Everything you read today about marketing businesses online has to do with getting into social media. Facebook is no exception. With the millions of Facebook users today, getting your business page set up on there is practically a no brainer. Facebook is not just for college kids. In fact, the largest demographic on Facebook is aged 35 – 65. Those age groups represent a lot of spending power and millions of chances to get exposure for your business. If you do not have a Facebook business page yet, setting one up is quite easy and you do not need a professional to get it done.
The first step is to click on the “Create a Page” link and the following screen will come up:
If you have a local business, such as a store then choose the Local Business or Place option. If you have a company, organization, or institution that does not have one or any physical locations open to the public, choose the second option. The other options are pretty self-explanatory. When you click on the option that is right for your business, fill in the information in the boxes that appear. Don’t worry, you will be able to edit these later if you need to change something.
The next step is choosing and uploading a profile picture. Unlike your personal page, this image should represent your business or company. It can be your logo and should be simple and easily recognizable. The size is 32 x 32 pixels, so if your image is not square, it is a good idea to edit it so that it fits in the space without being distorted or too small. Remember that your profile picture will also be used next to your posts, so it should represent your business well.
The system will then prompt you to set your custom URL for your new Facebook business page. You will want the custom URL name to be your business name, and if your name is not descriptive, you should add in a descriptive word. For example if your company name is Steve’s Pizza. You would want your Facebook page custom name to be: ‘www.Facebook.com/steves-pizza-restaurant’. You should add the word ‘restaurant’ to be more descriptive. Since there might be quite a few Steve’s Pizzas out there, you might also want to add your city at the end of the custom name as well.
The next prompt the system gives you will be to invite your friends. You can opt to do this now, or actually wait until your page is a little more complete. You will always have the option of inviting your friends to like your business page. There is also a bit of etiquette involved when inviting your personal friends to like your business page. You do not want to do it too often and you should always post a message on your personal wall when you do send out invites letting your friends know that you would appreciate them to like and share their page. It is a good idea to mention that there is no obligation. Taking that opportunity to tell your friends about your business is definitely a smart move. It is very possible that some, if not many of your Facebook friends do not know exactly what you do anyhow. It is a great opportunity to educate your own Facebook community about your business, or work.
Next on your “to do” list,is uploading your cover photo. The cover photo is the large image at the top of the page that should be colorful, eye catching, memorable, and coordinate with the theme of your business model. The size for the cover photo is 851 x 315 pixels. There are some guidelines imposed by Facebook regarding cover photos that you have to abide by. Your Facebook cover photo may not include any of the following:
- Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
- Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
- References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
- Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
Here are some great examples of cover photos:
Dr. Pepper
Yellowstone National Park
Dropbox
McDonald’s
Uber
Notice how these pages also successfully expressed their message with a combination of the cover photo and the profile photo together. The imagery of these brands are often already recognizable; even if your brand or company is not quite there yet, these are good examples for colors and messages that you can follow for your business and will be recognized by your fans and followers soon enough. Once you have chosen the design that best suits your Facebook page, click on “Update Cover Photo” and you will be prompted to upload your image.
The next items to configure on your Facebook business page are the tabs. The tabs show up right under the cover image and which type of tabs you will want to use depend on your business. Tabs can be as simple as including images from your Facebook page; you can also integrate videos into a tab, or feature other social media channels for the company or organization. If you have an application or Facebook contest, those tabs should appear first and be very prominent. Tabs can link to a Facebook commerce section to purchase products, or can link externally to shopping sources to purchase product or tickets. If you have promotional items, those would be a great example of something to feature. Whatever tabs you choose, they should be engaging to entice visitors to click and further explore what you have to offer.
Setting up your Facebook page is just the beginning. Once your page is fully set up, it is time to start posting messages, growing fans and promoting your new Facebook business page across all of your other social media channels, email newsletter, and website. Making the most out of coordinating all of your efforts in social and other advertising methods will result in the best exposure for your business.
