A Fan Gate is essentially a filtering tool to ensure that different content is visible to different users, depending upon whether they have Liked a Page or not. In fact, the name itself is suggestive of the function. It is a barrier, to go beyond which, a user has to fulfill some criterion; in this case, Liking the Page. Therefore, a Fan Gate enables those who have ‘Liked’ a Page to see all its content, while those who have not, see only part of it.
Fan Gate is a free app available with several third party developers like iframe, woobox, pageyourself, etc. You may also hire a coder to create a Fan Gate app for you on Facebook page, or develop it yourself. The latter, however, would require a basic understanding of coding; here’s a detailed tutorial that you may find helpful.
The most obvious question now is, how and why would users Like a Page if they cannot even see content? That’s where the following strategies come in:
Holding Facebook Contests
Gain without much pain is always very attractive, and this is exactly the mantra that most Internet users follow. It is then, no wonder, that Facebook contests are extremely popular.
A good idea to gain new Likes would be to hold a contest by creating a Facebook Landing Page, which can only be accessed if one Likes it. Those who do not Like the Page would only see the Fan Gate that advertises the Page, and only on Liking it would they be able to see the details.
Those interested in the contest would like the page so that they are considered eligible to participate.
Now, as per Facebook rules, ‘Like’ to participate is not acceptable. However, the ‘Fan Gate App’ allows businesses to find a way around this rule by making certain aspects of the page ‘for Fans only’. So, you don’t have to say ‘Like Us to participate’, but still make sure that people can participate only if they have liked you.
Having Exclusive Offers
There is nothing more enticing than the promise of special offers that are shrouded in exclusivity. If one pairs their Fan Gate with the exclusive, promotional offers, people wishing to avail them would undoubtedly ‘Like the Page’ without any hesitation. However, here too, the Fan Gate content must be suitably impressive for users to feel that the promotional offers are exciting and lucrative.
Offering Exclusive Content
In the world of social media, there is nothing more important then content. If one has quality content to offer, users would have no qualms in Liking a Page.
Therefore, it is a good idea to offer interesting content including eBooks, videos, Mp3 and other downloadable content through landing pages that can only be accessed by Fans. That will ensure that new Likes come your way!
Share Promo Codes
Sharing a promo code for discount coupons for your online store or E-books (if you have created any) with your fans through the Fan Gate app is also a great way to attract more likes. In addition to that, you also get to create an aura of exclusivity around your page.
Invest Time and Effort On The Landing Page
Spend time and effort in designing the landing page visible to non-fans. It should be such that it communicates the brand message and inspires people to like the page. For instance, let’s say you want own a nightclub and want to associate your brand with oomph, flirty fun and lot’s of color. Your landing page then should have pictures and graphics that resonate with your branding message.
Finally, to get the most out of the Fan Gate app, you should set aside a small budget at least for creating Facebook ad campaign about your offer for fans. You can start with a budget of as little as $30 and increase it if the ad campaign delivers results.
So, what do you think of Fan Gate App?
Sherryl, your site is really great! 🙂 You have some excellent content and impressive social media and comment stats. We should connect sometime, maybe see if we can help each other out in any way. Have a great weekend! Matthew
Hi Matthew,
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback. I’d be happy to connect with you and see if we could possibly help each other.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Do NOT Delete Your Google FeedBurner RSS Feed Migrate It
Thanks for your suggestion. I owned a page and regularly post various contents on it but still get less likes. After using your tricks now i’m getting more likes than previous. Thank you again.
Thanks for letting us know Steven. Hopefully, Vishal will see your reply too.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Friday Finds for Weekend Reading – Week 1
Generally I post more and more pics to attract more likes. Will try your fan gate feature also . I was not aware about it . thanks
Abhishek recently posted..Best Caller ID App for iPhone Android BlackBerry and Nokia devices
Thanks for letting us know that you learned something new from Vishal’s guest post. I hope Facebook fan gates work well for you.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Do You Avoid Keyword Stuffing on Your Website Blog?
I think fan gates are an excellent idea to choose your long term targets. Ofcourse it will help in filtering the right audience from the general mass of visitors. A very helpful tool indeed. Thanks for sharing Vishal.
Hi Rey,
Thanks for letting us know that you found Vishal’s post on Facebook Fan Gates helpful. I hope they work well for you.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Do NOT Delete Your Google FeedBurner RSS Feed Migrate It
Facebook fan gates will not only help you gain new like s but will fetch you some potential clients too. Considering the effort a reader will put to get through that fan gate, you can be sure that you have got a potential client.
That’s a great point Katie. I’ve never personally run a Facebook contest but I definitely have liked a page for an incentive. It’s a great way for a company to build their brand too.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Tips for Bloggers | Before You Press that Publish Button
Effort and daily posting on the Facebook page is required to create more fans for it
There are some people who do really well promoting their Facebook pages. You’re right about the need to post daily if you want to get and keep your fans. Thanks for the comment Rauf.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Is Organic Search Traffic from Google Important to You?
Hi Vishal, Facebook fan gates are actually a good way to get genuine traffic, and you can be sure that the crowd your site is pulling likes your site. Contests, promo codes and and offers are another way of making the visitors come to your site repeatedly. They are actually very helpful.
Hi Dyon,
Thanks for weighing in on this. I have yet to run Facebook fan gates but Vishal certainly builds a good case for it and it’s good to hear from other readers who support it.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Do You Avoid Keyword Stuffing on Your Website Blog?
Hi Judy,
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in on this. Years ago, I ran Facebook ads. It drove a lot of traffic to my landing page but I didn’t make one sale from it. I don’t believe that I even got an inquiry from it. That doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Like and PPC advertising, you really have to track it to see if it’s working for you. Good luck with it!
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Is Organic Search Traffic from Google Important to You?
I haven’t tried Fan Gate though I believe this is a good app to use. It is like a tool to give a teaser to users who have not liked you and eventually get them to hit that “like” button.
I haven’t used Fan Gate to run a Facebook contest yet Jeremy but I may in the future. I’ve certainly liked enough pages to access a special promotion or enter a sweepstake. So, I’m convinced that they work.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Sitizens Online Social Game – My Top Referral Traffic Source
Hi Vishal,
Your post really helped me to understand the How to Use Facebook Fan Gate to Get New Likes. It has great details and yet it is easy to understand.
That’s what i was looking for. I will definitely share it with others.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi George,
Thanks for taking the time to let us know that you found Vishal’s article helpful. Good luck if you try it!
I’m really hoping that if anyone is motivated to run a contest on Facebook that they’ll come back and share the experience with us.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Tips for Bloggers | Before You Press that Publish Button
Great post. I didn’t realize this was even a possibility and has the potential to be a fantastic part of one’s marketing campaign. I will definitely be checking out the app. Thank you.
A.K.Andrew recently posted..Does Every Picture Tell a Story?
Hi A.K.,
Thanks for letting me know that you found Vishal’s article about Fan Gate apps to run contests on Facebook. When Vishal approached me with this topic, I thought it would be a nice fit for my blog. This is a strategy that I haven’t incorporated yet. I’m keeping it in mind for the future. I’d have to make more of a commitment to Facebook though. I don’t update my KeepUpWeb page as much as I should. I tend to share more on my personal page. It’s something that I need to think about and decide what I want to do.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Does Your Social Media Strategy include Twitter Direct Messages?
Useful idea Sherryl.
Will not try it since I am not able to do coding.
By the way there is an outcry in Sweden about using contests to get likes. What is the difference between your suggestions Vishal and what is considered “fake” contests arranged by for instance Apple. Apparently there is no competition it’s only done to get likes. One person that warns about this is an expert on social media that travels with the Swedish prime minister.
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Great question Catarina! Fake contests are self defeating in many ways, so as a company I don’t see much benefit. You can get ‘Likes’ once, but if you are not offering Value or if your contest loses credibility, nothing stops people from ‘Unliking’ the page or blocking the updates.
A Facebook Like is a means to ends like engagement and greater brand visibility. As a social media user, you can ‘Unlike’ a page if you think the contest is fake.
As a business, organizing contests can work, but you have to follow-it up with interesting posts and perhaps new contests to keep the fans engaged.
Hope that helped:)
Great question Catarina and a meaningful reply from Vishal. Thanks for asking it!
Hey Thanks for the important information. Now I’ll look at the FB Fan page to grab more attention there. Thanks again. 🙂
Pawan,
Tanks for letting us know that you found Vishal’s post helpful
This is a really good way to use social media to promote whatever it is you’re doing. There are so many people on Facebook these days using it for a variety of reasons and having a landing page is a good idea.
Landing pages are always a great idea Kelly. One of my clients ran a Facebook contest and received over 1,500 likes. They can be very effective for getting fans. The true key is to keep them engaged after they like your page.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Do you Brand Yourself, Your Company, or Your Product on Social Media Sites?
This is very good advise and information. I had no idea. I need to seriously think about how I could and will approach this. Thank you for this and all the great suggestions. It just points out how there is much much to learn and having you as a resource makes that so much easier. 🙂
Hi Susan,
I’ve never created a Fan Gate app on my Facebook page (yet anyways). So, when Vishal proposed this topic, I thought it would be something that I could learn from as well as others. Personally, I will like a page to enter a contest or get a special promotion. So, it’s probably something I should do myself. 🙂
Sherryl Perry recently posted..2 Tips on Using Social Media to Get Found Online
Hey Vishal,
I never knew about FB fan gate. Yes I do heard about all things you discussed here, like contest, offers etc…
But I`m confused how to create a landing page which is accessed only of they like? Using app?
BTW informative post.
~@Khajamoin1
Hi Khaja,
To create a landing page you need to have basic coding knowledge, or your could hire a coder to create one for you. It’s not a very expensive process really.
If you really want to do it yourself though, there are a number of free tutorials available on the web that share the html codes you can use to create simple landing pages.
Yes, you would need to use the fangate app to make sure the your fans and those haven’t liked the page yet see different landing pages.
I am first time visiting your blog and I like your style of writing and your topic selection.We all knows that Facebook is becoming a trending place to market your business.Your article help online business owner to provide right content to right reader and in increasing FB likes.
Yep, that’s a great way to get more likes and more exposure.Thanks for sharing btw
Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed Vishal’s post Salman.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..2 Tips on Using Social Media to Get Found Online
Have you used a Fan page to run a promotional campaign Evan? (I haven’t personally run one yet but Vishal’s post has made me seriously think about it.)
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Tracking Your Blog Post SEO Meta Tag Data
I have seen several instances where companies or product owners (especialy Antivirus) hold contests where users have to like their Facebook Fan Page. There were excellent conversions getting huge number of likes. Nice one, Vishal.
Regards
Phanindra
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Hi Phanindra,
Thanks for letting me know that you liked Vishal’s article. I think he did a nice job explaining Fan Gate apps. He’s got me thinking about it.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Time to Tweak Your Twitter Strategy
Hi Vishal,I am first time visiting your blog and I like your style of writing and your topic selection.We all knows (Especially online Marketer) that Facebook is becoming a trending place to market your business.Your article help online business owner to provide right content to right reader and in increasing FB likes.
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Sandeep,
Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed Vishal’s guest post. I’m always open to articles on subjects that I’m not familiar with. I was certainly aware of Fan Gates but as of now, I haven’t used one.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Use Facebook Fan Gate to Get New Likes
I thought it is okay to have the “Like the fan page” as a requirement of the contest, according to Facebook terms? I’m sure I read it correctly last time
Michael Aulia recently posted..CM Storm Scout 2 Review
Michael,
Fan Gate apps are fairly new to me (which is why I accepted Vishal’s guest post). I just checked Facebook’s rules for running contests/promotions and they have a rather lengthy list of terms. One of them is: “Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.” So, I take it that asking someone to like your page to access your content is allowable but no one wants to incur the wrath of FB. 🙂 So, an app is a must.
I found FB’s rules here: http://on.fb.me/WI4PzB. (They also state “We reserve the right to reject or remove Pages for any reason.” on this page.) Thanks for weighing in on this!
Yeah, they like to put lengthy words in contracts and terms, don’t they (as in everyone :))
Found it on
“iii. You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app”
But as you said, better safe than sorry, I guess
Michael Aulia recently posted..Philips Gets Out of the Consumer Electronics Business
To add a bit to Sherryl’s explanation. While you can’t ask people to like your page to participate in a contest, you can make only fans of your page eligible for a contest. This means, even though you are not saying ‘Like to participate’ you have made sure that only people who like or have liked your page can participate:)
Hey Vishal, Loved the post.Now days Facebook Getting more values in marketing.So using fans and getting likes is a whole new way.
Steven Papas recently posted..Getting Started with ‘FileAudit4′ Software for Auditing Files & Folders
Hi Steven,
Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed Vishal’s post. I learned from it too which is always a bonus.