something like this.

Well, that wouldn’t have been a problem if we’re direct representatives of the brands we’re managing. But since we’re part of an agency, the issue just made things a little shaky.

So yeah, if you are handling a brand page but are not directly linked to the brand itself, what should you do?

First off, the Recommendations feature is present on the timeline of pages that are associated with local business, so now you may have a hint what kind of brand is in question. According to our agency’s Facebook contact, the Recommendations box doesn’t allow responses coming from the page admins of the brand, and yes, they can only respond using their individual accounts in order to promote transparency.

However, this box can be hidden from the timeline profile, and you can reply to those who posted via private messaging. But for all intents and purposes, what course of action should you take when faced with this kind of issue? Below is a step-by-step guide that I’d wish to share.

Yes they should, especially on social media.

1. Talk to your client first about the Recommendations box.

Before you actually start your campaign, you may want to about all the Facebook features that will be present in your client’s timeline profile, so you both know what to expect. It may not be everyday that someone would post on the recommendations box about their experience with the brand, but it’s just right to be prepared.

This is because not all of those who will post a recommendation will say nice things; they may say that their experience with the brand sucked, and you may not be able to handle the fan furor properly right away. Hence, it’s best to discuss with your client about how you both want to deal with recommendations.  It can be you writing a message template to address the recommendation post, or if this should be forwarded to your client for them to handle instead.

2. Decide whether you can represent the brand in terms of responding to fan recommendations.

While you are not a direct member of the brand’s PR team, it is also important to know the extent of your role as a social media manager, because even if the fan comments and recommendations are made on Facebook, it’s still part of the corporate communications department to handle such concerns.

Ask your client whether you can speak for the brand using your personal account in terms of replying to fan recommendations, so that you can avoid issues such as miscommunication and misrepresentation. This also gives you an outline of what exactly to say when responding to statements coming from your audience.

3. Would it be better to hide the Recommendations box instead?

If you think it’s still not appropriate to make the recommendations public, then it would be better to hide them from the timeline for the meantime. However, this doesn’t mean that you are going to ignore fan recommendations completely. In fact, the more reason you should monitor them conscientiously.

This is because when you don’t address the recommendations made by your audience, this would make them angry too. It would be way better that once you see a post made on the recommendations box, respond with the appropriate answer right away. They may not see their posts in public, but they will definitely get the acknowledgment that they’ve been expecting from you. You still get the good satisfaction rating by the end of the day.

Levi’s went shameless-but with perks exclusive only to fans.

An effective custom app guarantees a 30% boost in your campaign, and if you are able to launch it at the perfect timing, it can ultimately lead you to better sales conversions, brand awareness, and of course, consistent engagement.

(Beware: this procedure may lead to a website crash due to heavy incoming traffic.)

So when should you install a custom app?

1. You want to gather, contain and satisfy your fans in just one blow.

Well, this was what Qatar Airways did when it first entered social media. It not only introduced itself in the social media world, but as well highlighted its 100^th Destination Launch, and to do that, it came up with an integrated contest series that made use of custom apps.

The first app featured a raffle where interested participants would have to recommend the Qatar Airways page to their friends, while the other allowed them to do their online booking right on Facebook in which they can purchase 2 tickets for the price of one.

End result-the Qatar Airways server crashed due to the exodus of excited travelers, it gained 100,000 fans within two weeks, and overall it generated up to $1.1 million in revenue. Isn’t that neat?

2. You want to keep your fans entertained.

Remember FreshKon lenses? When I featured it on this blog a few months back, I mentioned something about the “Guess the Product” app. Well, the brand was having an issue about its 16,000+ fans who seem to be so quiet on the page, and the app was used to basically spice things up.

So yeah, an app was installed, its mechanics indicated a contest in which fans may receive a hefty prize when they win the game. The app caused a ruckus on the FreshKon page, practically because its audience got all too excited to play.

3. You want to reward your new fans.

Bribing fans is always a good way to enrich your audience on Facebook. And yes, no matter how dirty it looks at first glance, it does deliver what you ask for. In the case of the lingerie brand, Aerie, it charmed new fans by giving them a chance to win a special prize-their new fragrance called “Aerie Shimmer”.

During each day of the contest period, the page drew five lucky winners to receive an “Aerie Shimmer” perfume package. The contest ran from October 5 to 8, so you can just imagine how many girls crammed to become fans of the Aerie page in the hopes to get the said fragrance.

The contest has ended, and now the Aerie page has amassed over 1.1 million fans.

In a nutshell

Social media is all about interaction, and yes, by this point in time, you should accept the fact that content doesn’t do all that. Talk is cheap, and when your fans get tired of talking, they’ll start packing their things and leave your page too. And that’s something every page owner doesn’t want to happen, including you.

So yeah, should you or should you not tag your fans? Here’s my take:

You definitely should tag your fans when…

1. Your content affects a particular fan. Tagging fans helps personalize your posts, and at the same time you give them a sense of recognition. By including them on your greetings, or if you know your post will cheer them up, then why not tag them along on your content?

By tagging fans, you are able to reach out to them on a more personal level, which is something they will truly appreciate. At the same time, your post will likewise be seen on their newsfeeds, which in turn make you visible on their own contact networks. This is definitely a reach booster for your end!

2. You’re calling out to your most active fans. When you’re managing a fan page, it will be inevitable for you to notice your most active and most involved supporters. Hence, when you tag these fans, the faster they are notified with your update, and the more reason will they respond. And yes, tagging them serves as a call for them to further spread the news.

3. You’re reaching out to your influencers. Let’s say you’re promoting something, such as a blog entry, a new page, or a contest, and you want your influencers to review it. Well, you should definitely tag them on your content so that they can check out what you’re promoting at the soonest possible time.

You can also do this on Twitter, particularly when your influencers are most active in that platform as compared to Facebook.

It may be best NOT to tag fans when…

1. Your content involves selling. Of course, this is a true booboo. Who wants to be tagged to a sales pitch? Rather than feel loved, the fans you’ve tagged will rather feel offended because it’s as if you’re forcing them to buy your stuff.

NO. HELL NO.

2. You’re posting insinuating content. When tagging fans, it is important for you to gauge how they think, feel and act in general. Are they the conservative audience or they are more open to sensitive topics. This is because when you tag them in posts that can be controversial, it would look like you’re putting them on the spotlight, and not all of them would want that.

Perhaps it would be better if you keep your sensational content targeted to your audience as a whole. That way, if they start creating a buzz on your content, you get to address them directly, but at the same time in general. No one’s offended, they all got to talk, and you became involved with them.

Well, if that happens on your brand page, then for sure you’d stay up all night to monitor the conversations taking place. This is because fans not only get active on your page, but also spread the word to their own networks through notifications and newsfeed reports.

But hey, we all know that having a line of comments from fans doesn’t take place every day; and with that said, you should definitely monitor the replies made on your posts regularly and consistently.

Among the many reasons to monitor social chatter on your brand page include:

1. You will know how to communicate to your fans.

No, you don’t reply to your fans like this.

When fans reply to your posts, it means that were affected by your content. Of course you cannot just expect them to respond with praise, right? By monitoring everyday content, you get to see your fans’ reactions, and from there you’ll have an idea about how to talk back. They may not always accept your answers, but they’ll be satisfied in one way or the other. It’s mainly because they’re looking forward to hear you talk back.

2. Fans comment because they need recognition.

See?

If you see comments made on your posts, these do not necessarily pertain to fans asking for help or what; many times they just want you to recognize their presence. This serves as an opportunity for you to dig a deeper relationship with them as they are beginning to open up to you.

3. Monitoring comments lets you find windows to up-sell.

When your fans start creating a thread of comments on your posts, it is inevitable for them to open up about their needs, and once you see mentions of things your fans are looking for, you can actually butt in and up-sell your goods. You are able to lure your fans and turn them into customers on the basis of need, and that’s a very big factor in boosting your business through social media. In time, your fans would not only become your customers, but as well recommend you to their friends who have the same needs as theirs.

And so them guys dumped her. So what?

But wait. What made them leave you in the first place? If you think that you didn’t do anything wrong for them to turn their backs on you, or if you feel like you’ve done everything to keep the love alive and burning, then don’t sulk in the corner just because they’re gone. Rather, you must show them that it’s their loss, not yours.

Just think about how Taylor Swift deals with her breakups. The guy leaves her, but her fans don’t. She writes an epic breakup song, makes a new hit out of it, and she gains new fans. And then she sparks the romance by meeting up new guys-who are better, richer, and more handsome than the previous ones she had.

So yeah, don’t fret. By doing the killer rebound moves, it will be your former fans’ loss, and definitely not yours.

1. Spoil your current fans with goodies!

Sure you’ve lost 100 fans during the past month. But how about the other 700 who still believe in you? Then it’s just right to reward them by sending them goodies, such as exclusive discounts to your merchandise, or coupons they can use to get free access to certain stuff under your realm.

Surprise your fans with these sweet treats, so that they would be caught off guard and not realize that you’re doing this just to keep them loyal to you. As for those who have departed, sorry-they’re not entitled to the good stuff anymore.

2. Fish for new fans-with new ads!

Maybe all you need is to replenish your fan base, and that’s by getting new fish out of the water. Blast out an ad campaign that targets specific interests related to your brand. You can bait them with a giveaway too, if you have a budget set aside for goodies. And once you’ve got them, you may want to give them the royal treatment so they’ll never think of leaving anytime soon.

3. Spark the romance using Facebook’s different tools!

Set up an app that fans can play with. Hold an interactive contest right on your Timeline wall. Talk to your current fans by means of comments and private messages. In essence, move up and shake up! All your fans are looking for is for you to do the first move in sparking conversations and launching avenues for interaction, and you must do nothing less than that in order to make them stay by your side.

Use only during desperate times.

But there are also many ways in which you can keep your fans from getting bored, and mind you, many of these do not require deep thinking. It’s all about entertaining them in just one glance.

So, if you’re dying to know the ways to contain your fans on your page, then better check out these tricks:

1. Catch their attention with celebrity picks!

Every niche has a related celebrity quote. With that said, why not include this celeb lines to your content? You can add a photo of that celeb and insert the text content so that your fans can immediately see it upon posting. While they may not care that much about the text, but the photo of that celeb, especially when he or she is famous, will push them to like your post in an instant. This also increases their anticipation to watch out for more of your posts.

2. Feed them with inspiration.

There are times when fans stay on your page because you keep them inspired. Then better level up the motivation by posting inspirational quotes and sayings during the most boring of days. As you can see, your fans are already bored-feeding them with the inspiration can just alter the way they look at your page.

3. Ask them questions!

One reason why your fans may be quiet is because you are not proactive in asking them questions. So, if you want to hear their voice, then you must SPEAK UP! Ask them questions, simple questions that they can answer with a YES or NO, or select one from a number of choices. Posting questions is important in your campaign, as you not only are doing the move to get answers-you’re showing your fans that you actually care.

4. Tickle their funny bones.

When your fans are bored, their heads are not up for serious matters. So break the ice and give them something to laugh about. Posting jokes and other funny content keeps their spirits upbeat, and they may not only like your post-they’ll comment as well.

Of course, you have to address that problem before it goes after you. And one way to do that is by thinking the way your audiences does. Put yourself in their shoes; if you get bored, then you should understand that they get bored too. The thing is, when people get bored on social media, they tend to move somewhere else. When they get bored with your page, then the more likely will they move to another hangout.

What do you think she saw on your Facebook page?

Maybe your fans don’t just ignore your posts; they’re actually scared to look at your page.

This is a common problem among brands, and even social media marketers consider this a much more difficult challenge than creating a Facebook brand page from scratch. Why? It’s because the brand has already established itself on social media, but in the wrong way. Since it has made an impression of being a “dead” page, to make it attractive to audiences would require more effort, creativity, and yes, a major revamp in campaign strategy.

Your Facebok page may look worse than Zombieland because…

1. You post nothing but sales content.

Hey, this is a clear violation of the cardinal rules of Facebook marketing. Facebook-and social media as a whole, is not the place to sell stuff! People are here to hang out, talk and have fun, not buy stuff. If they do then they’d be in Google searching for online stores they can do business with. So yeah, stop posting sales-related content.

If you keep on posting stuff about sales, like your products, services and promos, your fans will not only avoid looking at your page-they may even click on your posts and report them as spam.

2. All you do is random posting.

You know how much we all hate tactless people? Those who keep on talking about things nobody really understands, or cares about? Well, apply that same reasoning on your Facebook campaign and see how your fans react to your posts. If you happen to be posting just about anything to keep your page updated, then stop doing that right now.

Your fans became your fans because they found your brand interesting at first glance. But if you happen to fail them when it comes to content, then they won’t find the reason to stay on your page. You see, fans are looking for posts that they could relate to, that they can feel and understand. And you should give them in order for them to stay.

3. You’re being narcissistic.

There are brands that keep posting content that only talks about themselves-from updates to photos to videos and links. If you happen to be doing the same thing, then guess what: the world isn’t all about you.

Even if you’re an already established brand, you must understand that that you’re still part of an industry, and your audience looks at that industry as a whole, not just you. It might just much better if you start talking about other things related to your brand and business, about topics which your fans would want to know more about.

Think of it this way-only diehard supporters would care about your brand as is. Most of your audience care only about what you have to give. So why not invest on that and include topics which they can talk about and find interest in? That way you can strike conversations, foster engagement, and build more fans in the long run.

4. You’re not giving them some lovin’.

If you want to feel loved, then you have to show your fans some love first. Give them rewards, host games, contests and other interactive events that would entice them to join. When they see that you actually value their presence, they won’t hesitate to get active and even bring in their friends to give you more support.

5. Stop the boring posting.

Are your fans like James Franco?

Finally, your Facebook page may be meaty and informative and all that, but if your posts are mostly boring, your fans-and your prospective audience, will just ignore what you’re saying. So better ditch those lectures and loosen up-get down and go casual. Post content that can brighten up their mood, or photos that can make them smile. These simple things can bring spectacular improvements to your page, and it’s all because fans will start paying attention when they see your page coming to life.