Facebook Basics for Businesses

Posted on: Mar 18, 2013

 

Like every other business, we are often overwhelmed by the challenge of keeping up with all of the social media marketing that has become a requisite for managing our online presence. From Google+, to Facebook, to Pinterest, and more, it is a full time job just to follow all of the different social media platforms and the seemingly daily changes to each. As we continue to study social media marketing for our business, we’d like to share what we learn along the way with you, our commercial customers and fellow local business owners, in the hopes that we can alleviate a bit of the social-media-induced-stress that we know all too well! Since Facebook is no longer just a “good idea” for businesses, it is essential to any successful marketing strategy, we will start with the basics of a Facebook business page.

1. If you don’t already have a Facebook business page, go here to create one right away! The first step will ask you to choose one of six classifications. Selecting the most accurate classification is important as it will help your business show up in relevant searches. Most businesses will likely choose “Local Business or Place.” Facebook will then walk you through several steps to help you get started with your business page.

2. Once you have created your page, there are many ways to further develop and customize the appearance, information, etc, but start with these simple steps by clicking on the “Edit Page” button in the top right section of your page, then selecting “Update Info”:

  • Be sure to add three Place Sub-categories.  Like the primary category or classification you selected in the first step, these sub-categories are important for showing up in searches relevant to your business, so choose your sub-categories wisely.
  • Insert one or two sentences in the Short Description section that summarizes the character and purpose of your business.
  • Include a more in-depth description of your business in the larger Description box, and be sure to incorporate words and phrases that people are likely to use when searching for your type of businesses. If you have already compiled a list of keywords for Google SEO purposes, use similar phrases on your Facebook business page. For example, in our description for McIntire Plaza’s page we’ve included such terms as “locally owned businesses,” “Downtown Charlottesville,” “commercial retail, warehouse, or office space for lease,” etc, since we already know these terms are relevant to McIntire Plaza in Google searches As Facebook introduces the new Graph Search (a new feature we will discuss in more detail soon), using the appropriate terms and phrases on your business page will become more important than ever.
  • Add an email address and a website for your business. If you include your phone number your website will not show up on your page below your profile picture, however it will still be included in your expanded About section. Decide if people visiting your page are more likely to visit your website or give you a call as their initial means of contact.

3. Upload a profile picture and a timeline cover photo, and make sure they are sized correctly. These two images are essential since they are basically your page’s first impression. Not sure what your cover photo should consist of? Make sure it is something catchy, intriguing, and relevant to your business, but also be sure you know the cover photo do’s and don’ts before selecting an image. Use this helpful infographic from tabsite.com for details on the correct dimensions for all images on your Facebook page: