Do you have a Facebook Page yet (formerly fan page)? In my post Facebook Pages Are All The Rage, I mentioned that I was going to experiment with FanPageEngine for designing custom landing tabs on my page.
FanPageEngine is a web-based program that provides templates - fill in the blanks - and creates the special FBML code required to add to your Facebook Page.
I can do basic HTML design...real basic...so was looking for a tool I could use that didn't cost a fortune and gave me the ability to create a page. I'm a do-it-yourselfer and like to try out stuff like this.
At $67 for unlimited use of all the templates (vs. access to only a few for $37), I figured I didn't have much to lose.
While FanPageEngine is easy to use, there is a lot of prep required BEFORE you can fill in the blanks. There are multiple templates so you can create a custom tab with an opt-in form, video, images and of course text.
If you're matching colors from your blog, website, or logo, you need to know what the hexcode is for each color (i.e, FFFFFF = white, 000000 = black). You'll need your header banner to be exactly 520 x 100 pixels and any images to be exactly the size they require. This could mean having a designer do some resizing for you.
Video needs to be on YouTube and if you have an opt-in form, you'll need to have that already configured so you can paste it in. It will also help to have your copy written before you start so you can simply paste it in as well. The content editors resemble any blog post editor so it will be familiar for you.
I used Template #5 to create a custom tab that invites people to sign up for my free 5-part blogging videos. I used a different template to create a welcome page. If you go to the Blog Squad page and click on the Blog Tips tab and the Welcome! tab you'll see what I created.
To sum up, it's easy to produce a quality looking fan page AND you need to be prepared with all the elements before you start:
- Brand hexcode colors
- Header banner in exact dimensions - 520x100 pixels
- Image in exact dimensions
- Video posted on YouTube and then grab the video ID number
- Opt-in form code
- Copy for your welcome page or whatever you're highlighting
There are tutorials and instructions about how to add the code that's generated to your Facebook Page. You will need to add the FBML application to your page before you can create the custom tab.
Let me know what you think. Easy or too much work? I personally think that for the price you can create a decent looking custom tab on your Facebook page. Of course you can also hire a pro do this for you too!
With your excellent instructions, it seems like Icould could have a VA, even who hasn't professionally done this before... carry out the task. Once I've completely thought out what I want. Thanks.
Posted by: Sandra | Wednesday, June 02, 2010 at 06:54 PM
FaceItPages at http://www.faceitpages.com is another solution. Photo resizing is not required because the FaceItPages system does it for you. Also includes multiple templates, activity reports, add menu links, add social network links, videos, image gallery, etc. It is very easy to use.
Posted by: Jason Thomas | Wednesday, June 02, 2010 at 09:50 PM
Hi Jason, thanks for bringing FaceItPages to my attention. Looks like another good solution for do-it-yourselfers.
Posted by: Denise Wakeman | Thursday, June 03, 2010 at 12:45 PM
Sandra, this is a great tool for VAs who want to add services to their business. As long as you know exactly what you want, it's a straight forward process to create and set up the custom tab.
Posted by: Denise Wakeman | Thursday, June 03, 2010 at 12:46 PM
One more to add to the consideration list is Facebook TabSite, http://www.facebooktabsite.com. This solution does not offer templates but instead gives you a complete WYSIWYG content editor with image upload capability, as well as the ability to create multiple sub-pages of your custom tab, giving loads of ability to share product/service info. At the paid level you can also have a contact form and have a page in your tab with your RSS feed (Twitter and Blog on mine!). There's a free version to test on your personal profile and $5, $10, and $15 a month packages for Facebook (fan) pages. So if you're good with CMS tools, this can be a good app! Mike Gingerich
Posted by: Web Design South Bend - Mike Gingerich | Thursday, June 03, 2010 at 07:04 PM
With any of the above Fan Page contruction sites - would I, as a VA, be able to purchase one package and use it for ALL my client's Fan Pages OR would each client have purchase their own package?
Eydie :)
Posted by: Eydie | Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 04:17 PM
Hi Eydie, you'll have to check the terms for each product. I think for FanPageEngine you can create as many pages as you want but I don't know about the others.
Posted by: Denise Wakeman | Monday, June 14, 2010 at 08:16 AM
Thanks for the review. It is often so hard to find a quality review on products since everyone is just promoting for commission. I appreciate the value you provide here.
Sounds like Facebook Fan Page Engine is at least worth a look.
Posted by: Terry Shelton | Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 09:50 PM
Hey Denise,
Sorry I did not see this sooner! Just wanted to stop by and thank you for the kind review! Hope you are enjoying it and we have some awesome new changes coming soon!
David Foster | hubze ceo and FanPageEngine founder
Posted by: David Foster | Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 01:09 PM