Facebook is an extremely valuable tool that many business owners have yet to take advantage of fully. Hundreds of millions of people from around the world have registered accounts and use the social media website frequently. By creating a Facebook page for your business, you will be able to create special promotions, communicate directly with customers, and further expand your brand. Best of all, creating a Facebook business page is completely free and very simple. By following these steps, you will likely be able to have a functional business page on Facebook in less than an hour of time.
Start by creating a Facebook account and visiting the Facebook for Business home page at https://www.facebook.com/business/. Click on the “start here” button and then on the “create a page” button on the following page. You will be then be presented with a list of different business categories. Select the one that you feel best identifies your business. It is important that you choose the right category, otherwise you may loose some exposure if Facebook users are browsing only a specific business category.
Next, find an image that you feel best represents your company. This can be your company logo, or simply a photo that you expresses your business best. It is important to select an appealing image, as this will often be the first thing that Facebook users see when coming across your page. After you have made your decision simply follow the upload process and the image will be added to your page. Don’t stress too much when deciding on your image, as you are always able to modify it at a later time if you decide that you would like a change.
Facebook will then ask you to briefly describe what your main business purpose. You will want to make it very clear what your company does to people who visit your page, so keep it simple and direct to the point. For example, if you are a used car dealer specify that you only sell used cars, so people looking to purchase a new car exclusively will know that you will not be able to help them meet their needs.
You will then be presented with the option to set your unique Facebook URL. This is what people will type into their browser in order to visit your fan page. For example, if you select “Bob’s Cars,” you could choose the URL www.facebook.com/BobsCars. However, you will not be able to select a URL that has already been taken by another business. A lot of businesses are already on Facebook, so you may have to get creative when choosing a URL. However, remember to make it something that visitors will not have a hard time remembering.
Finally, you will be asked to upload another image that will serve as your pages background header. Again, you should make sure that it is something that is very eye-catching, as it will be a major focal point on your page. Like the logo you uploaded earlier, you will be free to change this image whenever you want. This is useful if you want to promote a special sale or showcase a new feature of your business.
Your page will then go live and visitors will be able to see it and interact with you right away. Post a couple of status updates welcoming people to your new page and then begin promoting your page. There are several ways to get people engaged on your page. Online methods include messaging your friends, family, and associates on Facebook and encouraging them to “like” your page. When they “like” your page, their profile will be updated and all of their Facebook friends will see your business and have the opportunity to “like” it themselves. This creates a viral campaign that you can use to get more business for no costs. Additionally, you can use offline methods like handing out flyers at your business and offering your customers some kind of incentive to “like” your Facebook page. The better the incentive, the more likely your customers will share your page with their friends. Enjoy your new page and be sure to watch for customer questions and other comments.