Facebook Fan Pages - No longer reserved for the big name celebrities
I noticed a little trend happening last week - everyone seemed to be starting their own Facebook Fan Page!
I thought that a Facebook Fan Page was reserved for the Big Brands or Big Celebrities, and that lesser known people would benefit very little from it. Worse, I felt that lesser known people looked foolish when they had a Fan Page of around 30 fans.
Two of the early movers that are using Fan Pages in a great way are Monica O’Brien and Rebecca Thorman. Both of them started around the same time and both reached a solid number of over 100 Fans in under a week. All of a sudden, I felt like I needed to jump on the bandwagon and start my own Facebook Fan Page as well, but before I did, I thought I would do some research to determine whether a Fan Page would benefit my brand enough to justify the cost of maintaining another social profile.
What is stopping us from creating our very own Facebook Fan Page?
There are two major reasons why I haven’t created a Facebook Fan Page yet:
- I don’t want to look like a loser with only 10 Fans
- I don’t want another social site to maintain when I’m already working on multiple projects
To provide a better array of reasons, I reached out and asked my community this question: “What is stopping you from creating your own personal Facebook Fan Page?“ Here is what I found out:
@Norcross - honestly, it comes across and pretty egotistical and vain. I don’t do something outside of who I am, so why a separate fan page?
@JimAyson - Lack of ego, maybe
@wmmarc - I have a Facebook Fan Page that someone started for me. Kinda strange to think in those terms. I need to update it.
@FannyLawren - Fear of failure — what if I only got a few fans.
@MattChevy - Facebook’s the new Myspace, I just never think to integrate it into my other social media endeavors.
@CarlosMic - I don’t think one can have a strong presence on many communities. You’d be splitting your time and effort.
@nQuo - unless i had a special talent/business, it seems to cross the line b/w narcissism & promoting my personal brand. “Become a Fan”?
So it seems some people feel that creating your own personal Facebook Fan Page is egotistical. If you were to have a Facebook Fan Page, it should be started by someone else - perhaps a fan of yours.
It’s very interesting to see that. The thought of being “egotistical” actually hadn’t crossed my mind at all until my friends brought it up. Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired?
The Ladies that are doing it right
I’ll be honest with you guys, Monica and Rebecca are two of my favorite people online. Because I admire them so much, I feel that I need to start my Facebook Fan Page to keep up with them and the brand that they’re building. Yes, I know it’s not a race or a competition, but I’m naturally very competitive and I feel it’s all in good fun. So I decided to reach out to them and ask them some questions that would help you realize if you should start a personal facebook fan page. Here we go:
Rebecca Thorman - Fan Page
Why did you decide to start your own Facebook Fan Page?
I saw a post on @Ribeezie’s blog about how Facebook Fan pages now allowed you to feature your community on your blog sidebar. I thought this was so cool. Since I had already created a fan page for the company I work for, Alice.com, I was ready to do the same for my personal blog, Modite.
Why did you create a Modite fan page instead of a “Rebecca Thorman” fan page?
Modite is my brand in the blogosphere and how people identify with me. I also expect my name to change when I get married at some point and didn’t want to worry about it down the line.
Is a Fan Page good for driving traffic to a blog? If so, how much traffic can one expect
My Modite Fan page is too early to tell. However, personally my Facebook Profile page has driven a lot of traffic to my blog and the Alice.com Facebook Fan page is a good source of traffic to the Alice blog as well. In both cases, Facebook is in the top 5 of referring websites.
Is a Fan Page good to communicate with your readership? Have you been able to connect with people that have never before commented on your blog? Do you notice a difference between people who like to connect with you on your blog and those who like to connect with you via your fan page?
I have noticed that there are many people who will interact with me on my Facebook profile regarding my blog (but don’t comment), or will do the same on the Alice.com Fan page. And while the types of interactions are different, I enjoy having several communities to expand the number of people I can learn from.
How did you get 100 Fans on your fan page so quickly? Did you do anything beyond Tweeting out that you started a FB Fan Page?
For Modite, I had an existing Modite Facebook Group. I sent a message to those people who were already supporters that I was transitioning to a Fan page and I also invited friends that I had labeled “Modite” on Facebook. I tweeted about it as well and had several people like @carlablumenthal @JRMoreau and @efolgate re-tweet my Fan page which was so great to see. I also put the Facebook Fan Page box onto my blog sidebar so the next time I write a new post people will see it.
Do you recommend that everyone start a Facebook Fan Page? What if a blogger has only been blogging for 3 months, should she still start a fan page? What if a blogger has been blogging for over a year, but only gets 3,000 unique views a month on his blog? What type of blogger should NOT start a Fan Page?
It’s a personal decision - some people are more comfortable with promotion than others. I recommend looking at your goals and to just ask yourself if you think it would be fun. I very much enjoy seeing the interactions on the Alice.com fan page and am looking forward to building the same type of community for Modite.
Who would you like to see start a Fan Page?
Well, you totally should Jun. It’s right up your ally. I also love the Brazen Careerist Fan page and would love to see more of those individual bloggers create fan pages for themselves.
Monica O’Brien - Fan Page
Why did you decide to start your own Facebook Fan Page
I never had a Facebook Group for my website, but lots of blogs do. Facebook Fan pages are more flexible than groups, so I went with that. I started it now because I am trying to take my blog to the next level and that requires utilizing more social media than I have been.
Why did you create a Twenty Set fan page instead of a “Monica O’Brien” fan page?
I feel weird asking people to be “fans” of me. I’m probably moving the Twenty Set blog to my monicaobrien.com domain, so we’ll see if that will change in the future.
Is a Fan Page good for driving traffic to a blog?
I have no idea, but I’m assuming so.
If so, how much traffic can one expect
I’ll let you know in a few months 
Is a Fan Page good to communicate with your readership?
Not necessarily. But I think more of my IRL friends are noticing my blog now that it’s more integrated. Nobody has “connected” with me in any meaningful way via my fan page yet.
How did you get 100 Fans on your fan page so quickly?
I suggested the page to all my IRL friends and anyone else I was friends with on Facebook. I forced my brother to join, haha. I also put a little fan page box on my website, which may or may not have helped.
Who would you like to see start a Fan Page?
You of course! Really, it doesn’t matter to me who has a fan page. If I love a person’s blog I’m probably already following them on Twitter, so I know when they post. Facebook is just another way to keep track.
Discussion
What are your thoughts? Do you feel that creating your personal fan page is egotistical? Now that you see how Rebecca and Monica are using fan pages, will you start your own? Are there any other reasons that are preventing you from starting your own fan page?
We would all love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comment section!
Wow, this is a really awesome article! I especially like the part where you interviewed the two who are using it. It actually took me awhile before I discovered that content is there. Maybe you want to make that more obvious?
I think there are just so many different groups and pages that get started and have very little traction that it looks somewhat embarrassing. “Yu-kai Chou only has 2 fans! Himself and his dog!”
I think the issue is absolutely a matter of ego. Creating a Facebook page is self-promotion. It’s essentially the same as going out to all of your friends and saying “read my blog - I’m awesome.” It doesn’t have to be just a way to feed your ego, but I’d guess that’s what it ends up being 95% of the time.
There are a few important things to note here:
1) Does it add value to your “fans”? If your blog is actively adding value (i.e. your “fans” are interested about the things that are going on in your life — say, if you’re an aspiring actress and are in bit parts trying to make it big, or a baseball player struggling throught he minor leagues).
2) Is there a demand for your fan page? Obviously, if there’s a big enough demand, someone else will make a page for you. However, if you think there are a number of people who really desire a page about you, you’re just serving other people’s needs, not your own.
I think if you are creating a Facebook fan site, blog, twitter, (insert_networking_site_here) entirely to serve your own needs (promote your own agenda), you’re doing it wrong. The beauty of networking is to help other people, not just to selfishly help yourself. It’s not about serving yourself, it’s about helping others - if you can add utility to others, they’ll spread the word themselves, and create a fan page for you. The only reason I believe you should make your own fan page is if you truly think you have something unique, interesting, and remarkable to offer others (that they don’t know about yet), and your fan page is the way to do it.
I think another reason lesser known people would create fan pages is just to get a kick out of seeing who actually joins it, which might tie into the whole point about being egotistical. Unless people (such as Rebecca and Monica) can find a useful/valuable way to apply the Facebook Fan Page, I don’t think there’s much point in having it. I imagine that having a fan page for myself would have no more added value than my own Facebook profile page, not to mention the fact that it would need to be updated and managed.
A person’s incentive to actually join a fan page would be for them to show their friends that they’re interested in that product, person, etc. and also to learn more about it and possibly discuss it with others who share the same interest.
It will be interesting to find out later if and how much the FB fan page helps drive traffic to people’s blogs. Great article!
Great article, I like the structure and approach as well as the interviews you did.
@Yu-kai that is hilarious but I am sure your blog has a lot more fans than you think.
Personally, I have a fan page for Gen-Y startup and the only reason why I created one was to serve as another way to get readers or subscribers. For example, I am a fan of Monica O’Brien’s twenty set on Facebook and whenever she posts something to her blog, I receive it on my news feed on Facebook, so I can read it there and then. I see it as an alternative to subscribing via e-mail (which is smart as I think many people check their facebook profiles more than they do emails, my friends do atleast.)
I started with 10 fans like 2 weeks ago and it keeps growing. Even though I am still only on 45 fans, I don’t see it as “only 45 people like what I am doing at Gen-Y startup”, I see it as “wow cool, 45 people see my posts/interviews on facebook as soon as it’s posted.”
I have almost reached my 5000 limit for Facebook. After researching what I needed to do I discovered that most advice stated that I should start a FAN PAGE. I am not sure I want to do this but at the same time I am a gamer on FACEBOOK and the request are flooding in. I have to do something and quick. The thought of a fan page is a little overwhelming for me.
It is not about ego that I will decide to do so or not, it is about reaching the gamers in the best possible way.
In your position, I would strongly advise to do so, too. It is really amazing how many FACEBOOK users there are and your site may take off slow, however, over time you would definitely have the fans you need for a successful fan page.
Throw out the ego and fear aspect and just do it.
Kachina
Interesting, Thanks!!!