FACEBOOK WELCOME PAGE
The Internet is fast. Webpages, technology, and programming languages move at the speed of light (MySpace, who?). You only have a precious few seconds and 2-3 clicks to capture a visitors interest before they're lost again to the open seas of the Web. If you're on Facebook, it's even worse. The Internet within an Internet is a solid route for business to build their own followings and audiences but getting there is not an overnight process.
In order to have heavily commented updates about what you did over the weekend, you're going to need a lot of likes. If you deal with or sell to the public, gathering an audience shouldn't be a problem as long as you can capture their interest. Enter the Welcome Page.
By default the Welcome Page is a static FBML Facebook add-on app that allows you to show HTML, CSS and Java right off the bat and can determine if the visitor is already a fan or not. In English, this means you can show a different part of your Facebook page to visitors who haven't already "liked" you. Assuming you have a targeted marketing plan and focus in place, you can create a page that entices "likes" and can help you get fans right off the bat - without them having to look through your wall or info. This is a good thing as most web users will leave a site if they cannot find anything of interest in a max or 2-3 clicks.
Background plate (L) and final with embedded showreel video (R)
The purpose of a Facebook Welcome Page differs per company, of course, but the key is always the same - design. As the first thing that a user sees, the Welcome Page should be eye-catching and easy to understand. There is only one purpose here - to get people to click "Like". There's no need here for sign-ups, giveaways, menus, boxes, or anything that detracts from getting a "Like". That's what the Wall is for.
In our case, we are most often visited by people interested in our work, services, or who have heard of us by reputation. We wanted our Facebook Welcome Page to quickly get across our design and video capabilities and, most importantly, give a striking "Like Us" feel. We ended up with a modern, simply laid-out page that displays our current demo reel film and asks for a "like" at the top, near the Like button.
