Why your business needs a Facebook Fan-Gate

Posted on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 at 3:07 pm.

There are quick and easy ways to utilise the power of Facebook to grow your brand, get ahead of your competition and spread your company’s message for very little effort.

What is a ‘fan-gate’?

A ‘fan-gate’ (otherwise known as the ‘reveal tab’ or ‘fan-only’ content) is Facebook functionality that enables marketers to display one type of content to fans and another type of content to non-fans.

This ‘hidden’ content may be a -

Discount Voucher
Free Download
Exclusive Video or Images
Insider Information
Or anything else your company has to offer.

It is aimed at encouraging people to ‘like’ your page and become a fan.

Why do you want people to ‘like’ your page?

‘Liking’ a page creates a connection between your page and the ‘fan’. Your page will appear in their Profile and the fact that they have ‘liked’ you will appear on their News Feed which their Facebook Friends may also see.

The act of a person ‘liking’ your Facebook page could be seen as an endorsement of you or your brand. This may encourage their Friends to investigate your brand further and maybe even purchase your product, offering or service.

Once someone has ‘liked’ your page, you will be able to post content to their News Feed for them and their Friends to see. It’s like free advertising and a great way to gain an advantage over your competitors.

There are some companies (but not as many as we thought) already using fan-gates very successfully. A personal favourite is Red Bull’s.

Make your fan-gate your Facebook landing page

Now you know how important Facebook ‘likes’ are it makes sense that your fan-gate is your Facebook landing page. Setting your fan-gate as your landing page will mean when visitors come to your page, this will be the first thing they see. Hopefully this will encourage all new visitors to click your all important ‘like’ button and spread the word about your company.