writers and publishers, illustrators and photographers, local restaurants, small business entrepreneurs, social media strategists, and sales and marketing gurus.
Shocking Feedback
A lot of the feedback from fan page owners shocked me – many of these fan page owners activated their fan page without any idea of what to put on the fan page. And now up, they haven’t paid their fan page much attention.
Watching Fan Pages
I read dozens of websites and blogs on how to make a fan page successful. I have observed dozens of fan pages and noted which posts generate feedback and comments and which do not.
Fan Page Pffttt
Are you trying to engage your fans or posting links and getting just one or two comments?
Is there an echo on your fan page?
Here are a few quick fixes 
Change your banner photo once a week. Keep it fresh.
Always, always include a good photo (or at least a link) with each post. Use photos that are clear, crisp, centered, edited, titled.
Either/Or – Ask a question that warrants a simple answer. Like “Harry Potter or Hardy Boys?” or “Do you send a text to say thank you, or do you create a hand-written note?” or “Turkey or Ham for the holiday dinner?”
Once you post a comment or question on the fan page, follow the post (don’t post and run). Interact with followers, answer their questions, have a dialog.
Create “theme weeks” or “special events” for your fan page. Google online calendars, but don’t use only national holidays – get creative.
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I am almost ready to launch my own fan page to test some of my research. I will be sharing others’ expert websites, fan pages, tips, and tricks to engage your fan page fans. Stay tuned!
Karen R. Sanderson 
I have been toying with the idea of starting a fan page for a while. Thank you, Karen, for providing both a spring board and a sense of how deep the pool is. 🙂
I’m right at that point…just figuring out text, pictures, etc. to get it started. Yikes – more social networking! 🙂
I have one, but don’t do many of the things you mention. Very good tips about changing photos and asking questions. I share links to posts I appreciate and sometimes just the ones I want to read again.
As I have discovered, there are lot of little things you can do to make a fan page successful.
Good post! My fan page has been dead lately, but this post is one to follow. Thanks for writing it and motivating me!
Thanks, Vicki. I imagine you have been a little busy with your new tiny bundle!
I’m so excited to see you do this and to be sharing your journey with us all. Everything I read agrees with your suggestion about pictures and links and about posting things that don’t require long answers.
Your first suggestion surprised me, though. I would have thought that branding advice would call for not changing your banner photo too often…especially not as often as once a week. That sounds like way more work than i want to do, but I’ll be fascinated to see if others find this helpful.
Not all advice is for everyone. I personally like my hand-made shark (on my new fan page) by Janice Phelps Williams, though I will introduce other artists from time to time. And especially if you took a lot of care and/or paid money for a design, you don’t want to change your banner photo. I think the content on a fan page is much more critical.
Wow! You do sink your teeth into your research Karen! Sooooo glad I don’t need to worry about this specific piece for a while! 😉
When I decide to learn about a subject, I really sink in my shark teeth!
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