Your Essential Facebook Business Page Guide

If you’re ready to start a Facebook Page for your business, or you are wondering what you can do to improve your Facebook Page marketing strategy for your business, then this post is for you. We’re covering the basics of Facebook Page marketing, from creating your Page from scratch to using it to reach your target customers.

Create Your Facebook Page From Scratch

If you already have a Facebook Page, you can skip to the next section for ways to edit it. For those who are just getting started with Facebook Pages, here’s what you need to do.

First, you will need a personal profile—you can’t create a Facebook Page without one. Your personal profile will not be publicly shown on your Page unless you choose to link yourself as a featured Page owner (we’ll talk about this later).

Once you have created a personal profile, you will want to visit Create a Page. Here, you will choose the main category for your Page.

Each category has a long list of subcategories to choose from. Some also have specific features. For example, if you want your business to collect Facebook reviews from customers, you will want to choose the Local Business or Place category. If you want check-ins but no reviews, you will want to choose the Company, Organization or Institution category.

Once you’ve selected your Page’s category and filled out any additional details required, you will be taken through the wizard to create your Page. This will prompt you to enter a description of your business, your business website, your custom URL, and a profile photo. You will also have the opportunity to add your Facebook Page to your list of favorites (shown in the left sidebar menu when viewing your Facebook News Feed) and choose your preferred Facebook Page audience.

You can choose to configure these options in the wizard or skip them and return later. Depending on what you choose to fill out with the wizard, your Page will look like this once you are finished.

From here, you will want to do a few things if you haven’t already.

1. Add Your Profile and Cover Photos

Refer to this handy guide for the latest recommended image sizes for each.

2. Create a Call-to-Action

Use the Create Call-to-Action button to link Page visitors to your your website or specific pages on your website with

• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Use App
• Play Game
• Shop Now
• Sign Up
• Watch Video

3. Edit Your About Information

Hover over the About box in the left sidebar to edit your information if needed. In particular, you will want to add a Short Description and Website link to this area, if you didn’t do it in the wizard.

While you are editing your About section, you can also add in additional details based on the Page category and subcategory that you chose.

4. Edit Your Page Settings

Go to your Page Settings, linked at the top right of your Page.

Review the settings to ensure that they are correct for your business. If you are not sure what a particular setting does, click on it and then click on the question mark next to the field to get more information.

In particular, you will want to make sure that your Page Visibility is set to Page Published before you promote it. You will also want to go choose whether you want people to send you private messages through your Page in the Messages section. This is recommended as it may prevent people from making public complaints on your Facebook Page.

If there are other Facebook Pages that you would like linked to your new Facebook Page, go to the Featured section to add them. This is also where you can link to your personal profile as a featured Page owner if you wish to do so.

5. Add Photos to Your Page

This will add more visual content for your visitors to enjoy, and can be done using the box in the left sidebar.

6. Post Starter Updates to Your Timeline

Think of these as introductory posts that visitors to your Page can use to decide whether they’ll Like your Page. You can even backdate your updates to make it seem like the Page has been active for longer than it has been.

From this point, you will want to have a consistent Facebook publishing schedule in place so you keep your Page up to date. This is crucial in the growth of your Facebook audience as visitors to your Page will not be interested in following a Page that hasn’t updated in a long time. Not updating your Page may even make potential customers think your business isn’t active, which would be even worse.

7. Add a Featured Video

This will appear at the top of your About box in the left sidebar. To do this, start by going to the Videos tab.

There, you will see the option to add videos to your Page.

Once you’ve uploaded a video to your Page, you will see the option to select a featured video from your uploads.

Once chosen, you will be able to see it in your Page’s left sidebar attached to the About box.

Edit Your Current Facebook Page

If you already have a Facebook Page for your business, you can update the following areas from top to bottom to ensure you are putting your best face forward.

1. Update Your Profile and Cover Photos

Hover over the camera icon on your current profile and cover photo images to add new ones that match your current branding and promotions. Refer to this handy guide for the latest recommended image sizes for each.

2. Add or Edit Your Call-to-Action.

Click on the Create Call-to-Action button (as shown above) to add a call-to-action to your Page. This will allow you to link a URL from your website to specific calls to action like

• Book Now
• Contact Us
• Use App
• Play Game
• Shop Now
• Sign Up
• Watch Video

3. Enable Private Messages

Don’t see the Message button your Facebook Page as shown above and want to enable private messages from Facebook users? Go to your Page’s Settings menu.

Find the Messages settings to turn this option on.

Also review other settings for your Page to ensure they are configured as you would like.

4. Update Your About information.

Hover over each area of information to see the Edit link. Add to and update your Page category, subcategory and other information accordingly. Remember that the Short Description and Website fields will show up at the top of your Page in the left sidebar, so make sure they properly introduce Page visitors to your business.

5. Manage Your Sections

In the left sidebar of your Facebook Page, you can hover over any of the boxes to reveal an edit pencil icon to find the option to Manage Sections.

This option will allow you to rearrange the boxes in the left sidebar to ensure that your best content is featured first.

6. Add or Change Your Featured Video

To do this, go to the Videos tab from your Page’s menu.

Select from videos you have already uploaded to Facebook or upload a new video to use as your featured video.

This video will appear near the top of your left sidebar, above the About box.

To change or remove your featured video, click on the edit pencil icon at the top right.

Plan Your Facebook Page Content

Once your Page is established or up-to-date, your next job is to plan your Facebook Page content. You want to strike a good balance between posting content that your target audience (customers) will like and find valuable along with a mix content that promotes your business. The general rule of thumb in social media is 80/20. This means that 80% of your content should be valuable content for your audience, and 20% should be self-promotional for your business.

Keep in mind that this rule isn’t applicable to every business. Here are a few examples of how it does or doesn’t apply.

• Large Retailers: Macy’s, for example, can get away with having most of its posts focus on the latest product promotions because people follow the brand to be updated about new products, sales and discounts.
• Local Businesses: A local veterinary clinic wouldn’t want to post three or four times a day about different services and procedures its clinic has to offer. Most of its posts should be information that pet owners would be interested in, like health tips for pets. A few posts throughout the week (depending on how often the post as a whole) could be geared towards promoting a special grooming or teeth-cleaning discount.
• Agencies: An advertising agency wouldn’t want to post non-stop updates about the services offered to clients. Most of its posts should be focused on demonstrating that the agency is on top of the latest news and strategies in advertising. A few posts could then be focused on promoting services.

The focus of your Facebook content and how often you post will largely depend on your type of business. The easiest way to determine the best posting frequency and content to share is by looking at your competitors. Rival IQ is a great tool to use. You simply enter your competitor into the platform and it will show you in-depth information about their Facebook strategy—such as how often they post on a daily basis.

How much engagement they receive on average per post.

The type of content they publish.

And, specifically, the top posts based on engagement, including thumbnails of the media (image or video) and link associated with the post.

You can use the 30-day free trial of Rival IQ to learn more about your competitor’s Facebook content strategy and use it to help shape your own. After the 30 days is up, you can continue to use it to see how you Facebook Page and other social media channels stack up to your competitors in terms of positioning, audience size and engagement.

If your competitors are not highly active on Facebook, then you can craft a strategy all your own by starting with one post per day. Once you start growing your Facebook audience, you can experiment with two to three posts per day to see if there is a change in engagement.

The best way to ensure that you keep your Facebook Page updated on a daily basis is to schedule your updates in advance. Do this by setting aside a few hours each week or month to creating a consistent schedule of updates.

You can use Sprout Social to schedule one or more updates per day from your browser or mobile app. That way, your Facebook Page won’t go by the wayside during busier times throughout the week or when you are away from the office.

You can also schedule automated updates from RSS feeds to be posted to your Facebook Page. Simply find blogs or news sources that you trust to share information that your target audience would like. Sprout Social will post new updates to your Facebook Page each time the RSS feeds are updated.

Once you know your Page is staying active, you will be able to move on to other activities, such as growing your audience and engaging with them through comments and replies.

Grow Your Facebook Audience

Now that you have a solid content strategy in place, you are ready to start growing your Facebook audience. This will be an on-going task for your business. The following are a few ways to organically grow your Facebook audience:

• Add a link to your Facebook Page on your website and blog. You can do this using official brand logos, the official Like button or the new Facebook Page Plugin.
• Add your Facebook Page’s link in your official email newsletter and personal email signature.
• Announce your Facebook Page to your email list and social channels. You should do this when you launch a new Facebook Page and regularly thereafter to invite people to become a fan.
• Embed posts from your Page on your website when relevant. Embedded posts include a Like button for people to click to Like your Page.

Beyond organic means, there is Facebook advertising. When you go to create a Facebook Ad, you will start by choosing the campaign objective.

You can grow your audience using most of these options. The Promote Your Page option is the one focused on helping you grow your Facebook audience by allowing you to create an ad targeted to the ideal people (customers) you would like to become a fan of your Page. Other options, like Boost Your Posts or Send People to Your Website will also help you grow your Page audience as the ads include a Like button for your Page.

The idea with the above ad is that if someone doesn’t want to go to the advertiser’s website, they still have the option to Like the Page to remember them for later. The key is to link your ads to your Facebook Page by enabling the Desktop News Feed ad display when configuring your ad.

This will put the Like button for your Page at the top of your ads, no matter which objective you choose. Or you can simply use the Promote Your Page ad to create a simple ad with one goal—to get more fans for your page.

To most effectively grow your audience with the right people, be sure to use the audience targeting options. If you have a defined buyer persona, use it to configure general and detailed demographic information.

You can also use the Custom Audience option to grow your fans using your current database of customers, such as those that have purchased from you and leads that you have on your email list. Use the Create New Custom Audience link to upload emails and phone numbers to target specific people to see your Facebook Ads to encourage them to Like your Page.

Engage With Your Facebook Audience

As you are posting new content to your Facebook Page and growing your audience, don’t lose sight of the main purpose of social media: engagement. You will want to regularly engage your Facebook audience for a multitude of reasons. Most importantly, to ensure that people never forget about your business.

Engagement opportunities with your Facebook Page present themselves in a number of ways. You can:

• Like and reply to comments left on your Facebook posts.
• Like and reply to reviews left for your business on your Facebook Page.
• Like and reply to posts made by other profiles and Pages that tag your Facebook Page.
• Reply to private messages sent to you through your Facebook Page.

These are essential engagements with your audience that you should not ignore. By replying to comments, reviews, tagged posts and messages on your Facebook Page, you show that you care about your audience. You will demonstrate amazing customer service skills and give your visitors more reasons to become a fan.

Bonus Tips

To get additional reach and results on Facebook from your business Page, be sure to do the following.

Link Your Business Page to Your Personal Profile

Do this by going to your personal profile’s Work and Education section and adding your current position or title with your company. To make it appear on your profile, make sure the company field is linked to your business Page and that this position is the most current.

As a result, your Page will be linked to your profile throughout Facebook and when you comment on blogs using the Facebook Comment system.

Once you’ve set the standard, encourage others in your company to do the same. That way, everyone will effectively be promoting your Facebook Page to their social network.

Like Other Pages

At the top right of your Facebook screen, you should see a drop-down that allows you to use Facebook as your Page.

When you make the switch to your Page, you will be able to visit other Pages on Facebook, Like them and engage with their posts with Likes and comments. This will allow you to get more exposure for your Facebook Page across the platform. You can follow updates from other Pages you have Liked with your Page by clicking on the Home link after you switch to using Facebook as your Page.

When logged into Facebook as your Page, you will only get News Feed updates from Pages you have liked and notifications from your Page as opposed to your personal profile. This is also a great tactic to use if you need to be on Facebook for business, but easily get distracted by everything from your personal profile.

Utilize Facebook Groups

If you are a member of any Facebook Groups, you have likely noticed that they get a lot more organic reach in the News Feed than Pages do. To capitalize on this trend, you will want to join relevant Facebook Groups for your industry (i.e., the ones that your customers will be engaged in) and participate in discussions within them.

You can start by using the search box at the top of Facebook to find the best groups to join. Search for groups based on topic, location and other keywords that will help you find your target customers.

You will have to use your personal profile to join and participate in group discussions. To give your Facebook Page some exposure in the group, be sure to follow the above directions on adding your business Page to your profile.

When relevant, be sure to tag your Page in posts within the Groups. You can do this when starting discussions and when commenting on discussions by typing in your company name, or using an @ symbol and then typing in your company name.

Engaged With Blogs That Use Facebook Comments

Facebook offers bloggers and publishers the ability to use its service as a comment system for their posts and articles. If you know of blogs or online publications that use Facebook Comments that your customers read, be sure to comment.

You can comment using your personal profile, linking your comment to your profile and the business Page you linked to your profile in the first bonus step. Or you can use the drop-down box next to the Post button to switch to your Facebook Page and comment only as your business.

Add Apps to Your Page

Want to add more content and functionality to your Facebook Page? Facebook Apps can provide your visitors with new ways to engage, helping you to do the following:

• Link visitors your Facebook Page visitors to your website
• Run contests and giveaways
• Display content from other social networks
• Provide opt-in forms to join your mailing list
• Showcase top engaged fans of your Page
• Offer special deals and discounts

These apps will appear in the tabs menu below your cover photo.

The top three will also appear in the Apps box in your left sidebar.

You don’t have to be a developer to create apps for your Facebook Page. There are many services that can help you quickly get some apps up and running on your Page. Woobox, for example, has over 20 applications to choose from, covering the above-mentioned functionality and more. Other app providers include Pagemodo, Tabfusion and Shortstack.

You can also look for apps created by services you are already using. Ecommerce retailers using Shopify will find that they can use a Facebook Apps to add their online store to their Facebook Page. The same goes for other ecommerce platforms like Bigcommerce, Magento and others.

Facebook Apps should be the last additions to your Facebook Page as things like your cover photo, profile photo, About information, photos, videos and updates will be what most visitors see first. Apps should be seen as enhancements, but should not drive visitors from your primary goals on Facebook: to acquire more fans and ultimately direct them to your website.

In Conclusion

We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to Facebook Page essentials for your business. If you follow these tips for creating and updating your Page, planning your content, growing your audience and engaging with your fans, you will be well on your way to getting the results of a successful Facebook marketing strategy.

The post Your Essential Facebook Business Page Guide appeared first on Sprout Social.

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