A Facebook Business Page provides businesses with a free opportunity to increase brand awareness and generate sales. In addition to no cost, a Facebook Business Page is very easy to set up. If your business is up and running, you likely already have access to all the photos, text and ideas you need to build your business page.
Additional benefits of starting a Facebook Business Page include:
- Reach billions of potential customers, include all of those who live near your business
- Build a large email list
- Target audiences by location, demographics, interests
- Gain insights on your audience
- Build brand loyalty
- Increase your website traffic
Follow these steps to set up your own Facebook Business Page:
Step 1: Sign up
- It is important to note that you will need a personal Facebook profile in order to create a business page. The first step is to log into your personal Facebook profile.
- Go to Create a Page
- You will be presented with the option to create either a business/brand page or a community/public figure page. Click the Get Started button for the business/brand page option. If you have a physical location you would like people to visit, choose Local Business. This enables you to include an address, directions, hours and more.
- Next, enter your page name. This should be your business name, or an alias people are likely to search for when trying to find your business, like the URL for your business page if it is different from your business name.
- To establish a business category for your page, type in one or two words that describe your business and Facebook will suggest some options. If your business falls into more than one of the available options, select the one that will most likely come to the minds of people who are thinking about your business (appliance, furniture, real estate, etc.)
- Once your category is chosen, you will have the option to include more business details, like your address and phone number. You can choose whether to make all this information public or to show only your city and state.
- Read through Facebook’s ages, Groups and Events Policies. Then click Continue to proceed.
Step 2. Add Pictures
You will now upload the profile and cover images for your Facebook page. This step is important because you want to create a good first impression. Make sure the photos you choose are easily identifiable with your business and are relevant to your brand.
- You will upload your profile image first. Your profile image will show up next to your business name in the search results and any time you interact with users. It will also appear on the top left corner of your page. Using your logo is probably the safest way to go. Your main goal here is to help potential and current customers recognize your page immediately. Once you have selected a great photo, click Upload Profile Picture.
- Now it is time to choose your cover image. Your cover image is the largest and most prominent image on your Facebook business page. It should capture and convey the essence of your brand personality.
- Technically, your Facebook Business Page is created at this point, though it is merely a skeleton. Your page is not yet visible to the public as you still have much work to do before you share it with your audience.
Step 3: Create your username
Your username, also called your vanity URL, is another way that people will be able to find you on Facebook other than using the search bar. Your username can be up to 50 characters long. However, it is best to keep it easy to type and easy to remember. Your brand name or an obvious variation will make for a great username.
- Click Create Page @Username in the left menu to set up your vanity URL.
- Click Create Username when you are done.
Step 4: Add your business details
It is important to fill out all of the fields in your Facebook Page’s About section right from the start instead of putting it off until later.
- To start filling out your business details, click Edit Page Info in the top menu. It will direct you to a screen where you can fill out the following information:
Description- This is a short description that appears in search results. It should be just a couple of sentences (maximum 255 characters).
Categories- Here you will find the category you entered in Step 1. During this step you can now add additional categories that will ensure Facebook shows your page to all the right people.
Contact- Add the contact information you want to make public such as your phone number, website, and email.
Location- If your business has a physical location, make sure your location is marked correctly on the map.
Hours- Enter the hours that your business is open to the public here.
- Click Save Changes under each section to implement your changes as you go.
Step 5. Tell your story
Now that you have filled out all the simple details about your business, you still have to tell people why they should engage with your business on Facebook. Luckily, Facebook has a section where you can add a longer description of your business.
- Click see more in the left menu, then click About, and then click Our Story on the right-hand side.
- Here, you can add a detailed description of your business offerings and why customers should Like or Follow your Page.
- Enter a headline for your story, upload a relevant photo, then click Publish when you are finished.
Step 6: Publish your page and invite an audience
- Once you are comfortable with all of your page settings and information, it is time to click the green Publish Page button in the left-hand menu.
- Your page is now live and visible to the world.
- Begin creating an audience by inviting your existing Facebook friends to like your page. Also consider promoting it on your other channels such as your website and Twitter. Place “follow us” logos on your promotional materials and ask your customers to review you on your Facebook business page as well.
Now that you have set up your Facebook business page, you will have to figure out the best ways to optimize it for the best performance. Consider the following strategies to drive engagement and meet your marketing goals:
- Add a call to action button
- Add a pinned post that highlights you most popular service
- Like other pages
- Review your settings regularly
- View Page Insights regularly
- Link to your Facebook Page from other web pages
A Facebook business page is no longer an optional, “nice to have” channel. It is a necessity for businesses to develop and maximize the effectiveness of their inbound marketing strategies.