I must say that I’m continually surprised when someone recommends a Facebook Fan page that still uses the long, cumbersome URL initially assigned by Facebook.

I guess I shouldn’t be. Surprised, that is. It’s super easy to set up a Facebook page and we’re all surrounded by the voices screaming that we should all be on Facebook… but for some, taking that next step to actually use the page to your advantage, can seem like leaping the grand canyon.

Yes, developing a sound Facebook engagement strategy requires some thought about your audience, your call to action, and some realistic soul searching about your ability to follow through consistently.

However, there are some really basic things you simply must do, and they’re simple.

1. Make your Facebook Page name easy to remember, not too long, and different from your actual real name. 

There was a trend for awhile to create Facebook page names that included complex messaging, such as “Sugar, the real alternative to artificial sweeteners” or something like that. Yes, branding and messaging is important, but to me, this goes a bit too far in a medium that’s all about authenticity and engagement.

Short, sweet and to the point is best. But if your’e a singer songwriter who’s name is Sally Songster, you should differentiate between your personal profile which is undoubtedly called Sally Songster, and your music/fan page which you could call something like Sally Songster Music. More about that in my previous post 5 Things You Are Doing Wrong on Facebook.

2. Get your required 25 LIKEs quickly so you can e Establish a meaningful Facebook URL instead of the cumbersome placeholder URL that Facebook assigns to you. I’ve seen pages with more than 100 LIKEs that haven’t done this yet. It’s really easy… no excuses for putting it off. 

March 20, 2012 update:  Facebook seems to have lifted the 25 LIKE requirement, you can now claim your URL right away

When you’re logged in to Facebook, just go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ and you should see your page name displayed – or a drop down menu if you manage more than one page. Select the page, enter your desired username (no spaces or odd characters) and click Check Availability. You’ll get a warning page to make sure you know that…

• You can’t change the username once you set it.
• You can’t transfer the ownership of a username to another party.
• You can’t violate anyone elses trademark rights.
• If you are acquiring a username to sell it in the future (squatting), you will lose it.
• Usernames may be reclaimed for other unauthorized usages.

Assuming your’e not squatting or infringing, go ahead and click CONFIRM and you’re done.

3. Set your privacy and post settings to allow who can post what type of content, prohibit profanity and assign your default landing tab.

March 20, 2012 update: With Timeline for Pages now implemented, default landing tabs are a thing of the past… so disregard the information on that here… but DO continue on to the part about blocking profanity.

Click Edit Page, in the upper right hand corner of your Fan Page. On the menu on the left, click Manage Permissions.

Assuming your goal is encourage conversation, in the second section leave the “Wall Tab Shows” set to All Posts. If you’re just starting your page then leave your default landing page set to “Wall.”If you have an app installed such as Root Music or ReverbNation for musicians, set that as the default landing page… this means new visitors to your page will see this tab first. Once a fan LIKEs your page, they will always land on the wall, no way around it.

Check all the boxes under Posting ability – again, assuming you are going for engagement. You WANT fans to be able to post photos and videos to your wall, and to tag people in the photos you post.

Lastly, use the drop down menu under Profanity Blocklist to select “Strong.” Unless you like, want or don’t care either way about profanity on your wall. There are other settings to chose from.

These are the basics. I’m assuming you’ve already picked a profile photo… if not, use one that is 180X500 pixels, to maximize the space you have. And don’t be afraid to use Photoshop to add your name, or messaging to the photo. This is prime real estate you can take advantage of.

The disclaimer here is that very soon, Facebook will roll out Timeline to pages as well as profiles, so the whole graphics issue will change, giving you a ton more messaging real estate. But use it wisely. No one is going to want to hang out under your cluttered billboard. That’s why they left MySpace.