Facebook is known for its relative un-customizability among the social media outlet set. Of course, if you’re looking for a simple-to-use profile that can be set up within an hour, Facebook’s cookie-cutter design is a boon. And thanks to its fairly stalwart layout, Facebook pages will never reach the obnoxious, glittery heights of MySpace. But if you want to break out of the standard wall-and-info-page set-up, the process isn’t an obvious one to most users.
However, making over your Facebook page is as simple as adding a few applications and changing your settings. You can even create a landing page, the first page that visitors see, with completely customized content such as coupons, weekly specials or a full web page like Victoria Secret. Here’s how you can make your landing page your own to fit your Internet marketing strategy.
1. Add the Static FBML app.
You’ll need this app to create custom static pages, including graphics, links, videos and other content, using FBML, or FaceBook Markup Language, which is essentially standard HTML. While logged into your Facebook account, you can add the Static FBML app here.
2. Set up your tab.
With Facebook pages, applications can be displayed in one of two ways – in boxes or in tabs. If you planning to build a customized landing page, you want to make sure your application is in tab form. To do this, select Edit Page from the menu beneath your profile picture.
From there, go the Static FBML app and choose Application Settings.
From the pop-up menu titled Edit Static FBML Settings, go under the Profile section and opt for the tab. If successful, your settings should read “Tab: Added.†Then, click Okay.
3. Add content.
Go back to your Application settings and select Edit from the Static FBML app to go to a form in which you can add your customized content. In the Box Title field, provide the name of the tab. Add your content with HTML tags to the FBML field. When finished, select Save Changes.
4. Select your landing page.
To make your custom page the first item page visitors see, go to your Wall Settings. Under View Settings, you can choose from a list of tabs to be the Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else.
And, voila, you have yourself a custom landing page.
You can further personalize your Facebook page by adding other apps such as the Blog RSS Feed Reader, Twitter and Flash Player. At CyberMark, we can advise you on the different ways you can break out of the Facebook mold to promote your brand. Contact us to set up a consultation.
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