Creating a Compelling Company Facebook Page

Creating a successful business has always been more than simply opening shop and waiting for customers to find you. When you’re trying to improve your business, you need to have a great marketing plan, and that includes a comprehensive social media strategy. If you want to entice customers, you’re going to want to consider having a great company Facebook page.

Image via Flickr by Bruce McKay

Select Your Page Type

The first thing you need to do when you’re creating a business page is to select the proper type of business. Pages are listed together in their different categories. If you want people to be able to find your business and interact with your company easily, this first step is crucial.

Facebook currently has six different categories you can choose from for your company:

• Local Business or Place
• Company, Organization, or Institution
• Brand or Product
• Artist, Band, or Public Figure
• Entertainment
• Cause or Community

There are many instances where these categories overlap. For example, a local, non-profit theatre group could select entertainment, local business, or cause/community. It all depends on what the organization wants to focus on. Choose the section that will be most beneficial to your business.

Select Your Category

Once you have decided which of the six page types you are going to create, you’ll be asked for a category selection. This is important for your marketing. People can search Facebook for specific categories. Though not all categories are represented, it’s important to get as close as possible to what your business does or sells.

Set Up Basic Information

Though the setup page looks simple, it’s is important to make sure that you set it up properly. You will need to add a description to the page. This description helps improve your Facebook search results when people are looking for companies similar to yours. The description should have keyword phrases that you have already identified for your company.

You have the opportunity to create a Facebook web address that is unique to your company. This is crucial for marketing, to help improve your search engine rankings, and to help people find your company through Facebook. If there are other companies that have similar names to yours, you may need to try a few different options.

Adding an image can help increase fans, because customers will be able to easily identify your brand, company, or logo. Use an easily recognizable photo. A logo is a great option. If you have a local business, consider putting up an image of your storefront. If your business is service-based, a personal photo is a great option that instills trust.

Decide on Advertising Payments

Though you don’t have to set up a Facebook advertising campaign right away, you do have the option to add a payment method when you’re creating the page. This allows you to select how you plan to pay for Facebook ads now, making it quick and easy to set them up later. This is not required, and you can add or change payment methods at a later date.

Add More Information

Once the page has been set up, you can easily add more information that will make your company’s Facebook page more interesting and likeable. On your Page Manager, select Edit Page and select Update Page Info. Here you can edit or add information that will help get fans to your page, such as topics, a longer description, and the websites for your company.

If you select General, you will be able to change settings for the page that will allow you better control over what happens. Some of the options that you’ll encounter are posting ability, tagging ability, and page moderation. These will help you keep the page monitored and business-ready.

Adding Posts

Let’s be honest – no one is going to Like or become a fan of a page that doesn’t have anything on it. You need to give potential fans a reason to like your page. Unfortunately this takes a significant amount of work, and it can take time to increase your Facebook standing. Like anything else with marketing, you get out of it what you put in. This isn’t meant to discourage you. Instead, remember that it’s important to make sure that you’re updating and interacting frequently.

The first thing you need to do is start posting. Without any posts, your page looks bare and boring. Is your company brand new? Write a post or two about the company, where you’re located if you have a brick and mortar location, and what you do or sell. Make sure you create posts that are interesting, as these will help get people engaged and involved. One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask questions. Offer a little bit of information, then ask customers what they think.

Make Connections

Because Facebook is a social network, you need to make sure you get out there and start making connections. Don’t hesitate to Like other companies that are complementary to your own. If you have friends or business partners with company pages on Facebook, Liking these pages will help you get in front of a larger audience. It will also help show customers that you’re interacting with others on the network. Don’t hesitate to ask a company for a Like back, if you make the first step, but remember that it’s not required.

In addition to making business connections, make sure that you start getting Likes and fans on your page. Give the Facebook page information to current customers, friends and family, and anyone else who asks. Add it to your business cards. The more people who Like your page, the more customers you’ll get.

Creating a Facebook company page was once considered something additional a company could do if they wanted to, but it wasn’t necessary. Today, social media pages are practically a requirement of Internet marketing.

By Jon Correll