How To Create A Facebook Page For Your Small Business

Facebook is one of the most powerful social media tools ever created.  It works well with branding, storytelling, and customer relations. If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to use Facebook as part of your marketing strategy, don’t miss the important marketing opportunity Facebook offers.  Here’s how to create your business page.

Visit Facebook’s Create A Page site at https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

Choose your business category

 

There are specific benefits to each category. When other Facebook users are searching for a particular type of business, your business will be included in the search results for the category you select. Within each of the six primary categories, there are other categories to choose from, to narrow your market niche even further.  Before making your selection, spend some time looking through Facebook to see what other businesses in your industry have chosen.

 

 If you own a local storefront, choose the local business category and take advantage of Facebook’s geo-tagging and check-in functionality.  After you make your selection, enter your business information. The more information you include, the greater your rankings in Facebook search results, and the easier it will be for your potential customers to find you.

Complete your About Section.

When entering your business information, include keywords in your business description. Write a clear and concise two sentence description of your business. Include your company website, as this information appears directly under your profile picture.

Choose a unique Facebook address to make it easy for people to find your Facebook page. Choose something that describes your business, or ties to your business name. Try to keep it short. The longer the name, the more likely errors will be made when others are trying to type it in the search field. Take your time deciding on a name, because you may only change your customized name one time.

 

Choose your Profile Picture.

Your profile picture is your business identifyer. This photo will appear as your icon every time you interact on Facebook, whether commenting, liking, or sharing information. Ideally, it should be your company logo. Choose an image that is 180X180 pixels in size.

Update your Company Background.

Navigate to the Admin Panel to complete your company profile. Click on the tab ‘Edit Info’ and then ‘Update Page Info’. This section allows for a broader description about your business. Include information about your business, the team, and the products and services you sell. Include relevant links to your website that support the content.

Complete your Branding.

The coveted spot of a Facebook page is the Cover Photo. Use this space to create a theme for your business. Free platforms like Picmonkey offer tools to enhance creativity.  Use it to create customized cover photos depicting strategic messages, taglines, and images.

Directly below the cover photo are four information tabs. You can change the cover image of every tab, with the exception of the Photos tab and the Video tab.  Tabs can be customized using various Facebook Apps or third-party Apps. Tailor the tabs to promote important areas of your business, such as your sales and landing pages, subscription options, and other important information. Use these four visible tabs strategically. Facebook allows you to add as many tabs as you would like, but only four appear on the screen.

Populate your Content.

Before growing your audience and inviting fans to like your page, grab your marketing plan and begin adding quality content to your page. Think strategically about the image you want to portray and about your target audience. Facebook is a personal website. Most Facebook users are on their downtime when using the site, so be mindful of this as you develop content.  Use your business page to create awareness, build relationships, and drive your audience to your website using valuable content. Keep self-promotion and sales pitches to a minimum.

Now you’re ready to build a Facebook content plan to support your Marketing strategy.