Setting Up a Facebook Page

Facebook Pages are the social network’s tool specifically for companies, organizations and brands – including individuals who are public figures – to establish a promotional presence. Facebook Pages are publicly viewable by default. Most other Facebook features such as personal accounts and Groups are limited to views by members depending on the privacy settings you select.

Before you set up your Facebook Page, select the best category for your presence as this can affect your Page features. The main categories are:

Books & Magazines

Brands & Products

Companies & Organizations

Local Businesses

Movies

Music

Other

People

Sports

Television

Websites & Blogs

After you select the main category, you might need to pick a sub-category such as “Restaurant” or “Apparel.” Some of these sub-categories affect the features available on your Page such as online shopping options. You can change your Page categories at any time in your Page’s Settings section.

Once you set up your Page, there are a number of ways to get people to “Like” your Page using Facebook features. You can:

• Share your Page with your Facebook friends via your personal Timeline.
• Invite your Facebook friends individually to Like the Page.
• Upload your email contact list to Facebook or sync Facebook and an email program such as Constant Contact and MailChimp, if you use one.

Note that you can import contacts for Pages with under 5,000 Likes.

The main elements of a Facebook Page are:

Cover and Profile Images - These are at the top of your Page and provide a first impression to visitors and should include your company branding and images that help communicate what you offer.

Sections – Navigation for sections on your Page is positioned on the left side of your Page. Typical Page sections include About, Photos, Videos, Posts, Events, Likes, and Notes. You can integrate apps into your Page such as MailChimp to build your email list or Shopify to sell products online and add these as sections to your Page.

Timeline – Also referred to as your Page Wall, this view is technically the “Home Page” of your Facebook Page where you post updates and interact with others.

Action Button – You can now add an action button below your cover image to encourage interactions such as booking services, getting in touch, learning more and making a purchase or donation. Each button category has additional subcategories with more specific actions.

About – This section includes basic information you’ve provided about your company or organization including a mission statement, year founded, and products or services offered.

Photos and Videos– Accessible through the left side navigation and also appearing toward the top of your Timeline, these are the photos and videos you’ve uploaded directly to your Page.

Notes – You can use Notes as a stand-in for blogging or to publish static information to your Page.

On the right side of your Page is typically the number of Likes your page has, a short description, links to Pages you’ve liked as your Page, links to Apps within your page with custom graphics, and Visitor Posts that you can moderate.

When you first set up your Facebook Page, do your best to provide as much relevant information as possible. A partially completed Facebook Page can make a bad first impression for anyone looking to connect with your company.

Carefully select the images you use to represent your Page, paying close attention to branding. Facebook gives you very few design customization options so take advantage of the cover image space at the top of your Page by using properly-sized image (851x351 pixels) that best represents who you are and what you do.

When updating your Profile image, use a square image of at least 400x400 pixels that displays clearly as a very small thumbnail. The smallest thumbnail of your Profile image or branding appears next to your status updates on your Timeline as well as on other people’s Timelines when they share your posts.

Look at various views where your posts appear to make sure your profile image is discernible at the smallest size. Also look at your Page on the web and on mobile devices to see how your profile image lays over your cover image to make sure it doesn’t block anything important.

Set up your Facebook custom URL for your Page. In some cases, you need a minimum of 25 Likes before you can do this. Go to facebook.com/usernames to select a URL that most closely matches your brand name. Like any naming system, there is a chance somebody else has already claimed your first choice for a URL so choose a logical alternative.

Once your Facebook Page is live, anyone online can see it but only people who Like your Page and are members of Facebook can post to it.