Here’s the big question everyone is asking: Should I create a Facebook Profile, Facebook Page, or Facebook Group? The short answer is that a business must have a Facebook page. Facebook Groups are for people with similar interests and supporters of a particular cause or event and Facebook Profiles are for your personal profile only. Everyone (business owner or not) needs to sign up for a Facebook profile to get started.
What is the difference? Facebook Pages are for businesses the same way Facebook Profiles are for individuals. Facebook groups joined by people who share the same interests or support the same cause. Pages are like a one page mini website for your business. The pages are well organized and get straight to the point for local businesses, services, and even musicians and bands. Pages allow you to reach a target audience in an organized, fast and efficient manner.
Have you ever visited a company’s Facebook page and noticed that it has thousands of likes, but the page itself has little or no content? This is a social media phenomenon in that the follower of said Facebook page does not necessarily like the business or product, but by clicking the “Like” button, the product or business is exposed to all Facebook friends of that person and thus further defines the interests and likes of that person.
So let’s get down to business, how do you use a Facebook page to promote a business? Just follow these simple steps.
- Setting up your page: Log in to Facebook. Click on “Ads and Pages”. Click on the “Pages” link with a small flag icon next to it. Select the type of business from the dropdown list and enter a name. Click the “Create Page” button.
- Customize your new Facebook page for your business (Hours, Directions, Parking, Description, Website, Phone).
- Connect your Facebook page to a Twitter account.
- Suggest your new page to your friends. Groups of friends, colleagues and family.
- Run a Facebook ad campaign to promote your page. Pay per click, target market, demographics, etc.
- Create your first wall post.
- Add a Like box to your website.
- Use Facebook Insights and Analytics to measure data and user interaction.
Now that we’ve covered how to set up your page, how do you use it to promote your business? There are a couple of articles that I recommend.
First, make sure there is a visible hyperlink to your business website located somewhere highly visible on your page. Do not name your page:
“yourbusiness.com”, as we are not setting up a page for your website, but for your business. An appropriate page name would be “My Name Business, Inc.” or “Widgets, LLC”, etc.
Second, make sure you clearly post your business type in the dropdown menus at the top of the “Information” page. This will help clearly define the style template that Facebook Pages will apply to your page.
Third, post your hours of operation. Be sure to mark which days it’s open and which days it’s closed.
Fourth, post your local phone number(s). Fifth, write a complete description of your business. Feel free to include a description of the most popular products and services you offer as well.
Fifth, start engaging with your Facebook page. Create a few wall posts and make sure you have a handful of photos uploaded, especially a profile picture. I recommend using your company logo to keep it professional. Do not use your personal photos on your Facebook page.
And finally, make sure to invite all your Facebook friends! This is important. If you don’t send invitations, no one will be able to find your newly created Facebook page. Going beyond this step, you can hyperlink to your Facebook page on your business website and also add a “Like” box. Facebook offers about a dozen different ways to integrate with your website. Good luck out there.