How to Set Up Your Facebook Business Page

When it comes to promoting a business, we can’t wait to share our websites, pictures, and product information with all of our friends on Facebook. But just like I teach you to keep your personal and business bank accounts separate, it’s a good idea to do the same with your Facebook accounts.

There are so many advantages to having your own Facebook business page—and not blowing up your friends’ feeds is just one of them. When you have a Facebook business account (which is free, by the way!), you get access to Facebook’s:

• Insights—a powerful tool to track who’s engaging with your brand and what they are doing
• Instant Replies—an automatic messaging system so you can “greet” a potential client as soon as they message you
• Advertising—arguably one of the most targeted ways to market your business there is, no matter how much you have in your marketing budget

And perhaps most importantly, a Facebook business page is one of the most direct connections you can have with your customers for customer service, testing the market with new products, and building a relationship with them.

The Marketing Funnel

The goal of all your marketing efforts is to help people get to know, like and trust you—because we buy from those who we know, like and trust. The way you build that trust is by creating a marketing funnel.

Every business goes through five distinct stages. Find out which stage your business is in with our free assessment.

The purpose of a marketing funnel is to bring people who are in your target market in from the top of the funnel and nurture a relationship with them. That way, over time, they move their way down through the funnel.

These top-of-funnel leads don’t know you—they haven’t heard of your business and they don’t know what you can do for them. But after seeing a post (or several) of yours on social media, they just might “like” or “follow” you. When they do, congratulations! You’ve successfully brought someone into your funnel.

Each level of the funnel has a different marketing method, so your funnel could look something like this:

The deeper someone gets in your marketing funnel, the warmer the lead. By the time they’re at the end, they know, like and trust you—and they’re ready to buy!

Where Your Facebook Business Page Fits In

Facebook is a free, easy way to get people into your funnel and interested in what you have to offer. Right now, there are over 1.45 billion people actively using Facebook every day—so whoever your target market is, they’re likely to be on Facebook.⁽¹⁾ These are your top-of-funnel people! But they can’t find your business if it isn’t there, so that’s why we’re going to walk through creating your Facebook business account.

Six Essential Steps to Setting Up Your Facebook Business Account

Step 1: Create a page.

Facebook gives you the option to set up your business page as a business or brand, or a community or public figure. Get started by clicking here.

Step 2: Name your page.

This should match the name of your business. You’ll also be prompted to choose a business category. You can only choose one category, and once you start typing, Facebook will suggest business types associated with that word. For example, if you start typing “event,” you’ll get options for “event planner,” “event venue,” “event videographer,” and more.

Step 3: Upload a profile picture.

This should be your logo, a photo of yourself, or a photo of what you do. For example, if you’re a public speaker, use a clear headshot of yourself (like I do). If you run a gourmet bakery, use one of your best cupcakes shots. And if you’re on multiple platforms in addition to Facebook, keep your profile image the same across all platforms. 

Step 4: Upload a cover photo.

Pages with cover photos get more likes and visits, and you can use this space to your advantage by switching it out depending on what specials or promotions you’re running. The dimensions for a Facebook business page cover photo are currently 828 x 315, 72dpi. You’ll need that information to give to a graphic designer or if you do your own photo editing.

Step 5: Write your page description.

Your page description might be the first bit of copy your potential followers will read about you in the About section of your page. You only have 155 characters in the description section, so make them count! There is also a larger space for you to tell “Our Story.” When you fill this out, just remember what my friend Donald Miller says: “You are not the hero of your brand’s story. Your customer is.” Use this as an opportunity to tell people how your product or service can solve their problems, not to go on and on about yourself.

Step 6: Add a call-to-action.

You’ll want to add a call-to-action button that directs your visitors to do something, like visit your website, schedule an appointment, or sign up for your email list. It’s an opportunity to get them further down your marketing funnel! This call-to-action appears near the top-right, immediately below your cover photo. Facebook makes it super simple to add this, and you can follow their quick step-by-step instructions here.

Once you’ve completed these six steps, you’re off to a strong start! There are many, many other features you can play around with on your page, and the type of business you have will determine which ones you use.

And now your business page is connected to your personal Facebook account. Anytime you want to access your business page, just click the dropdown arrow in the upper-right corner of your Facebook screen. Your new business account is there waiting for you.

Using Your Facebook Business Page to Increase Sales

So, once you’ve got your Facebook business account, created your page, and have some followers, how do you build that trust and convert them into paying customers? How do you increase engagement? How do you get the likes, comments and—social media gold—shares?

It's hard to start a business, and it’s hard to keep it up and running while you’re in the trenches. But here’s the thing: You don’t have to be on this journey alone. With the right training and support, you can create a successful business—and you don’t need a degree to make it happen. 

For the complete plan on how to start or grow a business and make money doing what you love, pick up a copy of Business Boutique.