Facebook is among the most used social media websites, averaging a massive 2.9 billion users every month. If only 1% of those are interested in what your business has to offer, you’d gain 290 million potential customers.
This is how important Facebook exposure can be for small and large businesses alike. Also, the fact that people spend an average of 30 minutes a day simply scrolling through their feeds provides a decent window for customer engagement and business exposure.
However, using Facebook for business isn’t easy. There are a few tips and tricks to apply before you can maximize the gains from your Facebook page.
This guide shows you how to create a Facebook Business Page, and how to make it appealing enough for your visitors to stay and interact with it.
Setting the Foundation
Before creating your Facebook Business page, you should familiarize yourself with Facebook’s terms and conditions for business pages.
These conditions show the acceptable uses of the platform and ensure a safe and professional environment for everyone. For convenience, we’ll point out the most important terms and conditions only. You can view the full list here if you’re interested.
Here are the key aspects to consider:
- Content Guidelines: Facebook has strict guidelines regarding the content businesses can post. Promotional content must adhere to certain standards to avoid being overly promotional or spammy. Clickbait tactics and misleading language are also against the rules.
- Page Management: Facebook allows businesses to assign different roles to the page owners, like admin, editor, moderator, advertiser, and analyst. Take some time to understand the differences between those roles to maximize the usage of each.
- Community Standards: Your business page must follow the community standards that outline what’s not allowed on the platform. This includes hate speech, harassment, violence, and graphic content.
- Advertising Policies: All ads run on Facebook must comply with its advertising policies. For example, ads that display before and after results must not use real human models, as it’s considered body shaming.
Once you familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions, the next step is defining the identity of your business. Facebook will ask you to select a brand name, logo, and a description of what your business has to offer.
Take your time to prepare those beforehand, along with plan Bs and Cs because, more often than not, names and logos may already be taken.
Step-by-Step Creation Process
Creating your Facebook Business page involves three primary steps:
Step 1: Finding the Page Creation Tool
Through the Facebook application on your phone, open your personal account and look for the “Pages.” You can do that by clicking on your profile picture at the bottom right side of the screen.
Upon clicking, the app will take you to a page with multiple tabs available. The “Pages” is the last one on the bottom left.
You’ll be presented with a blank page (assuming you have no created pages on your account). Click on “Create” to start the process.
If you’re using your computer browser, this link will take you to the page creation page. All you have to do after is click on “Create a Page.”
Step 2: Choosing Your Business Category
Facebook offers a wide range of categories to help people understand your business. Unlike while using Instagram, which tends to be quite general in its selections, you should be as specific as possible. Here are a few tips to help:
- Start by typing a keyword related to your business. Facebook will then suggest relevant categories based on your input.
- Utilize the “subcategories” to consider all the aspects of your business. For example, if you run a bakery that also offers catering service, choose “Bakery” as your primary category and “Caterer” as a secondary category (if available).
Step 3: Filling Out Your Business Information
Upon choosing your business categories, you should fill out the essential details of your business. These include:
- The Page Name: The name should be the same as (or as closely related as possible) to your official business name for consistency.
- The Business Description: Your business description should be brief but captivating. Aim for one or two sentences at max.
- The Contact Details: Provide accurate and up-to-date information, such as your website address, contact number, WhatsApp number, email address, etc. This provides various means for potential customers to reach out to you.
- Location Hours (Optional): If your business has a physical address that people can visit, you should add the location and the working hours to make it easier for people to find you.
For an in-depth guide on setting up your Facebook page, check out Facebook’s official help page here.
Optimizing Your Page for Maximum Engagement
Creating your profile and filling in all the contact information is only the first step in the process.
It must be supplemented with on-page optimization to help your page reach potential customers. Here are some pointers to get you started:
Creating a Catchy First Impression
The cover photo and profile picture are the first visuals visitors will see. As such, they should be well selected.
Don’t rely on generic pictures that you can find on the internet. Instead, post original, high-quality, and captivating pictures of your business and what it has to offer.
Your cover photo should be a high-resolution image (820 x 312 pixels or higher scale). It should also showcase your brand personality, products, or service without overwhelming the visitor with information. Think of it as a digital billboard for your business.
Your profile picture should receive as much attention, if not more. It should have a clear, recognizable image of your logo or brand icon. It should also be consistent with your logo on other platforms.
Pay Attention to Your “About” Section
There isn’t much you can write on your pictures. That’s what the “About” section is for. It should tell your brand story and connect with your audience on a deeper level. Here are some pointers to help you:
- Keep it concise: You have the freedom to be extremely detailed, but your description won’t be as skimmable as needed. People are more likely to read shorter descriptions (around 2,000 characters).
- Focus on your unique selling points: You must showcase the uniqueness of your brand here. Show the visitor why they should choose you and not someone else with a similar service.
- Be authentic: Don’t be afraid to inject some personality into the description. This lets your audience get a feel for your brand’s style and values.
Provide the Proper Call to Action (CTA)
Once your visitors have learned enough about your business, you should guide them on what to do next. That’s your CTA.
Facebook offers a variety of CTA buttons that allow you to show your visitors the next step. These can include WhatsApp and Messenger texts, or even external URLs (mostly to your website). Here’s how to choose the most effective CTA for your business goals:
- Align your CTA with your goals: Do you want your visitors to learn more about your services, contact you directly, or visit your website?
- Keep it clear and concise: People should understand what happens when they click the button.
- Trial and error: It’s okay to experiment with different CTAs and check how much engagement each provides.
Remember, people want everything as simple as possible. They don’t want to manually search for your service or website. A clickable button in Facebook marketing is a must.
In a Nutshell
Creating a Facebook Business Page can be a gold mine for small businesses if utilized properly. You may branch off into other platforms later on, but you should always inject enough time and resources into your Facebook page.
Creating the page is simple enough to be done from your phone, but you should take your time while describing your business, uploading your photos, and writing your bio. Good first impressions are essential when it comes to marketing.
If you haven’t made a Facebook Business Page yet, this is the right time.
