CoPress

Assuming that your college newspaper is on Facebook as a professional page, there is a good chance it isn’t updated often or doesn’t have many “fans.” Why not?

The best way to get traffic to your site is from links, and if your Facebook page is used correctly it can bring a great amount of traffic to your site.

Here are my top 10 ways to make sure that your Facebook Page doesn’t get overlooked:

1. Use RSS Feeds. It will be a great load off your shoulders to know that every time a new article is put up on your site, it will appear automatically on your Facebook Page. You can bring RSS feeds to your page by do adding Applications in the edit area of your page. The one I recommend is Simply RSS. It’s quite reliable and does the job well.

2. Use the Status Feature. Since the redesign, Facebook now has given Pages the opportunity to update their Fans without having to flood them (the old Facebook page’s version of statuses that went into their own separate inbox which often became overwhelming). Since the newest version of Pages include statuses, you can update your fans that will appear in their News Feed, which will make your publication’s Facebook page that much more visible than before.

3. Update Your Fans. The feature from the old version of Facebook pages can still be effective, so don’t overlook it. Some Facebook users have a tendency to ignore updates when they are sent to them but not all. Updates also allow you longer form communication with your Fans.

4. Use multimedia to make your Facebook a mini website. Consider putting the main slideshows and videos you put on your Web site onto your Facebook Page too. This content can then enter your Fans’ News Feeds. The NY Times’ Facebook Page is a good examples of this.

5. Make sure your digits are current. This seems like a no-brainer but think about how quickly info can become irrelevant when information is not updated. If you list your editors on your page, make sure the editors names and information are up-to-date.

6. Include Contact Info. In addition to the typical info, like phone number and address that Facebook asks when you start a page, how about also having someone on the page info on who should be contacted if a fan has a tip?

7. Be human. Transparency is all the rage these days, so why not use your Facebook Page as a means to get with the game. Just got out of an editorial meeting? Update your fans about it in your status: “The Whit just had a really productive meeting about how we’re going to better cover X” People enjoy getting what is an inside view of your inner workings. You’d be surprised at how quickly your Facebook Page will be more active once Fans realize there is a human behind it all.

8. Start Conversations. This goes back to the whole “being a human” thing. When people leave comments or explain how they enjoyed a particular piece, respond! People like to know that this isn’t just some page you started just so you can “seem cool with the kids.” Make sure you mean it.

9. Have Favorite Pages. Most likely the pages your publication will favorite will either be other papers or companies that you’re affiliated with that help you do your jobs better. Good! Let your Fans know who you’re connected with and plus, once you favorite them, chances are they’ll favorite yours.

10. Link! This should go without saying but make sure that the possibilities are endless for visitors of your Facebook page to reach your Web site. Use photos, video, articles, anything; just make sure that they are getting a teaser for the fuller version of a great product they can get on your Web site.