The Facebook Business Page Series ~ No 3 ~ Getting Started

OK, so if you’ve been following the Facebook Business Page Series so far, you should now have your basic Facebook Business Page up and running. If you need help getting to this point, go back and review Part 1 and Part 2 before going any further. Your new page should look something like this:

In this post we’re going to take a look at the basic steps to get your Facebook Business Page up and running. You will notice that along the top of your page, under your page name, there are a series of tabs. In this post we will be working through the steps on the “Get Started” tab. If at any stage you get lost, simply click back on the “Get Started” tab to find your way back.

Step 1: Add an Image

There are two ways you can add an image to your Facebook Page. You can either upload an image from your computer or you can allow Facebook to take a photo using your webcam which will will be immediately captured on your Page. Always remember the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words“ and take heed. This is a Page which should represent the look and feel of your business or brand, so the picture you choose should reflect the image you would like your business to portray, and should be a good representation of  your brand. Have a good think about the personality of your brand to select the right image for your Page. If you want to get really creative with your photos, take a look at 5 Creative Ways to Hack Your Facebook Profile Photo for some inspiring ideas. Whatever your brand, try to maintain consistency of your image at all times so that your fans always receive a consistent brand message.

Step 2: Provide Some Basic Information

The information you provide here will be displayed when people click on your “Info” tab located across the top of your page. It is intended to give your fans basic information about you, your business, your brand or your product. Editing your information allows people to find out more about your brand, product or service or if you are a public figure, lets them understand a little more about you and what you represent. Entering information about your brand, business, product or service is also important for search engine optimisation (SEO), allowing search engines to find your Facebook Page.  You can use this section to provide an overview of your business or brand, you can state your mission or list your products. Don’t feel you need to be limited by the categories Facebook has suggested. You can be as creative as you like here and include whatever information you choose. In this section, any links you create are clickable, so, for example, you can direct people to specific pages on your website, to your other social networking accounts, such as Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn etc, to your newsletter signup forms – whatever you like that will drive more customers to your business. Make sure you include all relevant contact information here so that people can find you, whether that be a location or street address, phone numbers or a link to a blog or website.

Make sure you also take note of the box in the left hand sidebar where you can also include a snippet of information about your business. Include your website address here so your fans will know where to find you.

Step 3: Post Status Updates

Click on the “Post Update” button to create your first status update. This will appear on your Business Page “wall” and will be shared with your fans. If you already have Facebook Profile, you will be familiar with posting status updates on your personal page. This serves the same function on your Business Page, letting your fans know the latest news and updates with regard to your business. There are a few things you should be aware of when you are posting status updates, as business updates are more critical to the overall perception of your business than are the updates you might post on your personal page.

Firstly, you should always be professional, however you should still be conversational in a way that reflects the personality of your business. Create the right tone and feel that suits you and your target market.

Try to create a consistent message which follows a similar theme, idea or concept and try to stay on topic; for example, if your product is wine, relate your conversations to wine – don’t suddenly start talking about space technology (unless perhaps astronauts are researching how wine ages in space!), otherwise you run the risk of confusing or even alienating your fans.

Your content should be relevant but does not necessarily have to be original. If you are running out of things to say you can direct fans to other websites or blogs which provide relevant, high quality content about your topic that you think your fans will enjoy. This keeps your conversation going with your fans, maintains your presence and keeps your fans engaged.

Ask questions. This is a great way to create interaction and conversation, keep your fans engaged, and introduce your business to new fans. When one of your fans comments or answers one of your questions their response will be posted on their personal page which can introduce your business to their friends.

Be sure to read comments posted by your fans and to listen to what they have to say. Try to respond to comments whenever it’s relevant and always answer any questions posted by your fans. Be conversational – don’t just speak at your fans. These people are your customers or potential customers so engage with them with the respect they deserve.

You can attach links, as well as images or videos to your status updates which are then posted to your fans’ feeds for viewing and comments. You can also attach an event, which we will discuss in a future post in the series.

One more thing to note – under your status update you will see Settings options to view either your comments as well as others, just yours, or just others. I suggest you click on yours + others so that you can view all the interactions from your fans.

Once you’re finished, click “Share” to post your status update to your wall.

Step 4: Promote Your Page on Your Website

Head back to the “Getting Started” tab. Under “Promote this Page on your website” click on the “Add Like Box” button.

You will be directed to a page which allows you to set up a Like Box on your web page. The Like Box is a social plugin that enables Facebook Page owners to attract and gain Likes from their own website. The Like Box enables users to:

• See how many users already like this page, and which of their friends like it too
• Read recent posts from the page
• Like the page with one click, without needing to visit the page

You are also given an example of how the Like Box will be displayed on your webpage. In the grey box on the left hand side you’re given a few options of how you would like the Box to display. Hover over the (?) symbols to understand what each means.

Firstly you need to find your Page ID No. The easiest way to find this number is to return to your Page and click on your Page image. In your browser address bar you will find your Page ID No at the end of the url.

Copy this number, then return to your “Get Started” page and click on the “Add Like Box” button. Now you can paste your Page ID into “Facebook Page ID” field.

You can change the width of the box to suit your site and can select how many fans you would like to display. You can also select whether you would like to display the profile stream and header. Check or uncheck the boxes to see how your changes will affect what’s displayed.

Once you’ve customised your Like Box click on the “Get Code” button to retrieve your code. You can now copy and paste this code to your blog or webpage.

Step 5: Set Up Your Mobile Phone

If you choose to, you can set up your mobile phone to connect with your Facebook Page so that you can post status updates or send photos or videos straight to your Page by mobile email or text messages. Simply follow Facebook’s instructions if you would like to use this functions.

Step 6: Send Status Updates to Your Twitter Followers

This function allows you to expand your reach by exporting your status updates to your Twitter account. Simply click on the “Connect to Twitter” button, then “Link a Page to Twitter” and follow the prompts to allow the link to be established.. Once you have linked your page to Twitter you will be redirected back to Facebook where you can edit what information you would like to link. Click on “Edit Settings”

then choose what you would like to send to Twitter by checking or unchecking the boxes.

Click on “Save Changes” to complete.

Well, that’s it for the Getting Started section. In the next post we will look at more ways to customise your Page and make it stand out from the crowd.

Dedicated to your success,