Love it or loathe it, Facebook is here for the foreseeable future. As of May 2013, the number of Facebook subscribers was 1.11 billion. There are 32.9 million users in the UK alone, that’s 52% of the population! This means Facebook has to be an integral part of your marketing strategy. 
A Facebook page can help you tap into innumerable networks of potential customers, and the below steps will show you how to create your own page.
1 – Create Your Page
To create your page, click on the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
You’ll be given 6 categories to choose from. Select the one that most accurately aligns with your business:
- Local business or place
- Artist, band, public figure
- Company, organisation or institution
- Entertainment
- Brand or product
- Cause of community
2 – Complete Your Info
Once you’ve selected your category, you’ll be asked to fill your business’s basic info (name, contact details, etc.)
You will be prompted to upload a profile picture. This will appear on your page and on every comment and post you write.
Remember, make sure the image you use is of sufficient quality and has been properly cropped. An image that does not fit into the designated space may appear stretched or off-centre, all things that may make your page look unprofessional.
The “About” section is your chance to introduce visitors to your business. You have 2 or 3 sentences to describe your business. This needs to be accurate, succinct and, above all, punchy enough to pique your visitors’ interest.
3 – Admin Panel
This is the dashboard for your page. Here you can make amendments, view your messages, add posts and updates, monitor your page statistics and market your page.
By clicking “Edit Page” (top right), then “Page Info”, you will be able to amend or update all of the information displayed on your page. you also have an area where you can add a lengthier description, to expand upon your previous “About” section.
Here you can also amend all the settings for your page. Want to make sure your page can only be viewed by those over 18? Or if you’re looking to restrict people from leaving comments on your page, it’s all here.
The “Admin Roles” section allows your to make other people administrators of your page, you can also choose what level of access they can have.
From the Admin Panel, you will also be prompted to upload a Cover Photo. This is the first thing visitors to your page will see. This picture needs to represent your business and draw people in. As with the profile picture, make sure the picture you select is high quality and have been properly cropped and positioned.
4 – Promote Your Facebook Page
Congratulations! You’ve made yourself a Facebook page, but what are you going to do with it?
A lot of people will, straight off the bat, invite everyone they know to their page, but, with no content, is that really the best way forward?
Firstly, add some relevant content. Write a post on offers you have, link to your blog, add pictures of a recent event, then invite some of your peers, customers or brand advocates to interact with this content. That way, when you then invite people to join your page, they will see what a hive of activity it is.
Asking your followers to share your page with their own networks is one of the best ways to get more traffic to both your page and your website.
Facebook also offer a “pay-per-click” advertising service. This is a way you can advertise your page to targeted Facebook user groups. It is up to you whether you use it though.
5 – Monitor Your Progress
You’ve built your page and shared it with everyone in your network, but what next?
The “View insights” tab (found on the Admin Panel) can show you a number of valuable statistics that can help shape your marketing campaign. Which posts were the most/least popular? Which days did your page get the biggest footfall? Are most of your followers male or female/older or younger?
This info will help you make sure your page and its content are always relevant and impact the right people.
How Footprint can help
Facebook (and other social media accounts) can be invaluable, but they can also be time consuming. At Footprint we can not only create your page/account for you, but we can promote your business by writing your blog, managing the content on your Facebook page, and even managing your Twitter account.
For more information on how we can expand your social media presence, please contact us using the below details.
Further Information
Footprint specialise in creating bespoke websites, designed to help take your business to another level. We have been providing SEO Surrey since 1998 and if you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
Author: Jenni McCarthy
