Last week Facebook began rolling out the new feature Facebook Questions, which allows users to get answers to their questions from the entire Facebook community. Users can click the “Ask Question” button on the homepage, and you can see friends’ questions and answers on their profile and in their newsfeed.

How a Fan Page Can Ask a Question

Fan pages can also participate in the asking and answering Facebook Questions! If you want to post a question as one of your fan pages, just go to that fan page, click “Ask a Question” above the new status bar, and create a question to ask.

These questions will then be searchable by topic (based on keywords in the question) so that the Facebook community can find and answer your questions. This is a great way to garner free insights for your brand.

How a Fan Page Can Answer a Question

When you’re in a question, you can change which persona you answer the Facebook question as. The default is to answer the question as yourself (your personal Facebook profile).

But you can change this persona to a fan page from the dropdown menu, and answer people’s question as though the fan page is answering.

How to Find Relevant Questions to Answer

Facebook is already sorting questions by category pages; these are the pages that were automatically linked to your profile interests a couple months back. You can type in a category in the “Questions About” field, or you can select from suggested categories (which are populated from your personal profile interests, so they may not be relevant to your brand page field or industry).

How Fan Pages Benefit

Previously, fan pages had no way to reach out to Facebook users who have not yet liked the page besides purchasing Facebook ad units and marketing the fan page from their website or advertising messaging. This new feature allows fan pages to meaningfully engage with users who have not liked the fan page.

Now companies can search for relevant Facebook questions people are asking, whether about their brand, products, or industry, and answer these questions. By contributing to the conversation, fan pages can:

• Extend their exposure to users on Facebook
• Drive more traffic to their fan page
• Establish themselves as knowledge leaders in their field or industry
• Directly answer questions people have about their brand or product

If you’re an internet marketer using social media as part of your campaigns, you know how huge this is! Brands both big and small can benefit from the Facebook Questions feature. The product is still rolling out to users, so if you have not yet seen this feature, you will soon!

How will you integrate Facebook Questions into your online marketing plan?Related Posts:

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If you’ve ever tried to change your Facebook profile picture before, whether for your personal profile or fan page, you know how frustrating it can be. On top of Facebook’s technical glitches, which leave you wonder if you’re permanently stuck with that question mark of doom, the thumbnail never seems to look right.

On your personal profile thumbnail, you’re either a tiny speck in the distance or you’re showing off your left eyebrow. On your fan page, your brand’s logo is cut off. Here are some fan pages that still haven’t gotten it quite right:

Facebook recommends that profile pictures should be 200px wide. They height can vary up to three times the width. However, they don’t make it clear how the thumbnail that Facebook uses is generated from this picture.

You’ll find that Facebook crops images when generating a thumbnail, losing information around the edge. You can edit the thumbnail to drag it to a different part of your picture, but you cannot expand the thumbnail selection. So when you create your profile image that’s 200px wide, allow a 12 pixel border around crucial information such as a brand name or logo to allow for automatic cropping.

Also remember that Facebook thumbnails are always square, regardless of the shape of your profile image. So when designing rectangular profile pictures, make sure to keep your desired thumbnail imagery within a square boundary. Then you can edit the thumbnail selection accordingly.

What brands have you found with awkward thumbnails on Facebook? Share the links in the comments below!Related Posts:

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If you’re a small business owner or blogger, finding ways to virally grow your Facebook fan base without spending money on advertising can seem like quite a challenge. Even if you’re successfully driving traffic to your fan page from your website, nothing guarantees that visitors with “Like” your fan page.

Having a visitor like your fan page is like gaining an email subscriber. Any updates you post to your fan page will appear in that user’s newsfeed. Most fan pages are set up so that visitors who haven’t liked the page can still see all the content on the wall and customized Facebook tabs. So people can still come to your fan page and look at all your content, but if they don’t like your page then once the leave, you can’t reach out to them in the future.

So wouldn’t it be cool if you could create content that users could only see after they’ve liked your page? As it turns out, just a tiny bit of FBML code will allow you to have content exclusive to fans of your Facebook page. This content is hidden to visitors who haven’t liked your page, until they click the “Like” button.

See this exclusive content in action at the U Stand Out Facebook fan page >>

How to Make Content Exclusive

Use the Static FBML Facebook application to create a customized Facebook landing page. On the Edit FBML page, use the following tags:

<fb:fbml version="1.1">
<fb:visible-to-connection> Content between these tags are only visible to users who have liked your fan page.
</fb:visible-to-connection>
</fb:fbml>

Like this:

Using this simple method will still show the non-fan content to the people who like your page.

How to Hide Content Previously Visible to Non-Fans

There is a hack you can use to create this exclusive content for people who like your page while hiding the call-to-action for non-fans to like your page to see that exclusive content.

1. Create a single cell borderless table, with a fixed height and width.

2. Create a background image for that cell to the same dimensions, containing the information (usually a call-to-action) you want NON-fans to see.

3. Create an image of the same size that contains the information you want Fans to see and insert that into the cell.

4. Use the following FBML tags from above to surround the cell contents.

This FBML Tag only displays its content to users who have liked your page. So what we’re actually doing here is creating a table with a background image, and then covering it up with another one if you’ve liked the page.

Here is the code you can use to work with:

<center>
<table width="X" height="Y" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td background="YOURDOMAIN.com/image1.jpg>
<fb:fbml version="1.1">
<fb:visible-to-connection>
<img src="YOURDOMAIN.com/image2.jpg” width="X" height="Y"></a>
</fb:visible-to-connection>
</fb:fbml>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

Types of Content to Make Exclusive

There are many different offers you can make exclusive to Facebook users who like your fan page. Here are just a few ideas for what you can make exclusive:

• In-store coupon
• Discount codes
• Exclusive photos and videos
• Link to download free eBook
• Sneak peek at new product

Show off your exclusive fan page tabs, or let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!Related Posts:

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If you’re a marketer who’s been asked to create a presence on Facebook for your client or company, you might have struggled with the decision of whether to create a Facebook page or a Facebook group. At first glance, the two seem quite similar, but once you dig deeper the functionality is very different.

I was recently asked the question of pages vs. groups on the U Stand Out Facebook page. Ask and you shall receive (for the most part), so here are the core differences between Facebook pages and Facebook groups.

What is a Facebook Page?

Facebook pages are for organizations, businesses, celebrities, bands, etc. to broadcast information to fans in an official and public manner. They can be enhanced with applications that help the brand communicate with and engage their fans, and capture new audiences virally through their fans’ recommendations to their friends. Fans of a Facebook page will see that page’s updates on their newsfeeds.

What is a Facebook Group?

Facebook groups are for members of groups to connect, share or collaborate on a given topic. Groups can be used to create awareness around various ideas, such as events, meetups, or alumni connections. The main feature of groups is the ability to make then “invite only” or limited to certain networks.

What is the difference between Facebook pages and groups?

1. Official vs. Casual

Pages can only be created to represent a real organization, business, celebrity, etc. by an official representative of that brand. Groups, however, can be created by any user and about any topic.

2. Professional vs. Personal

If you are a page admin, your name will not be displayed on the page. If you post to your page’s wall or take any other action on the page, such as comment on or like a post, it will appear to come from the page rather than your personal profile. If you are a group admin, your name will appear on that group and any action you take within that group. Groups can also have “officers” who are displayed on the group.

3. Public vs. Private

Groups can be kept closed or secret, or limited to networks associated with a user’s profile, whereas pages are open to the entire public. Fan pages are visible to people who are logged out of Facebook or not registered at all.

4. Customization and Applications

Pages can install applications, such as the Static FBML application, which allows advances customizations such as a default landing page. Other applications, such as polls, can be installed to increase fan participation. Groups, however, have very limited options; the only settings you can alter are the following elements, which mostly all are limited to enable/disable options:

• Who can write on the wall
• Events
• Discussion board
• Photos
• Videos
• Links
• Access (public, private, or secret)

5. Indexed by Search Engines

Many articles out there claim that pages are indexed by search engines, whereas groups are not because of their private nature. Please note that this is NOT the case. Both pages and groups can be indexed by the search engines, unless the group admin specifies that the group is closed. Fan pages just have more opportunities to be search engine optimized, since they can be customized with tabs and landing pages with Static FBML. Facebook groups can still be search engine optimized in the info section of the group, but pages have more content to SEO.

6. Membership Control

Groups offer more control over who can participate in the discussion. Groups can be entirely secret (invite-only) or private (appears in search results, but members have to be approved or part of a certain network). But anyone can become a fan of a fan page and participate in the discussion. Because of the groups’ privacy settings, they are more like “clubs.”

7. Mass Messaging

Groups can send messages directly through its members, and these messages will appear in the members’ inbox, just as they would receive a message from a friend. However, the caveat is that once a group reaches 5,000 members, mass messages can no longer be sent. Fan pages can only send “updates” that do not appear in the users’ inbox, so are not seen as often. Also, groups can send event invites directly to all of their members, but pages have to resort to other methods of promotion (updates, Facebook ad buys, etc.) to try to let their fans know about an event.

8. Targeted Updates

Fan pages can target their updates (status updates, photos, videos, shared links, etc.). These updates can be targeted by location and/or language. Groups cannot target their updates.

10. Engagement metrics

Facebook pages allow admins to track engagement. This feature is called “page insights,” which provide admins with demographic breakdowns, page views, engagement stats (comments, likes, etc.), video views, photo views, etc. This information is extremely valuable when measuring social media ROI. Groups do not provide this information.

11. Vanity URL

A vanity URL (also called “user name”) is the unique URL you can assign to fan pages or user profiles, such as http://facebook.com/UStandOut. This URL before given a unique vanity URL was http://www.facebook.com/pages/U-Stand-Out-Social-Media/128257327553?ref=ts. So the vanity URL is much more memorable and easy to share. Groups cannot be assigned vanity URLs.

12. Promotional Widgets

Fan pages have promotional widgets you can used to attract more fans to the page. Adding a Facebook Fan Box to your website will allow site visitors to become fans of your Facebook page without ever leaving your site. You can also encourage fans to promote your fan page on their website or blog with fan badges.

Examples of what should be a page or a group

Ok, so let’s review. Now that you know the differences between pages and groups, you may still be confused about which to choose for your brand. So here are some example entities, and where they would best fit:

Pages

• Brands or products (Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, Verizon)
• Stores or venues (Best Buy, H&M, Banana Republic)
• Celebrities and public figures (Barack Obama, Johnny Depp, Lance Armstrong)
• Bands and singers (Linkin Park, Taylor Swift, Coldplay)
• Sports teams (New York Mets, Boston Red Sox)
• Other organizations (charities, universities

Groups

• Alumni groups (high school class, study abroad program)
• Charitable events and fundraisers (walk for the cure)
• Clubs (book clubs, running clubs, other scheduled gatherings)
• Random weird stuff (I Just Tried to Ford the River and my ****ing Oxen Died, New York is Better than Wherever You Are From, etc.)

Should you create a Facebook Profile instead?

No. The question on the U Stand Out Facebook page included profiles, but profiles are strictly for personal use, and should only be created for an individual. Facebook has been known to delete profiles created for fictitious characters (Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, etc.) or brands that should be Facebook pages, or the random weird stuff (Sushi is AwEsOmE, Long Walks on the Beach, etc.) that should be Facebook groups. So imagine pouring all that hard work into a profile, just to have it deleted.

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!

Become a Fan of U Stand Out: Social Media here!Related Posts:

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If you have a Facebook fan page for your website or blog, you might want to consider adding a fan box to your website. The fan box is a widget that allows fan page admins to embed a widget featuring their fan page fans and page activity on their website.

One reason this fan box is so valuable is because visitors to your website can become a fan of your Facebook page without ever having to leave your site. This will allow you to communicate with these visitors after they leave your site via status updates and posts that will appear in their Facebook newsfeeds. And since most Facebook users check their newsfeed on a daily or hourly basis, this is extremely valuable and FREE advertising.

Guide to installing a fan box on your website or blog

1. Navigate to settings. On your Facebook page, click “Edit Settings” below the profile image.

2. Navigate to fan box. Scroll down. On the right-hand column, click on the link “Promote with a Fan Box”.

3. Customize your fan box. Your page will already be selected in the drop-down menu. Here, you will have several options for what you would like to appear on your fan badge. You can choose any combination of the following elements:

Stream

Fans

Facebook logo

4. Get the widget or code. If you have a TypePad or Blogger blog, you can automatically install the fan box as a widget, and that’s it! For everyone else, including Wordpress blogs, you’ll need to manually install code. Click “Other” to generate a text box containing your code, and proceed to step 5.

5. Install the code. If you have a Wordpress blog, navigate to your widgets panel. Install the “Text” widget (arbitrary text or HTML), and copy in your fan box HTML code.

6. Customize the code. If your fan box doesn’t fit into your sidebar by default, you’ll have to tweak the code a bit. If you look at my fan box to the right, I’ve customized the fan box so that it’s not as wide as the default size, and only displays six fans instead of ten. In the code, you’ll want to edit the following:

• connections=”10″
• width=”300″

I’ve also added a height=”270” attribute to keep the bottom from getting cut off.

If you have any questions on how to install a fan box on your website or blog, post them in the comments below.Related Posts:

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Several weeks ago, a widgets center went live on Facebook, where users could create widgets for their blogs or websites. These included both widgets for individuals’ profiles, such as the profile badge, and widgets for businesses’ fan pages, such as the fan box and share functionality.

Now, Facebook users can create a fan badge to promote pages they are fans of. Your most loyal fans will gobble this right up. And what blogger doesn’t like filling up their left sidebar with useless widgets?

Just kidding.

Here’s what the tool to generate a fan badge looks like:

All the user has to do is select the fan page of his choice and copy/paste the code somewhere on his website. It’s extremely simple. If you manage a fan page, you can drive your fans to this badge creator with their page preselected by choosing the page from the drop down and copy/pasting the URL. It will look like this: http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/fanbadges.php?page_id=128257327553

You know you want to click it. (You might have to become a fan of U Stand Out first, but you know you want to do that, too.)

Again, this is extremely simple stuff, but you have to know it exists. Facebook is pretty good at keeping this stuff hidden; they promoted the functionality yesterday, but pulled the promo soon after.

Fan badges are a great way to get those loyal fans to drive traffic (and more fans) to your fan page.

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About two months ago, @ mentions went live on Facebook, mimicking the way @ replies work on Twitter. The “social media experts” exclaimed that it would be Twitter’s downfall. Yet very few people actually use @ mentions on Facebook. Fewer understand what the benefits are. And even fewer know the functionality exists.

Way to go, “social media experts.”

What are Facebook @ Mentions?

Mentions are similar to @ replies on Twitter. In your status box, when you enter the @ symbol and then start typing a friend’s name, the friend selector dropdown appears allowing you to select which friend you’re referring to.

I want to write a status update thanking my friend Melanie for agreeing to appear in my blog post. So I start typing @ and then her name.

Oh look. There she is. I click on her, then finish typing my message.

Cool. Now her name within my status update links to her profile.

But wait, look at this. My post mentioning her appears on her wall, too. Clever, Facebook. Very clever.

What the does this have to do with fan pages?

Fans of your page can mention the page in their status updates, and their status update will appear directly on your wall. So I can mention one of my clients Harley-Davidson in my status update (since I am a fan), and it will appear on Harley-Davidson’s wall.

That’s neat. Unfortunately, only 2% of Facebook users know they can do this.

Facebook pages can mention each other

This is the cool part. A fan page cannot write on the wall of another fan page. However, a fan page can mention another page in a status update and the update will appear on the mentioned page’s wall automatically, along with whatever content you’ve posted (link, poll, photos, you name it).

I created this awesome test page so I could show you an example of one page writing on the Fan Page of this blog, U Stand Out.

What’s the catch? The fan page you’re mentioning has to list you as a favorite in order for your update to appear on their wall. Otherwise your post will link to their page without them returning the favor.

But say you have a company with a subdivision (like Frosted Mini Wheats are to Kellogg’s), and both have fan pages, you can favorite each other and mention each other like crazy. Fans of one page will (hypothetically) flock to the other, and vice versa. Or you can contact the admins of the page and ask to be favorited, which is tricky since it isn’t made public who the admins are.

And don’t forget that as the admin of your page, you have to be a fan of the other page in order to mention it.

In conclusion, if you know every minuscule detail about Facebook functionality, you might get your brand a little exposure.

Otherwise, you have to be Coca-Cola. Or read this blog, which fortunately you do.

Become a fan of this blog to continue getting smarter about social media.

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