How to Create an Effective Facebook Business Page

How to Create a Facebook Business Account

Sprout Social reports 228.6 million people in the U.S. have a Facebook account.

1. Register for a Facebook Business Page

Your business page will be linked to your personal Facebook profile, so create your own profile if you don’t have one yet.

Have the following details ready before you proceed:

• Your business name for Facebook: Be sure the business name matches your real-world listing to avoid confusion.
• Your company’s description: What do you do?
• Photos for your page cover and profile: Upload professional photos to give your page a polished look. Profile photos are square and will be displayed at 170×170 pixels on computer screens. Cover photos are shown at 820×312 pixels on a computer screen. Facebook has an image guide for business pages.
• Determine a call to action: Business pages have a call-to-action button that can get users to visit a website, send you a message, book a service or set up an order. Think about what you want customers to do when they reach your page.
• Add the page username: Think of a username that’s easy to remember. Also, check Facebook to make sure it’s available.

Select ‘Create a Page’ From the Menu

Go to Facebook Business and select “Create a Page” from the drop-down menu.

Alternatively, you can access your personal account and create a page from there.

Choose a Page Category

You’ll choose from the following 2 options: 

1. Create a page for your business or brand 
2. Build one for a community or public figure

If you’re building a Facebook business page for your small company, select “Business or Brand” and click “Get Started” to continue.

2. Enter Your Business Information

Here you’ll provide your Facebook business page name. You can use the name of your business to fill out this field.

For the “Category” field, enter a keyword that closely fits the nature of your business. (Facebook will do its best to provide relevant suggestions.) Then, select the most appropriate option from the list.

Once both fields have been completed, provide an address and a telephone number (optional).

3. Upload Your Profile Picture and Cover Photo

Every company utilizes this section a bit differently. It’s up to you how you want to represent your brand.

Nike Basketball simply uses the shoemaker’s logo as a profile picture and a photo of a shoe as its cover picture.

You can use photos of your storefront or your customers with your product.

(If you don’t have an image readily available, you can skip this step for now.)

After you’re done with this section, your Facebook business page will go live.

4. Include Additional Business Details

Create a custom username, which will be used for your Facebook URL.

Next,  go to your Facebook business page settings. Under “Page Info,” you will be able to add a page description, contact information, company address and your business hours.

You can edit your details by clicking “About,” which is located on the sidebar.

A new feature called “Story” gives you another section of your Facebook business profile that you can use to share with the world how your business got started.

You can add another image in “Story” to promote your business.

You also can use “Milestones” to mark important events in your company history. To access this tool, go to “More” then “Create Milestone.”

5. Add a Button to Your Page

It’s time to add your call-to-action button.

Click “Add a Button,” which can be found right under your cover photo.

You’ll be provided a few options to start. Choose what applies to your business.

Click “Next” when you’re done.

On the next screen, provide the information that corresponds with your Facebook business profile’s button. For example, selecting “Book Now” will prompt your Facebook business page to ask whether appointments are set using Facebook or through a link to your website.

Check out the preview so you’ll have an idea of what the button will look like when it goes live.

6. Update Your Facebook Business Page Settings

Under “Settings,” go to “General.” Here you’ll find options to control your page.

You may want to edit page visibility to limit who can see your page. You can also change who is allowed to publish posts on your wall. Be sure to assign access to yourself and/or your social media manager to post on your business page.

If you are promoting products for a mature audience (such as alcohol or tobacco), it’s a good idea to have age restrictions enabled for the profiles that “like” your Facebook business page.

7. Invite Friends to Like Your Page

Once your Facebook business page is fleshed out, get your friends to “like” it.

You can encourage your personal friends to interact with your page and even get them to try out your product.

Facebook Business Page Tips 

After setting up your Facebook business page, work to engage your audience. 

While you can use posts to make announcements about your business and its staff, also take opportunities to solicit comments and content from your customers. For example, if you operate a fitness center, you can post a question about what other kinds of classes you should offer. If you own a restaurant, you could ask your page followers to share their favorite menu items. You could also ask followers to share pictures of their rescue pets on National Rescue Dog day. Posts like these can help you improve your services or products, but they also build a rapport between you and your customers.

Facebook also lets you go live with video, create an event and post an offer.

Events are a fantastic way of encouraging customers to show up in your store. Not only does it get people talking, but users can also add your event to their calendar and receive notifications just before your event starts.

Offers are ideal for promoting any discounts or deals you’re offering at the moment. You can add photos of your products and set your offer type.

You also can set how much of a discount you’re offering your Facebook followers.

Set how long the promotion will run and indicate where customers can redeem the promotion.