Yes, Your Business Needs a Facebook Page

Anyone who reads this blog knows I’m a big fan of Twitter. (Done the right way.) And although I myself sort of dragged my heels at first, I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to social media for business, a Facebook Page is a necessity.

The problem is, many small businesses are overwhelmed by social media and find the Facebook Page a bit confusing.  Not to mention they aren’t quite sure how to use it.  So rather than deal with it, they throw their hands in the air and say “Bah! Facebook is the devil.”  Enter this post.

Below are a few simple tips and hints to help you utilize the power of Facebook for your biz.

Profiles vs Pages:  The most confusing thing about Facebook just may be the whole Profile/Page confusion.  First, your profile is what you get when you sign up for Facebook. It’s personal, all about you, not your business.  So basically, your Facebook profile is your base “account’.

Pages are something that you can add to your ‘account’.  A Page is totally separate from your profile pages and wall. Items posted to your personal wall do not show up on your Page and vice versa (unless you choose to share them there).  Your personal friends do not get added to your Pages, they must ‘Like’ them like anyone else.

Types of Pages:  Facebook has several categories for Pages.  The choices are:

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

So you can build a page for your business and/or for your new bestseller or product.  As you can see, you could easily end up having several pages for different reasons.

What Do You Do There?  A Facebook Page is all about creating a community of people who like your business or product.  Ask yourself, “What do I want to share with my community about my business?”  Perhaps you want to announce book signings or public appearances. Or you could share news about what’s going on at your biz, including new projects, faces, products or services.  Does your community have questions about your business?  Let them ask on the page and provide answers for them.  Of course, you don’t have to limit it to just one of those options, you can combine several or all of them.   And don’t forget, if you have a blog you can connect it to your page so that new posts are announced on the Page wall.

Add an Admin:  Facebook allows you to give someone else access to your page administration.  So if there is someone else in your business that is going to take charge of the Page you can give them access.  See, you don’t have to do it all.

How do I create a page? Check out the short video below:

Even though the thought of creating a Facebook Page may be a bit scary at first,  it really isn’t so bad.  The increased exposure your business will receive because people can now find you on one of their favorite places to hang online makes it well worth the time and effort involved.  Now go create that Page!