It took only two days since my last post for word to reach me that someone is about to release a new product (the same product that I was hoping someone would create), which will make individuals and/or brands lives a lot easier under Facebook‘s roof.
I can already hear you thinking, man, Facebook Pages again? Yes. Again. But there is a reason why we’re talking about them constantly. Beside the obvious point that these tools can actually help you create a Page with no hassle and easily market yourself on the platform, there are signs of a new trend that we need to pay attention to.
Today, Facebook Pages look alike for the most part. That might be because people don’t have time to invest in them, nor have the qualifications to create an immersed page, or maybe they simply don’t care. But if you own a brand, you should care. Making a page by yourself is not that hard, but it involves some basic HTML familiarity, and many people don’t want to be hassled with any of that.
While Facebook only seems to care about what is beneficial for them, they aren’t really concerned about ease of use for their members. Yet the usage of this service is growing day after day, and still their feature list stays pretty much the same. Here and there, you can see some fine-tuning design-wise, and little things are added, but overall, you can’t do much when it comes to marketing your brands inside Facebook.
Not if you’re a small business anyway.
I believe Facebook creates such boundaries whenever they feel at risk of turning into the next MySpace, but there is still a long way before it comes to that (if ever) and to be honest, MySpace wasn’t bad at all (back in the day).
Only now, in hindsight, do we realize that we have something that looks much better and fits this era with Facebook. However, it is limited by “tabs.” I don’t understand why Facebook won’t allow us to customize at least one tab as we wish?
Meanwhile, should we be surprised that more and more services are trying to give us that ability to customize a Facebook page? These services are born out of a need. It started with Tabs applications such as: Twittertab, Flickrtab, YouTubetab, Picasatab, and many more. But you can’t as easily find a service that allows you to create a ‘Welcome tab’ with such freedom. But don’t worry, I believe we are about to enter a new Facebook page creators trend, and it is only a matter of time before we see more services like RootMusic around soon.
But first let me introduce you to a new service that simply allows you to create a ‘Welcome’ or ‘About’ tab without any Static FBML knowledge, or too much work. Enter Thailand-based Pagemodo, which allows anyone to create a Welcome page through a nicely done generator that is very simple to use.
(Click for a larger version of the image)
This time I don’t really need to explain how to create the page because it is really fairly easy. Once you log in with your Facebook account, you’ll be able to create a new page where you’ll be taken to a self-explanatory editor to help you achieve your page tab. You can choose between two layouts, and start your page (or tab if you wish) creation. Just enter all the information needed. You can add pictures, change the colors & font, and more. Finally, you’ll be asked to choose a Tab – ‘Welcome’ or ‘About us’ (more tab names are coming) And install it on your Facebook page. If you have more than one page, you can create a tab for each, and come back to edit them whenever you want through your account at Pagemodo.
According to Pagemodo, they will always offer a free version so that everyone, even very small organizations, can create custom pages, but these free ones will of course include their footer and might limit some advanced features that only the paying users will get, such as Add Google Analytics, custom tab-names, limited edition layouts (so they can get a unique layout), etc. Currently, Pagemodo is working on a simple payment solution, so people can at least start removing the footer and get an “early bird” discount.
I already explained the value of such pages in my earlier posts, but I’ll quickly explain again: When you set a ‘Welcome’ tab to be the first thing that new visitors land on, you have the ability to place whatever you want under this tab and explain your brand better. The main thing about all these pages is that the companies can customize these pages, so they match company colors, display the company logo, etc. With services such as the one offered by Pagemodo, they can.
This is your opportunity to attract new visitors – simple as that. You can choose to leave it the old and boring way, or take a few minutes to create a new page for your company. The rest is up to you. Moreover, the service is free so I don’t really see any reason to not test/use it. All things considered, I believe it’s a win-win proposition.
Like I’ve said previously, I believe this is just the beginning for these kind of platforms and as long as Facebook doesn’t offer users the tools to customize their own pages, we are going to see more of these tools popping up like mushrooms.
If you already have some design & code skills, my first guide might make more sense to you. But if you don’t, I encourage you to try this service, share your insights and feedback, and help them build a better platform.
Or you can give others like Likeable, Involver, or Vitrue a try. Just know that they are nothing like Pagemodo (see example). In most cases, you need to send them graphics and then they will set one of their own designers to create a page. And of course, you’ll need to pay.
Make no mistake, I’m in favor of paying for good products, but I prefer to take full control of the product I’m using. And so should you.
