A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your Business’s Facebook Page
Most of us are familiar with Facebook and even use it regularly to connect with friends and family, but you may not understand what it takes to set up a Facebook page for your business. I am going to walk you through the process step-by-step so that by the time you finish this article you’ll have a great starter Facebook page, ready to capture that perfect audience!
First, let’s learn some terminology.
Facebook PROFILES are what individual people have. This is where you connect with your friends and family. People have to request to be your FRIEND in order to interact with you.
Facebook PAGES are for businesses, brands and organizations. People have to LIKE a business page in order to see its content regularly. Also, pages have unique features that businesses need.
For you business you will need 2 things: a personal Facebook Profile, and a business Facebook Page.
Things can get a little complicated in the inner workings of Facebook, but stick with me. Facebook PAGES are run by people with PROFILES. If you do not have a personal profile, you cannot login to your business page. Chances are that you already have a personal profile. If so, you are all set. If not, you will need to first set up a profile.
Head here for more insight into Facebook Pages vs. Profiles.
For now, let’s assume you have your personal profile, and get your business page set up.
Step 1: Go to facebook.com.
When you are on the main page, look at the bottom. It says “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business.” Click there.
Step 2: Select your type of business.
You need to choose the category that BEST describes your business.
Choose from:
Local Business or Place
Company, Organization or Institution
Brand or Product
Artist, Band or Public Figure
Entertainment
Cause or Community
**For this guide, we are going to assume you chose “Local Business or Place”**
Step 3: Choose a Category for your Business & Enter Location Information
This will help people find your business online. Example, if they are searching for “book store” nearby, you will want to show up on the list if you sell books!
Enter your Business names, address and phone number.
**At some point in this box, you may have to type in a code so that Facebook knows you are a real person.
Step 4: Click “Get Started.”
At this point, you need to be signed in to your personal Facebook profile. Since you will manage your business page from that login, you will need to be logged in. If you are not already logged in, Facebook will pop up a box for you to do so.
**Note that your personal information and name will not appear on your business page, it’s just how Facebook does things.
Step 5: Set up the information for your page.
Now we get to the details. Filling in all of these fields will BEST help people find your business on Facebook and tell people what you are about. Don’t be nervous – you can always change these descriptions later. But do put some thought into your descriptions so that you have a page that really shows your company well.
1: ABOUT: Write a few sentences about your business. What do you sell? Why is it unique? Include your website or any other relevant social media links.
Choose your URL. Facebook allows you to choose what your name is in the address bar at the top. It is likely the name of your business.
Walk through the rest of the steps and select “Save Info.”
2: PROFILE PICTURE: This will likely be your company logo. Or it could also be a photo of you, depending on your business. Upload the photo/logo. Click “Save Photo”.
3: ADD TO FAVORITES: You can choose to add your business page to your personal “favorites.” All this means is that when you are using Facebook personally, you will see a shortcut on the left side to your business. Select “Add to Favorites” or select “Skip.” Either is fine.
4: PREFERRED PAGE AUDIENCE: Here’s where your work in figuring out your ideal customer comes in handy. (Head here to figure out your ideal customer for you business). You are going to take an educated guess at the people who would be MOST interested in your business.
If you are local business, you can put in your location. You can select an age range, gender, and even things that your audience would be interested in.
Example: If you have a yoga clothing store. You would select a city or area that you are in, and may choose an age range of 20-40, Women, Interests of yoga, physical fitness, and organic food.
**Keep in mind that anyone can visit your page or find your page, but this allows Facebook to serve your posts to people who would be very interested in what you have to say. This is what every business wants!
“Save” your info.
Step 6: Tweak the look of your page.
Add a cover photo. This is the banner photo at the top of your page. You have 2 options: You can either make a photo be the exact dimensions of the box (828 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall) or you can upload a photo and drag it into the place you’d like.
**If you are making your cover photo the exact dimensions, this can be accomplished easily at canva.com, using their easy size templates.
After you’ve saved your cover photo, click on it and add a description. All photos on your page should have a quick description.
Step 7: Fill in the Information Details.
On the Left side of your page, you will see a list of tabs. Click on the “About” tab. Here you will see “Overview” and “Page Info.” Click on Page Info, and you will see a list in front of you. Try to fill in the information for as much of the list as possible.
**Keep in mind that people are busy. They want to see what you’re about, but you will need to be brief and to the point in your descriptions.
At this point, you have your business Facebook page set up! You are ready to start posting and building your audience. For tips on what to start posting, here are some great articles to get you started:
What to Talk About on Social Media (in order to Sell Your Product!)
How to Write Great Facebook Content
11 Creative Social Media Post Ideas