Anatomy of a Facebook Page

Over a third of the colleges in the United States have a Facebook Page to assist in their campus’ marketing efforts. For those who are just getting introduced to the concept of a Facebook Page, and the marketing goals it can help you achieve, here’s a look into the anatomy of a Facebook Page.

(for hi-res version of this image, reply to @inigral on Twitter with #PageAnatomy in the tweet.)

Page Name

Every Facebook Page has to have a name. Ideally for universities, it’s the perfect balance between the official school name/trademark, and how the world refers to your school. (e.g. rather than “University of California at Los Angeles,” it should be “UCLA.”)

Profile Picture

With the impact that images have on a person’s first impression of something, and with various websites (Facebook included) using photos as measurable ways to increase click through rates, this may be the most important part of your Page. Choose wisely, as this may determine if a new visitor clicks the back button after arriving at your Page.

“Write Something Here”

Here’s where you tell your audience everything the one or two messages you want to convey to them under a total of 250 characters. Typically, institutions use this field to tell visitors “Welcome,” along with a link to where they can quickly learn more about the institution.

Tabs

For some, this is where Pages get misunderstood. “Tabs” are the various sections of your Facebook Page, that allow you to tap into the power of what Facebook really has to offer. Tabs are also the tool used to deeply integrate your Facebook efforts with the rest of your campus’ web presence. Facebook provides several default Page Tabs upon creating your Page. These include basic Facebook utilities including Photos, Discussions, Videos, Info about your school, and others. Many colleges take Tabs to the next level by incorporating Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, Flickr, and other Social Media applications onto their Facebook Page.

A new community formed by the folks at AppBistro allows Page admins to find the best Page Tabs for their Facebook Page. AppBistro serves as a directory for Tabs of all kinds, browseable by category, name, or purpose.

Keep in mind that a Tab can be housed at the top of your Page, or on the left sidebar. Tabs used to be much more flexible. Read more about the limitations of Landing Tabs here.

Information (Info)

Called “Information” on the sidebar tab, the Info tab also lives at the top of your Page, and is used to provide basic information about your college both on and off of Facebook. Institutions typically use this as an opportunity to post links to important websites, an address, and a main phone number to call with any questions.

Wall

The Wall is the pulse of your Facebook Page. Anyone who Likes your Page is able to comment, ask a question, post a link, photo, or video onto your Wall.

Favorite Pages

Most universities leverage this area to list other Facebook Pages that their university has made for various departments, colleges, and organizations around campus.

“9 friends like this”

An underrated influencer of whether or not a visitor will “Like” your Page has to do with how many of their Facebook friends Like your Page as well. This is totally out of your control as a Page Administrator, and you actually can’t see it for any user except for yourself. But it’s good to know that it’s there.

“2,000 people like this”

This is the more measurable influencer, which colleges typically deduce that the more people who like a Page, the higher chances other visitors will choose to like their Page. Anecdotally speaking, once a Page reaches a few thousand fans, more fans will come easier than the days when you were trying to acquire 10 or 20 fans.

Share

The last part of your Facebook Page worth noting is on the bottom left of the Page. It’s a “Share” button, which allows visitors to share your Facebook Page with their Facebook friends, or anyone with an email address.