Article provided by Jennifer Corcoran, CEO & Founder, My Super Connector
If you run a business, setting up a Facebook page makes good sense.
There are a huge number of reasons to set one up, but my favourite is this: the minute you set up a Facebook page, you have a fully functioning mobile-friendly website. For free.
It’s a unique opportunity to connect with potential customers without having to go through the effort and expense of setting up and maintaining a mobile website. An excellent complement to a website, and a workable alternative for busy business owners who don’t have the time or resources to build their own site, Facebook business pages are a quick, easy and very low-cost way of reaching your customer base.
Ready to set up your Facebook business page? Here’s what you need to do:
- Chances are, you already have a Facebook profile. If not, you’ll need to set up a personal Facebook profile, as you can only create a Facebook business page if you have one.
- Create your page. Go to the small downwards-pointing arrow in the menu at the top of your home page. Click on that, and partway down the list of options is “create a page”. Click, choose the “business or brand option” and complete the basic information when prompted.
- You will become the page administrator (normally referred to as “admin”). You can add other admins to the page, which is handy if you work in a team and will be sharing the upkeep of your page.
- Add a profile picture. It’s best to use your logo as your profile picture. This helps create brand recognition and reinforces activity you’ve done elsewhere.
- Add a cover photo. Use your cover photo to tell your potential customers more about your business. What would work best? An image or video of your business? Product shots or a snippet from a current marketing campaign? These would all work really well as your cover photo.
- Complete the “About” section to tell people a little about your business. Tip! It’s very easy to get carried away and focus on what you do, but you’ll get better results if you use this section to tell potential customers how your business can help them. For example, instead of “We make beautiful award-winning, celebration cakes”, write “Impress your guests with our beautiful cakes”.
- Add your website, address, phone number and hours of operation. This gives your customers all the basic information they need without needing to leave your business page.
- Add a short description of your business and include your menu, if applicable.
- Create a username relevant to your business name. This will appear at the end of your page URL.
- Examine the options, and if appropriate, apply a template to your page. You don’t have to use one, but they’re there to make your Facebook page work harder for you. If you sell goods, a “shopping” template makes sense, but if you own a restaurant it would be more appropriate for people to see your menu, phone number, location and booking details, so you should select a “restaurant and café” template.
- Activate the “reviews” tab to let people give you feedback and help other potential customers know if you’re right for them. You don’t have to do this, but the extra transparency appeals to potential customers. It also lets happy customers reward you for your excellent service with positive reviews.
- As soon as you’ve finished your page you’re ready to publish it. You don’t need to complete it in one go and can keep it unpublished until you’ve finished, so no-one stumbles across your unfinished page. Remember you can amend your page at any point. Keeping it up to date and relevant is vital for a successful Facebook page.
And that’s all there is to it!
Your Facebook business page can become a real asset in your sales and marketing plan, so put the time into setting it up well and you’ll soon be reaping the rewards.
Good luck x
Now your Facebook business page is live, you’re ready to start using it. Head over to the next post to learn how to make your Facebook business page work harder for you.
About the author
Jennifer Corcoran is the CEO and Founder of My Super Connector which is a social media consultancy. A former WATC Rising Star, Jennifer now helps professionals and entrepreneurs to polish up their online profiles and connect with finesse. She is currently one of 24 accredited She Means Business Trainers in the UK in association with Facebook and Enterprise Nation.