HOW TO: Not make people want to “unfan” or “hide” your Facebook Fan Page
- 18 Comment
It’s so easy to press that little “hide” button on Facebook. If you’ve hidden a fan page why are you (or did you) confirm them in the first place?
Perhaps one of these reasons:
- “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
- “I felt guilty if I didn’t because it’s a friend or family member’s fan page.”
- “I thought I’d receive information I could use to help me.”
- “It was an impulsive move (and they’ll know if I leave the page now.)”
- “I’m sick of getting the fan page request OVER and OVER again.”
Instead of hiding fan pages, I’ve taken to leaving page(s) altogether. Why? Even if I’ve hidden them they can still reach me via messages, events, etc. Personally, I like to fan those who provide important content, offer exclusive deals and/or promotions, a celebrity or spokesperson I really am a FAN of, to name a few. However, I know many people who simply hide a page when they experience many of the scenarios listed below.
If you’re using a Facebook fan page as a way to engage with your audience, there are two ways to ensure a swift communication death: the “hide” button and the “remove me from friends” link. The trick is to provide quality information and that which is most relevant to your audience. It’s not easy, takes time and can improve communication and relationships with your audience.
Do a quality check of your fan page to ensure your audience can’t say any of the following and stay public and present in their Facebook stream.
I receive a fan page message every day or several times each week
I could handle a daily breaking news message or a 50% off exclusive shopping discount, but I don’t need a daily update on anything else. The best communication is timely and relevant. If I get saturated with messages from you, I no longer see them. They become white noise and may eventually lead to me leaving your fan page.
I’ve been invited to 300 events in the past month (alright, that’s an exaggeration)
If your event is in Australia, it’s pretty unlikely (unless you’re paying my expenses) that I’ll be able to make it.
Don’t invite everyone in your fandom to an event if you’re not sure they’d be interested. Yes, it takes time to know your audience. However, a targeted approach may garner more success in engagement and attendance at your events. A few things to consider before sending the invitation:
- Geographic location (if people live more than 30 miles away, a Thursday night even may not be of interest to them)
- Timing (if this is a last minute event and my fans are primarily parents with young children, they may not be able to make it)
- “Remove from my events” (you notice someone who never displays your events or consistently replies no)
- Cost (the event you’re planning is $250 a ticket…I better really be interested in the cause or concept)
You clog up my Facebook stream with information that doesn’t matter to me
I’m excited you were featured on The Today Show. It makes sense you’d want to share that with your fans. However, if you start sharing every media placement, every day, I’m going to lose interest. Save the “big hits” or a media interaction that drives home an important message. Or, you’ve decided to link your Twitter profile with your Facebook status update and you tweet 20 times per hour. Think, “less is more.”
You tag me in notes, photos, videos to get my attention
Unless I’m actually mentioned in the note, photo or video, I probably don’t want to see it. If you tag me, I’m expecting to see something about me, not something FOR me or a promotion.
I receive the never-ending fan page request
This is targeted towards the pages I’ve yet to join. If I’ve ignored your fan page in the past, it’s not personal. Perhaps it doesn’t fit with the type of information I want to receive on Facebook or I “follow” and/or connect with you on other networks and don’t want duplication. I understand sending the request two times (perhaps I missed the first one or accidentally ignored) any more than that will ensure I never “confirm.” Furthermore, if the requests keep on coming in, I’m going to be turned off by your brand.
I receive the never-ending Facebook private message to join your fan page
(See previous response.)
You’ve created a fan page for a topic that doesn’t need a fan page
This is open to personal interpretation. If you’re hosting a one-time event, you may want to think about the effectiveness of a fan page versus an event. We’re inundated with information. Do we need one more fan page?
What makes you “hide” or “remove” yourself from a fan page? What keeps you an engaged member of a fan page? What advice would you offer?
18 Comments on this post
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Daniel Hoang said:
Thanks for the advice. I’m about to create a fan page for my company and will stick by the guidelines you mentioned.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:42 pm -
Dawn @GirlfriendCeleb said:
Posting too often would be the single most important thing a fan page (or individual, for that matter) can do to get me to “hide” it. If you’re taking up my whole stream, I’m going to be annoyed. By the way, have I invited you to be a fan of GirlfriendCelebrations yet?
jkOctober 12th, 2009 at 12:04 am -
Nikolas Severidt said:
That’s great advice. I see businesses that don’t use this tool enough and then businesses that use it way too much! You have to be able to find that happy medium to remain effective.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:35 am -
Cartoon Bears said:
hi.very great and helpful advice for the beginner’.i like you sense of describing.very meaningful blog.keep it up.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:27 pm -
used tires said:
I think I’ve experienced this first hand with facebook, these guys in my school, kept messaging about 5 times a day for a week, to try and rally up votes in a contest they were trying to win. It just became white-noise after awhile like you said.
Till then,
Jean
October 13th, 2009 at 9:24 am -
Metal Laptop Case said:
Thanks for these tips. Many businesses would not consider these things while running a facebook fanpage. You have to carefully manage things so that you do not annoy your fans. Trying to promote too aggressively usually backfires.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:25 pm -
Aubrey M. said:
Just asking, because maybe I’m reading this wrong, but I wanted to help just in case…
“I’ve been invited to 300 events in the past month (alright, that’s an exaggeration)…
…If your event is in Australia, it’s pretty likely (unless you’re paying my expenses) that I’ll be able to make it.”
Should that be unlikely instead of likely? Because you are in Chicago, not Australia, right?
October 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm -
ATV Auction said:
I agree that you need to make sure you don’t spam your fans. If you manage our fanpage poorly, it could do more harm than good. You could end up looking bad to the people who are already interested in you or your business.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:45 pm -
Don Lafferty said:
Many FB users guilty of this offensive behavior are victims of their own success in the context of FB’s evolution. The FB account most of us started with just isn’t the right tool for a brand with a target FB market exceeding 5K people.
Consequently, migrating a loyal, engaged following from the personal account to the fan page can be a real challenge. Most people’s natural tendency is to hang on to what they perceive as a more personal connection. Hence the repeated, pain in the ass requests to migrate to the fan page with little or no incentive.
When developing a fan page migration strategy it’s important to give your followers a clear explanation, and an incentive to make the adjustment on their end.
Upcoming changes to messaging and grouping options in the context of the FB fan page should smooth this process out and create a fan page environment more conducive to fostering real relationships.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:40 am -
Christmas said:
It’s is a good post with have a great article while a fan page hide or show to people is likely i thought it’s show bcoz i like make a fan page.Plz sharing it……………again soon.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:16 am -
Gen said:
If you find out your profile’s been used in a page’s advertising. I can’t find how to prevent that and remain a fan of a particular group, so I unfanned them.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:57 am -
Hair Salons said:
I have no idea about hide button of Facebook. It’s really good idea sent fan request to Geo location. Thanks.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:53 am -
sarkilari indir said:
I will create a fan page for my website. Your advices will be very useful for me. Thanks a lot
November 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm -
Becca said:
I’ve been building a fan page by suggesting the page to friends, but can’t keep track of who I’ve sent the suggestion to in the past, and I don’t want to irritate people by sending the request over and over. Whats the best way to keep from doing this, but still being able to suggest a page to my new friends?
Any help would be appreciated.
ThanksNovember 20th, 2009 at 2:45 pm -
cashback credit cards said:
Yea this can be so overdone with the fan page stuff. I know it can be a great tool and page. But, really people when I receive something from you or more than just one message, note, of request a day it’s a little to much for me.
December 12th, 2009 at 4:56 pm -
blue cross tonik said:
Thanks for these tips.
December 24th, 2009 at 6:29 am -
Generic online said:
Thanks for these cool tips. Many businesses would not consider these things while running a facebook fanpage. You have to carefully manage things so that you do not annoy your fans. Trying to promote too aggressively usually backfires.
January 15th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
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