Whether you’re the owner of a local bakery or the social media manager at a Fortune 500 company, I’ll bet you’ve realized your brand needs a Facebook Page.

Leveraging social media to help establish your brand was once a complementary, but optional, step to support your broader marketing strategy. Today, it’s essential.

Luckily, building a Facebook Page for your business is one of the most simple (and cost-effective) ways to get started!

Your Facebook business page in 2018

The steps below will walk you through this process from start to finish! But before we start, let's give you some background knowledge. What is a Facebook business page, and why would you want one?

What is a Facebook business page?

A Facebook Page is essentially like your typical Facebook profile, but for businesses! Your customers or fans can like your page and will receive your updates in their news feed. Organizations use Facebook Pages to post images and videos, (see: How to Download Facebook Videos Without Downloading Software) share recent content, announce new features, and engage with customers.

The primary difference is that your business page will measure engagements, likes, and more, so that you can analyze your page’s effectiveness. Facebook Analytics is a powerful tool to use when you’re looking to find out how well your Facebook content is resonating with your audience.

Your social media profiles should be an extension of your brand. If you’re going to create a Facebook Page, it’s critical that you have the bandwidth to keep up with it. Your customers very well may use your Facebook Page to contact you. In fact, you should expect it, and make sure you have somebody prepared to field any questions or comments that come through.

A lot of businesses opt to start with Facebook when implementing a social media marketing strategy. It’s cost-effective (building a page is free) and rather intuitive. In fact, if you have your own Facebook profile, you’ll notice quickly that your brand’s page feels reminiscent of the Facebook you know and love.

Want to hear from real life users before taking the time to create a Facebook business page? Read these Facebook for Business reviews for more information. 

Are you ready to start building your business Facebook Page? This quick guide will give you the step-by-step instructions you need to get your profile up and running!

1. Make your Facebook business page

Visit www.Facebook.com/Business and click on “Create a Page” in the top right corner. Keep in mind, you’ll need to link this business page to a personal account. Typically, the account of your social media manager (if you have one) is the best option. If not, use the account of the employee who will spearhead your Facebook marketing strategy.

2. Select your business classification

This will bring you to the screen below. Since this Facebook Page is going to be for your company, click “Get Started” underneath where it says “Business or Brand.” 

3. Add your company's information to the page

Next, you’ll need to add in your company’s information. The Page Name should be the name of your company. For category, take a look at the list of options, and select the choice that most closely fits your business model. You’re required to enter a street address, but can opt to have it hidden if you would like – just check the box that says “Don’t show my address.” When you’ve finished filling in your information, click “Continue.”

For businesses without a customer-facing physical address (for example, an online store), consider using the address of your headquarters or main office. Then, simply opt out of showing the address if you choose.

Remember that if you ever feel as though you or your company's information is being compromised, the best course of action is to change your password. For help on figuring out how to do so, head to our article on changing your Facebook password.  

4. Upload visuals to your Facebook business page

At this point, you’ll be prompted to upload a profile picture and a cover photo. Your profile picture should always be your logo. It will appear next to every update you post, so using your logo increases visibility and ensures your audience will associate it with the relevant content you post.

You’ll also be required to upload a Facebook cover photo (make sure it's the ideal Facebook cover photo size!) This is the larger, banner-like photo that sits at the top of your profile. When uploading this picture, keep in mind the size of the image you select. The optimal size for a cover photo on a desktop is 315 pixels tall and 851 pixels wide. If it’s much larger, you’ll cut out some of the image. If it’s too small, Facebook will stretch the photo, and it will become blurry. Though you can add a Facebook 360 photo on a personal page, at this time, Facebook business pages do not allow Facebook 360 photos as cover images. However, you can add them as general posts on the page.

While your profile picture should always be your logo, the cover photo offers an excellent opportunity to show off your brand’s human side. Consider using a picture of your employees, your product in a creative way, or your most recent advertisement. 

5. Complete your About section for your business

Once you upload your images, you’ll see your page start to come together! To keep your audience well-informed, you’ll need to makes sure your About section is filled with the details they may be seeking.

Use the menu on the left side of the page (just below your profile picture) to navigate to the About section. Then, fill in the information you think your customers will need! For example, if you’re a physical shop, you’ll need to add your weekly hours as well as your store’s address.

Take advantage of this section’s “story” feature, which allows you to tell fans a bit more about your company’s history and mission. Sharing this with your fans will give them a glimpse into why you’re doing what you’re doing and humanize your brand.

6. Explore your business page

You’re almost there! Your company Facebook Page has all come together, and it’s time for the finishing touches. On the homepage, you’ll find some “Page Tips.” I recommend clicking through these prompts and adding things like a short description, creating a username, and more.

These final touches are a simple step that will make your page the best it can be!

Another way to take advantage of your Facebook business page is by using polls to crowdsource within your community. 

Facebook polls can be created within groups, business page and events and are used to gather real-time feedback from a variety of networks. As a business, you could use Facebook polls to pose questions to your audience regarding what changes they'd like to see in your store the next season. 

Facebook polls are useful because they form a line of connection between you and your consumers and open up yet another place for you to interact with your audience. 

Polls are created in much the same way posts are created. Instead of choosing to write a post or share a photo, choose to create a poll instead. Administrators can write a question and provide a list of answers, or allow those voting to include their own unique answers. 

7. Integrating Facebook Shop (and other add ons)

There are plenty of Facebook add-ons that can help any business convert better from their business page. One of them is Facebook Shop for e-commerce businesses.

In order to add Facebook Shop into your business page, you must already have a page created. From there, you can integrate your existing e-commerce platform into Facebook Shop, allowing businesses to configure their Facebook Shop store, sell products directly on Facebook, and more.

Learn about how marketing teams can utilize other add-ons such as Facebook chatbots for their live chat needs.

If you're a nonprofit, you might want to raise money in other ways. Consider launching a Facebook fundraiser to encourage your friends and followers to donate. 

8. Start posting on your new business Facebook page!

Now that you’ve built out your profile, you’ve gotten to the fun part – posting content for your audience to consume and engage with!

Once you post a quick hello and welcome to your audience, the Facebook world is your oyster! Post anything from your best performing blog post, to a picture of your new office, to the latest industry news.

Social media is informal, so your Facebook profile should be no different! take the chance to engage with your audience. Ask them questions, request feedback, or invite them to your store’s grand opening! To make things even more personal, you could go "live" and share your screen for virtual office tours, presentations, and more! Consumers have become especially loyal to their favorite brands. Anything you can post to engage with them will help to build valuable relationships with your Facebook fans.

Overall, be sure to post relevant content on a regular basis. As we mentioned earlier, an out-of-date Facebook Page may be as bad as no Facebook Page at all! Aim for at least one post a day, but don’t go overboard! Never post just to post. Your audience will pick up on that and feel as if they’re being spammed. Find a balance and make sure the content you do post is educational, informative, or interesting.

Final thoughts

Are you ready to create your Facebook Page and start connecting with your fans? We hope so!

For more best practices on all things Facebook, be sure to check out our ultimate guide to Facebook marketing. Additionally, learn how to delete a Facebook group.