Creating a Facebook page for your business is easier than you might think. And it can be a very effective way to improve your business social media marketing.
If you have a personal Facebook page already, a business page is fairly simple to make – and it’s free. If you don’t have a personal Facebook page, set this up. You need to have a Facebook account to set up your Business page.
Tip: Do not use your personal Facebook page for your business page. This looks unprofessional, and your personal Facebook page does not have the same features as a business page.
13 Really Easy Steps to Make your Facebook Page:
1. Sign in to your Facebook account and go to “ Create a Page”
Choose from one of the following six classifications:
- Local business or place
- Company, organization, or institution
- Brand or product
- Artist, band, or public figure
- Entertainment
- Cause or community
2. Choose your category from the drop box menu.
3. Type in your business name, agree to the Facebook Page Terms, and click “get started”.
You will then be asked to upload your Profile photo, About and Facebook address.
Tip: If you have your Profile photo ready, and have an About section prepared, and want to claim your Facebook URL address right away fill these in now. If you do not, you can skip this, and complete this later in the process.
4. Upload your Profile Picture
Your profile picture has dimensions of 180 pixels x 180 pixels. It is also what will show up in your fans’ newsfeed. Preferably, make your profile photo your logo.
5. Complete your About section.
Your ‘About’ information is 1-3 short sentences to describe your company. Be succinct. You are selling the benefits of your company. This will show up on your Facebook homepage. Also, include a link to your company website. You can change your ‘About’ section at any time.
6. Claim a Facebook Web Address.
Try to get your business name as your Facebook web address. If this is already in use (as many Facebook URL’s are), try to make a similar URL, or a URL which is easy to remember with your brand.
Tip: You will use this web address in your other marketing efforts, so be smart when you are choosing your URL. You cannot change this once you have set it up.
Voila! you have made your Facebook business page! Yes, it is actually that easy!
Facebook will then take you through the next basic steps:
7. “Like” your Page. (that was easy, right?!)
8. Invite Email Contacts.
Skip this step. You will want to invite your contacts to Like your Page, but make a more personal email for this, and distribute through your regular email channels. (Facebook tends to hound your friends and contacts, and you do not want this for your business)
9. Share something.
You can write your first business post! Or skip this until you have a few more steps completed. It’s up to you!
10. Take a look at your Admin Panel.
Your admin panel is the main source for managing your business page. It has your drop box to edit your page, your notifications, and in the future, your analytics, and many other features to monitor and optimize your page.
11. Upload a Cover Photo.
Your cover photo is what viewers will first see when they click on your business page. Include your logo, something related to your brand, and something visually appealing. You can get very creative with your cover photo. Check out sites like awwards.com to see some award winning Facebook cover photos, and get ideas for your own site.
The current dimension for a cover photo is 851 pixels wide x 315 pixels tall.
12. Build Your Audience.
Now that your page is set-up, you will need to promote it. Here are a few basic ways to start building your Facebook following:
To start:
- Email your customers
- Tell your (personal) Facebook friends
Once you have a small following and are creating great content:
- Put a link to your Facebook Page from your website
- Place Facebook ads
Once you have started to develop fans of your Page:
- Create social contests to spread your Page’s reach
13. Monitor Your Page.
Keep checking your page. Respond to comments on your page.
Keep track of your analytics to measure your reach. You can change your content strategy, or try new types of posts. Photos have a great impact on Facebook. (check out our infographic)
Your Facebook business page is different than your personal Facebook page.
Here are a few business page Features:
Tabs
Your Facebook business page has options for adding tabs. You can, for example, add a:
- photo album
- twitter feed
- newsletter sign-up
- videos
- locations
- pinterest tab
- etc.
Timeline:
Facebook’s Timeline (as is it as of this writing!) allows you to start your business in any year. Create your page starting when you started your business, if this helps your brand. You can add photos and milestones from your business history.
Scheduling posts:
You can schedule your Facebook posts in advance, or even backdate a post.
When your Facebook business page is up and running, get more “likes” by using Wishpond social promotions. Our apps are easy to use. They work on Facebook, Twitter, your website and mobile. Check out our Social Marketing Suite to get started!
Written by Krista Bunskoek, Content Marketer @ Wishpond
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