How do I make a custom Facebook tab?

The whole issue of Facebook apps and tabs can be a little confusing if you're not a bonafide web developer, so I wanted to walk everyone through the simple process that I use to make custom Facebook tabs. (It's what my mom would call a "cheater recipe.") The steps are easy to follow and the end result is impressive. Who doesn't love a little project like that? And there's a bonus at the end! Yay!

WHAT IS A FACEBOOK TAB?

Let's start with the basics! Facebook tabs "live" in the left-hand column of business pages and can be found under the header that says APPS, just like sections ABOUT, PHOTOS, REVIEWS, etc. Facebook tabs are quick links to apps (Pinterest, Twitter, etc.) or, as in our case, they can redirect to whatever you want to make easily available to your visitors. You can have up to three items in your APPS section. I'm going to use links to my services, blog, and portfolio as examples.

GET READY WITH WHAT YOU'LL NEED.

Choose the three pages for which you'd like custom tabs. They will all need their own image; I'm going to call them buttons because that's how I think of them. I suggest making the buttons colorful (so that they really pull attention when compared to the dull Facebook page colors) and clearly labeled (so that your visitors know exactly what they're clicking). Each button should be 111 pixels wide by 74 pixels high and as always, I suggest saving images meant for internet usage in PNG format. Here's the button for my portfolio:

Decide what order you want the buttons to appear on your page and complete the following steps for each custom tab, realizing that the one you do first will be the bottom tab and the one you do last will be the top tab. Alright, let's do this!

FIND WOOBOX CUSTOM TAB AND CONFIGURE IT.

This is where the magic begins. I cannot sing enough praises for Woobox! Search Facebook for "Woobox Custom Tab" and it should be the first result.

1. Hit Install Page Tab.

2. Select the business page that you're customizing.

3. Hit Add Page Tab.

4. Confirm the Configure Page Tab that pops up next.

SET UP YOUR CUSTOM TAB.

You were automatically directed to a blank custom tab page that says Edit Tab Content at the top.

1. Select Redirect where it appears to the right of Page Source.

2. Copy/paste the URL that you are making a custom tab for into the box under Page Source.

3. Confirm by pressing the green Save Settings button at the bottom.

Now you need to look in the column on the left-hand side of your screen and find the heading that says Manage.

1. Select the subcategory Tab Settings.

2. Upload the button you made by hitting Change under Tab Image.

3. Enter what you want to appear next to your button in the Tab Name section.

4. Hit the green Save Settings button again.

Here's what it will look like on your business page. On the left is what the finished product looks like and on the right is what it looks like when you're configuring the custom tab.

ADD MORE TABS.

Find the Manage heading in the left-hand column again, but this time, go all the way down and select Add Another HTML Fangate. Follow the same process you did above and it will add another tab. Remember, you can have up to three custom tabs. Keep in mind that the order you add custom tabs is the order that they will appear on your page (first added = top tab). Any time that you want to go to Woobox, just go to admin.woobox.com and log back in.

...AND NOW THE AWESOME BONUS!

Woobox offers super easy to set up Facebook apps like Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. If one or more of those is essential to your social media strategy, feel free to substitute it for a custom tab. You can also have coupons, sweepstakes, polls, deals, brackets, leaderboards, and more. They'll be available to your visitors just like a regular custom tab. Access your options by selecting Promotions (next to the star) in the header navigation. Go back to Static Tabs (next to the Facebook "f") whenever you want to access your custom tabs.

+ PRO-TIP:

You can always follow Pickles & Oliver on Pinterest for up-to-date tips for social media, blogging, design, branding, and small business success. I hunt down all the best advice from the pros and curate it for you in one place.

#socialmedia #howto