INTRODUCTION
By now, you have likely heard about trending social networking sites that are taking the business industry by storm. These sites such as, Facebook, Twitter, and Linked-In, are assisting businesses in promoting themselves and connecting with customers. Whether you're looking to increase profits, get feedback, or just get the word out about your company or product, social networking can help you.
In our opinion, Facebook has shown to be by far the most effective of all social networking sites for businesses to utilize. The new updates and features implemented into Facebook Pages enable you to customize your fans experience on your page. In this guide, we will discuss how to create your own Page, keep people interested, and provide tips for growing your fan base on Facebook. Let's Get Started!
CREATING A PAGE
Assuming you already have a personal Facebook account, login to the site using your regular information. You will then need to locate the "Search Bar" at the top of your home page. Once you have found it, go ahead and enter the term Facebook Pages into the search area. When you have located and clicked on Facebook Pages from within the search results, you should be re-directed to Facebook Pages and be viewing their wall.
Locate your attention to the left-hand side of the page and slowly start to scroll down. You will spot a list of links, more specifically a 'Create a Page' link. Click' the link and you will be again re-directed to another page. On this page, you will need to select the type of Page you would like to create from the options shown. Once you have decided on the type of Page you want, click' on it and fill out the required information and submit. You now have a brand new Page for your business waiting to be set-up!
SETTING UP YOUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
Profile Picture:
To begin, we recommend starting with the simplest feature by uploading your profile picture. This photo can be a maximum size of 200 X 600 pixels. My Office Sidekick encourages the use of this entire space for maximum visual impact. Utilizing design programs to create your own profile photo can be fun! It's important to be sure it includes your businesses logo and contact information in the design.
In the event you have no design skills, or don't even have a clue as to what a pixel is, it may be wise to consult with a designer, such as My Office Sidekick.
Step 1) Upload your profile photo by selecting the 'Upload a Photo' button on your getting started page. Here you can browse your computers files for the photo's location. After the photo has finished loading, you should now see your new profile picture at the top left-hand side of your Page.
Step 2) Next you will need to adjust your photo thumbnail. The thumbnail is the small-cropped image or "avatar" you see around Facebook with your posts. To edit the thumbnail, simply hover your cursor over your new profile picture. You will then see a link appear that says 'change picture'. Click on the link and you will be re-directed to another page. On this page below your profile picture you can find a link called 'Edit Thumbnail'. Select the link and a small pop-up window will appear. You can now adjust your thumbnail by dragging the photo into the desired position. Select save, and you're finished with setting up your profile picture!
Basic Information:
Gather any notes you have about your business regarding basic information that you have not memorized such as, when your business was founded, your website address, a description of your business etc.
Step 1) You can locate the 'Basic Information' link at the top left-hand side of your current page. Click' the link and you will be re-directed to the area where you can enter basic information about your business. Fill out as many sections as possible using exciting and informative descriptions. When a visitor views this section of your Page, you want to capture their attention. Forgo boring phrases that everyone has already seen and came to expect with your industry. With Facebook you have the opportunity to network and show your fans there is indeed a face behind the "business name". When your finished filling out all the sections provided, we recommend copying and pasting your answers into a program such as Microsoft Word for a spelling and grammar check. Nothing says unprofessional more than a profile full of errors that the creator did not take the time to correct. Potential customers may view these errors as a sign your business does not take the necessary steps to ensure a properly completed project.
Step 2) After your completely finished making any final changes to your information, select save!
Managing Permissions:
Step 1) The 'Managing Permissions' link can again be found at the top left-hand side of the page. Click' the link and you will be re-directed to the appropriate page. On the Managing Permissions page, there will be a list of options presented to you. These options control things such as who can interact with your page, country and age restrictions, the default landing page for visitors etc. Before changing any options in this section, take a moment to think about what your target market entails. (location, age, occupation etc.) You want to tread carefully in this section making sure you don't restrict an area that can bring you fans, yet you also don't want to waste valuable time.
After making all the changes that you desire for permissions, be sure to save the changes.
Managing Administrators:
Administrators can make changes to your Page. An administrator can be anyone you desire such as your, Business Partner, Social Media Management Team, and Virtual Assistant. This person must already have his or her own account on Facebook. Eventually at one time or another you may need to have someone access your Page for specific reasons. Be sure you trust this person and you may even consider having the additional administrator sign a non-competent or do-no-harm agreement before allowing them access.
Step 1) Select the 'Manage Admins' link at the top left-hand side of the page. You will then be re-directed to the Manage Admins page where you can now enter additional administrators following Facebook's prompts. Remember to save your changes when finished.
CREATING CUSTOM TABS FOR YOUR PAGE
Facebook has a great feature available to Page owners called custom tabs. These are useful because you are armed with an additional way to market to your visitors. Some of the most popular tabs Page owners create are welcome, contact us, services/products, and specials.
You have a few different options when it comes to creating these tabs. If you just so happen to be a programming guru familiar with FBML and iFrames, you can create these tabs for yourself. If you're asking yourself "What the heck is FBML and iFrames?" you will need to hire someone to do the design work for you. (Did I mention My Office Sidekick could help you with this? J) If your computer savvy and able to navigate your way well around the Internet and basic design principals, there are programs available to help you create and upload your own tabs. Some of these programs are free and some are paid. A good program for this is Lujure. Regardless of what route you choose to venture down, using this feature is a smart move for your business.
POSTING QUALITY CONTENT
My Office Sidekick recommends setting up your page in its entirety and regularly making posts for one week's time before attempting to gain fans. Reason being, you need to already have interesting and quality content available for prospective fans to see. They need a 'taste' of what they can expect from you. This will help your visitors to decide if they would like to become a fan of your Page.
It's important to provide posts that are in some way applicable to your area of business. Posting the same articles or comments over-and-over again will only get you "un-liked". No one wants to see the same things appearing repeatedly in their news feeds or on your Page. Another quick way to lose fans is by using your Facebook Page for nothing but advertisements. If someone already knows they want to utilize your service or purchase your products, they will. The purpose of your Page should be to gain the trust of your fans so that when they do need a service or product you provide, they will know where to turn to. Stick to the 80/20 rule for posts. This rule means for every 1 post containing advertising information about yourself, you need to make 5 other non-advertisement posts. This gives your Page a good balance between the two post types.
As an example, say you're in the business of selling wedding dresses. To intrigue and gain your target markets trust, you will want to offer more than just dresses to them. By that I mean you should be posting links and articles related to the wedding industry. Maybe you know a great Wedding Planner, Photographer, Custom Invitation Store etc. Use that knowledge to offer your fans additional resources they may need when getting married. These should be things that you do not offer, but that are related in some way to your area of business. "Helping out" these Brides-to-be with some of the other "aspects" to having a wedding, may in-fact increase the chance that they will want to purchase that special dress from your knowledgeable and friendly business!
GAINING LIKES
It takes a lot of patience and dedication to build your Page's fan base. It doesn't occur overnight, unless you have magical powers or an unlimited amount of advertising dollars available to your disposal.
So... your page is ready for fans, and you're asking yourself where or how to find them, right? We have a few suggestions to help!
1) Start out by suggesting your Page to all of your personal Facebook friends. You never know who may be looking for a business just like yours or who may have friends of theirs who need your service or product. When someone 'Likes' your Page, it will show up in their news feed to their friends if their settings allow it. It also shows in the list of Pages they have 'Liked'. To suggest your Page to your friends, there is a 'Suggest to Friends' link located on your Page at the top on the right-hand side.
2) Cross promoting all of your businesses sites and pages keeps people connected with your business on their favorite sites and makes it more convenient for them to find you. To cross promote your sites and pages, you will just need to insert links in all of your locations. It's also wise to include these links in the signature portion of your emails.
3) We have found out that by interacting with other business Pages on Facebook; you can increase your 'Likes'. By simply liking and commenting on a Page, you're getting more exposure. Do it gracefully so you do not see, to be pushy or rude. The following example is a great way to do so. Hi, just stopping by to tell you thanks for the many useful articles you have been posting. I just liked your page and would love to have you as a fan on mine!
4) This is more of a warning, than a tip so to speak. There are many companies out there that promise to deliver you an XX amount of 'Likes' to your Facebook Page, for a specific amount of money. We do not recommend using this type of service to gain fans. While your fan base may increase from a service like this, you must remember that these are paid 'Likes' and not natural. This means that they are usually only temporary 'Likes' and do not last long term because they are not people who are genuinely interested in your business. If they are not really interested in your business or area of business, its likely you are not going to benefit from having them as your fan. The principle here is that you have no idea who you are getting for your money. They are just people being paid a very small affiliate fee to 'Like' your Page. I can think of a million other areas to better spend your advertising dollars in, can you?
DID YOU KNOW?
- Facebook users can 'Like' your Page from their cell phone. Have them send a text message to 32665 (FBOOK) with the words likeyourpagename in the body of the message. (Of course you will need to replace yourpagename with the actual name of your page) This is a great way to gain 'Likes' in a simple manner.
- After your Page has gained 25 'Likes', you can choose your very own custom URL for your Page such as
- When posting about another business or brand, you can insert the @ sign followed by that persons name and your post will also appear on their page. This is a useful feature similar to what we see on Twitter.
- You can now post on other people's pages as your Page. To activate this feature, find the Account tab at the top right corner of your Page. When the tab expands, select 'Use as Page'. This is the feature you will want to use anytime you want to 'Like' a page or comment on a page as your business.
- According to many professional studies we have seen posted on the Internet, making your posts before noon is more beneficial than other times of the day. These posts get more interaction from fans and visitors. Additionally, Wednesdays have shown to be the busiest day of the week for fan interaction, with weekends the least busiest. So keep these facts in mind when you schedule your postings.
- You can import your RSS Feeds directly into your Facebook Page. There is a free application located on Facebook called Social RSS and is worth searching for. This is a great way to help cross promote your sites.
Building an awesome Facebook Page for your business requires patience and dedication. With time, your Page can grow substantially and prove to be a very valuable asset to your business.
If you have any questions about this guide and the information contained within, please feel free to contact My Office Sidekick for assistance!
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