Facebook generates 70 percent of the total social network traffic. That’s why it’s so important for small businesses to use Facebook. However, if you’re not yet using Facebook, you may be wondering how to create a Facebook Business page.
Setting up a Facebook Business page is actually pretty straightforward. Posting regular updates, engaging with potential customers, and growing your page organically is where things become a little more difficult.
However, you have to start somewhere unless you want to miss out on all of that lovely social media traffic. So here’s how to create a Facebook Business page.
How to Create a Facebook Business Page
In order to make a Facebook Business page, you’re going to need to sign up to Facebook. This will be the primary account associated with your page.
If you have a personal account already then you can use this, or you could set up a new account and associate it with a business email instead. If you’re brand new to Facebook, check out our essential Facebook tips for beginners.
With your account registered, head to facebook.com/business and click the Create a Page button. You’ll be asked to choose between Business or brand and Community or public figure. If you’re a politician, musician, or a comedian then you’ll want to use the latter option.
Click Get Started to create your Facebook Business page. The first thing you’ll have to do is give your page a name, and pick a category for it. Click on the Category field and start typing to see suggestions for existing categories.
Which category you pick will decide what you do next. For example if you categorize your page as a Restaurant you will be invited to fill out the street address and phone number. You can opt out of displaying your address if you want. Pick the category that best describes your business, fill out any additional information then click Continue.
Next you’ll be invited to add a profile picture. You can check our Facebook image size guide for the exact dimensions, then click on Upload a Profile Picture. This is a good opportunity to use your brand logo. If you want to do this at a later time click Skip. Finally you’ll be asked to add a cover photo, which can serve to tell customers more about what your business sells.
With this final click of your mouse your page is complete and published.
How to Set Up a Facebook Page
From here you can carry on adding detail to your Facebook Page. You can access your page at any time from your regular Facebook account by clicking the downward arrow in the top-right corner of the screen.
If your page isn’t quite finished yet, you might want to unpublish it until it’s in a better state. You can do this by visiting your page, clicking Settings in the top-right corner, then clicking on Page Visibility. If you do decide to unpublish, don’t forget to come back here and make your page visible again when it’s complete.
One of the first things you’ll want to nail down is your Username, underneath your profile picture. This has to be unique, and is used to create a URL that points to your Facebook page. As an example, the MakeUseOf username is @makeuseof, so facebook.com/makeuseof redirects to our official Facebook page. Choose something that’s catchy, memorable, and easy to type.
Next you’ll want to add a short description. Think of this as a way of telling anyone who stumbles upon your page why they are here. Click on Add a Short Description then describe your business in under 255 characters. Once you’ve done this you’ll be invited to click the Edit Page Info button to add more information.
Add any relevant contact information including a phone number, website, email, physical address, and location on a map. You can also list your opening hours if applicable, whether your premises has parking, and the price range for goods sold. You can uncheck any of these items to de-list them from your page if you want.
How to Add Buttons to a Facebook Page
Some pages use buttons to redirect traffic to useful services, like a website URL for a media company or an ecommerce store for online retailers. These buttons are brightly colored and appear in prominent positions on both mobile and desktop versions of Facebook.
To add a button, click the + Add a Button link beneath your page’s cover photo. Not all button types are suitable for all businesses. You can choose from:
- Make a booking with you for businesses that require appointment.
- Contact you with the option of choosing buttons like “Call Now” and “Sign Up.”
- Learn more about your business to “Watch Video” or simply “Learn More” (perfect for redirecting traffic to your website).
- Shop with you including the “See Offers” button to entice users.
- Download your app or play your game to access “Use App” or “Play Game” buttons.
As you cycle through the options you’ll see the preview at the top of the page change. Click Next then Finish to create your button. You can only have one button active at a time, but you can delete your button at any point and add another if you like.
Creating Your First Facebook Business Post
Use the Create Post box to add updates to your page just as you would on your regular news feed. You can create a regular post, broadcast to the world using Facebook Live, add a new event, or create a special offer for an item you have for sale.
You can compose a regular update, or click on the ellipsis button next to the post options to reveal more post types. Some useful options include starting a Poll, using a Get messages update to prompt customers to reach out to you, or using Tag product to draw attention to an item for sale.
Beneath the update composer is the option to publish your update immediately, schedule it for a later date, or backdate it. You can also save your post as a draft to come back to it later. Click the Share Now drop-down box to access these options.
Secure Your Facebook Business Page
Your business page is tied to the Facebook account you used to create it. Losing access to this account could spell disaster not only for your social life but your business too. It’s too much to risk, so be sure to read our guide explaining how to secure your Facebook account for some peace of mind.
Facebook Is Great for Business
Social traffic can do wonders for business, but there’s no need to put all of your eggs in the same basket. Facebook is the powerhouse of social networking, but other networks like Instagram and Pinterest can drive traffic to your brand too.
Looking for inspiration on how your brand can flourish on Facebook? Now that you know how to create a Facebook Business page, you should check out the best Facebook Business campaigns for some ideas on how to succeed.
Read the full article: How to Create a Facebook Business Page
