Getting started with a Facebook Business Page

Facebook is the perfect place for you to not only show the world your brand image, but to also engage with your current customers and attract new ones! This blog will take you through the steps to create a professional business Facebook page.

Step 1: Create a personal Facebook (if you don't already have one)

If you already have Facebook then you can skip this step. Otherwise you will need a personal Facebook page in order to create a business page. You can do this here - https://www.facebook.com. Enter in all your details and hit go!

Step 2: Make a Business page

Using a business page on Facebook looks a lot more professional than using a personal page. Not only this, but you get additional tools which will help you with the development of your brand. You can make your Facebook business page here - https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.

Step 3: Use your logo for your profile picture

You may already have a logo, however if you don't have one yet you could use an app like 'Canva' to create one. Most of the Canva app is free to use and you can get some great results from the free graphics and fonts they have available. Whatever you use to design it, make it 180x180 pixels to ensure the whole image fits in well on your new business page!

If you don't feel confident making your own, you could pay for one. Check out Etsy for graphic designers. Not only is this cost effective for your start-up, but this is also a great way to support other small business owners. Tip: You can filter your search on Etsy to only show products made in Gateshead or the North East. This is a great way to link in with local talent.

Step 4: Complete your 'About' section  

Change your username so that customers can easily find you. This will automatically change your Facebook URL to www.facebook.com/'your username'.  You can do this by clicking 'edit' next to Username. I would suggest naming your Facebook business page the same name as your business. Don't worry if this is already taken. Why not try adding 'UK' or 'NE' to the end of the name.

Add your contact details so customers can easily get in touch with you. A Facebook business page is a great place to communicate with customers and to receive reviews, and to also drive traffic to your website. Make it easy for your customers to find your online store by linking in your website.

At the bottom of your 'About' page, you can add more about what you do. You can also insert products and menus. The more information you can provide for your customers, the better!

Step 5: Add a description to your page

Your description is limited to 155 characters and shows up in search results on search engines like Google. Think about what customers may be searching for. Key words in your description will make your page more likely to appear at the top of the search engine. If you are a dog groomer in Felling, you may want to add key words such as "Dog Groomer" "Felling" "Pet care" etc.

Step 6: Further Support

If you want more support to improve your social media presence, contact us today and one of our advisors can help you with our start-up programme 'Enterprise Support in the North East 2', which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Written by Lauren Errington - Business Enterprise Advisor at Business Gateshead.