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  

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 need to add details 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. It will ensure your content is current and relevant. For example, you could relate your posts to holidays, current events like Christmas, or international sporting events like the Olympics. A useful tool is Meta Business Suite. It lets you manage your business's presence on Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram in one place.

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.

Verifying 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.

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 X, 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, using hashtags sparingly and only when they make sense is important.

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