DJs: How To Improve Your Facebook Fan Page in 10 Minutes

Ahh, Facebook.  It's the most popular social networking site in the world, and the second only to Google as the most popular website overall.  It's one of the primary tools that people use to connect with their fan base… DJs included.

Even so, a majority of people are not making the most out of this extremely powerful tool… especially when looking at their fan pages.  This includes me.  I recently created a new fan page for myself, primarily because I'm ditching an old alias that I no longer use.  It's been a struggle to get back all the “likes” I had under my old alias, so I figured it was time to start looking into some optimization.

So, here are some tips on how you can improve your fan page in only ten minutes!

1. Set a Vanity URL

This is a simple and super-easy thing to do that is often neglected.  If you edit the settings for your page, you'll see an entry for “Page Address”.  This allows you to customize your URL so that you have something nice and clean (such as http://www.facebook.com/davidmichaelthedj… yes, feel free to give it a like!)  instead of the long and ugly default address that is assigned to you.

This serves to not only give you a more professional-looking and credible image, but it also helps people to find you.  Plus, it's much easier to put these clean URLs on flyers, Tweets, blog posts, etc.

Bonus tip: once you've done this, you can use fb.com to link to your fan page, making it even shorter!  i.e. – fb.com/davidmichaelthedj

2. Customize Your Imagery

It sounds easy enough, but so many people don't even take the time to make or add a Cover Photo.  You should find a nice strong image that represents you or what you do.  Your Facebook images (especially your Profile and Cover photos) are part of your brand, and are usually the first thing people see when they go to your page.

You can also use your cover photo to hold promo material, like the flyer to your latest show… but be careful, Facebook has picky guidelines on that sort of thing.  I've had pretty good luck with it, but your mileage may vary.

If you want to go the extra step towards branding yourself, find someone to design you an artist logo on fiverr.com.

Bonus tip: here's an awesome cheat sheet which tells you the optimal sizes to make anything and everything that goes on your Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus pages.

3. Add a Clickable URL to Your About Box

Under your page's settings, find the section that says “Short Description”.  In here, you don't have a lot of room, so make it count!  This is the little section of text that's right under your profile picture.  I highly recommend that you use this space to add a clickable URL to your homepage.  Or, if you don't have one, you can link to your SoundCloud, MixCloud, BandCamp page or whatever else is most important for you.

Facebook will automatically convert your URL into a clickable link if you add the http:// in front of it, so take advantage of this!  Make it super easy for fans to click on it straight from your page.

Bonus tip: Not enough room in your Short Description?  Save space on the URLs by using Bit.ly.  Plus, you can use this to track the clicks that occur on that custom link, so you can see how effective it was for you to add it to your page.

4. Add a Good Music Player App

It's all about the music, right?  You should make it super easy to play music straight on your fan page!

For mine, I added the Bandpage app… check it out!  I like this one because it gives a nice clean interface for playing and downloading tracks.  It also allows you to add a schedule of your upcoming shows.  Premium accounts can add additional functionality, like requiring a mailing list signup before allowing a download.  There are many similar services out there, such as ReverbNation.  Find the one you like the best and give it a whack.  Also, add it to your “top four” apps too, so that it shows up 100% of the time when a user visits your page.

Bonus tip: Arrange and rename your “Favorites” tabs for maximum clickability.  For example, the average user might not know what “Bandpage” is… let alone have any interest in clicking on it.  But, if I rename that tab to “Free Music”, they know exactly what they are getting when they click that link.  You can also change it's image.  All you have to do is click the little down arrow to expand your tabs, and click the little pencil icon on the tab you wish to edit.

5. Fill Your About/Bio Info To The Max

Facebook is letting you spam yourself for free here, so don't waste it.  Don't skip the bio section because you're lazy, or leave out the “influences” section because you're indecisive.

Loading the page up with content immediately makes you look more like a viable artist, and helps you to engage with and relate to your fan base.  Make sure to include links to any relevant websites, and provide a contact address for booking info or any other inquiries.

Bonus tip: Not sure what to put for your Biography section?  I publicly re-wrote my own bio step-by-step right here on the blog.  Check it out if you'd like some pointers!

Final Thoughts

• Keep your page current!  It's an immediate turn-off if your info is out of date or your page is a barren wasteland of activity.  Let people know that you're making moves!
• Don't spam people to death.  Make some posts for the sake of making them.  Let your natural voice and personality shine through.  People are more apt to stay interested in you if they like you as a person!
• Share different kinds of content.  Facebook's algorithm changes in recent times have made it harder and harder for your own fans to see your posts, but you drastically increase your chances by making different kinds of posts (i.e. – images, links, plain text, etc.)  Facebook seems to decide who sees what based on what kind of posts they historically engage with.
• To increase engagement with your fans, try adding a call to action to your posts.  See the last sentence of this article for an example!
• Highlight or Pin killer content, or your latest project, so that more people will see it.  Highlighting something will make it show in full width on your timeline, and Pinning it will stick it to the top.

So, there you have it… some quick-and-easy ways to improve your Facebook fan page!  I'm not a social media expert by any means, and will be looking to improve my own page all the time.

In what ways have you optimized your own fan page?  Let me know in the comments section below!