Facebook for business

If you've decided that Facebook is a suitable social media platform for your business, you are ready to create a Facebook page. You should then plan how your page will be managed.

Set up a Facebook page  

In order to set up a page for your business, you must first have a personal Facebook account. Personal accounts and business pages offer different features. It is against Facebook's rules for businesses to use a personal account instead of a page.

To create your page, you will need to complete certain information about your business, including:

• business category
• industry
• description
• address and contact information
• website address

You can also include additional information like opening hours or your menu.

You should also add a profile picture - your logo is suitable. In addition, you can add a cover photo. This could showcase your products or current offers.

Managing your page

Once your business page is set up it is recommended that you actively post relevant content. This will help to keep your audience interested.

It's a good idea to create a content plan to help manage your page. This will help you post regular content that is current and relevant. For example, you could relate your posts to holidays or current events such as Christmas or international sporting events like the Olympics.

Some best practice points to consider when managing a Facebook business page are:

• Make sure your posts are relevant to your customers and business - your page could include updates on new products/services, photos, videos and engaging questions.
• Respond to all messages - it's important to monitor and respond to your messages and comments. Keep an eye on the notifications you get and respond promptly. This involves little effort but you could benefit from satisfied customers sharing details about your services and recommending your business.
• Analyse your performance - measure how your Facebook page is performing. This will help you understand what works and what doesn't work with your audience.

Verify your business page

Verifying your business page will let people know that it is authentic. The person verifying your page you must have admin access to your account. They will be required to add a publicly listed phone number so that Facebook can call you with a verification code.

A grey badge on your page will mean that Facebook has confirmed that this is the authentic page for your business.If your page represents a celebrity, public figure, sports team, media or entertainment, you may be eligible for a blue verification badge.

Hashtags

Hashtags, a well-known feature of Twitter, can also be used on Facebook. Placing a # in front of a word or phrase (eg #facebooktips) turns the word into a clickable link and makes it searchable. Hashtags may be a good way of gaining extra exposure for your content. However, it is important to use hashtags sparingly and only when they make sense.

See how the nibusinessinfo.co.uk team use a Facebook business page [registration required] to engage with our audience.