With nearly 2 billion active users, Facebook is the largest social network in the world. Because of its extensive reach, it is essential for brands to be on the network. Don't worry if you aren't sure how to start because, in this Social Media 101 post, I will walk you through the process of creating a Facebook Business Page for your brand.
To get started, visit this page while logged into your personal Facebook account. You can also find this page by clicking the down arrow at the top right corner of any Facebook page and clicking "Create Page"
Once there, select the category that most closely aligns with your business:, Local Business or Place; Company, Organization or Institution; Brand or Product; Artist, Band or Public Figure; Entertainment; Cause or Community. While these are the broad categories Facebook uses to organize pages, there will be opportunities to get more specific about your target audience in the next step.
On the next page, write a description of your brand page. This will be seen by Facebook users navigating to the page and impact your search rankings within Facebook, so make sure you are clearly explaining what your business offers and including key terms that identify your brand. Additionally, be sure to include your website.
Finally, you are able to select a custom URL for your Facebook page, which is recommended for ease of access and branding purposes.
The next step in the process can be the easiest or the hardest-selecting a profile picture for your page. You can either upload something directly or import something from another website. If you have a logo or other photo that is representative of your brand then you should use it here.
After this, you have the ability to add your page to your favorites list on the sidebar so you can easily navigate to it upon logging into Facebook.
Finally, we have the Preferred Page Audience options. This step is key to getting your page and content in front of your target audience. First, you can define your audience based on location. You can go as narrow or as wide as you would like with this, specific addresses, zip codes, cities, states, or countries. You are also able to set the age range, gender, and language of your preferred audience.
On top of those audience features, there is also the ability to narrow your audience down based on their interests. These interests are based on what information users have included in their profiles, as well as the content and pages they have engaged with on Facebook. Just like the other options, you are able to take this as narrow or as wide as you would like. The one thing to remember when filling this section out is that the more specific you get in any field does narrow your audience so be sure about what you are looking for when filling it out.
There you have it, your Facebook Page is ready to go. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the options available to customize your Page. Take the time and head to your page where you can continue to customize and change things up. Add a cover photo or a call to action. Invite people to like the page. This is just the beginning and we have a number of guides available. If you have any questions about building your page or another topic you would like to see covered on Social Media 101 let me know in the comments.