There was a time, back when Lindsay Lohan was still employable and AOL used to send out CDs by the palette – that having a Facebook business page wasn’t required.
Oh, how things have changed.
Today having a Facebook business page is as vital as having a shoe box for your company receipts.
So here’s a quick primer on how to create a Facebook business page that doesn’t suck and will actually make you money:
Facebook Business Page Question #1: Do I REALLY need a Facebook business page?
Yes. You really need a Facebook business page.
Not only do customers expect/demand that your business or company have some kind of Facebook presence. (Oh, how entitled they’ve become.)
But often times your Facebook business page will rank ABOVE your own website in the search-engine rankings. (How frustrating is that?)
And then there is the fact that with the skyrocketing costs of online advertising – yes, I’m looking straight at you Google Adwords – that having a Facebook Fan page can be the quickest, cheapest and most effective portal to affordable, targeted leads.
Facebook Business Page Question #2: What do I NEED to create a Facebook business page?
Basically you’re going to need the following:
1) A schnazzy-looking timeline cover photo. (This is the BIG one at the very top.) The dimensions for this photo are 851×315. (If you SUCK at graphic design, like I do, then head over to a site like Fiverr. and fork over the five bucks to get somebody to create it for you. (Be sure to include pictures of people and/or your company tagline.)
2) A profile picture of you or some other human on your team. This is the thumbnail that will be appended to all your Facebook page activity. (And it’s really important.) The dimensions for this piece of Facebook awesomeness is 180×180. (Tip: BE sure the pic is a close-up; if the subject of the photo is too far away it won’t work quite as well.)
3) A landing page or some destination on your website or blog where you collect email addresses. (This assumes that you have some mechanism for collecting email addresses, such as an autoresponder service like MailChimp or Aweber.) If you don’t have this yet, STOP what you’re doing right now. And go sign up! (It’ll be worth its weight in gold.)
4) A list of cool accomplishments your business has achieved (and the dates these were accomplished.) These will be added to your timeline as milestones. I have no idea why people find these interesting, but they do. Of special interest is always behind-the-scenes pictures and videos. (Start collecting them company event pictures and USE them to drive some kick-ass activity on your Facebook biz page.
5) Come up with a COOL name for your Facebook business page. Not as easy as it sounds. It MIGHT be your business name, but maybe not. Check out what the competition is doing and see what stands out to you.
Facebook Business Page Question #3: What do I do to get started?
Real simple. Here’s what you do:
1) Head over to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. Click on “create a page,” then choose “Brand or Product.” (Do not choose “Local Business or Place.” You will have a lot less control down the line if you do.)
2) Fill in all basic info. This includes the “About” section. (Be sure to use keywords in your description.) Uploading a profile picture and selecting your unique name for your page.
3) Once you’ve created your page, hover over the BIG timeline photo and click on the “pencil” icon. There you can upload your new Cover photo. (Ya know, the one that looks awesome and totally kick-ass.)
4) Add some content to your naked Facebook page. Share some videos, upload some photos, put in some milestones. (Remember: we talked about those.) Get in the habit of sharing stuff before you worry about…
Facebook Business Page Question #4: How Do I Get Legions of Fans and Rule the World and Make Lots of Money?
Let’s start with the legion of fans first. (And then work our way up to ruling the world.)
Getting the fans is surprisingly easy. (Or at least easier than you might think.) Here are a couple of the most effective ways:
1) Put a “Like box” on your website. (This is a piece of code you throw onto your site that shows visitors which of THEIR friends have “liked” your page. Peer pressure is awesome.)
2) Put a “Like us on Facebook” link anywhere you can think of. (Your email signature, YouTube channel, Twitter profile…even your brick and mortar store.)
3) Run a Facebook contest. Ya gotta tread a little carefully here – as Facebook has some Draconian terms of service. (Which is why I use a killer 3rd party tool like Wishpond to handle all the heavy lifting.) You do have to come up with a halfway decent prize, but this is often the quickest, best way to boost your fan base.
4) Create “Like ads.” These are the cheapest, and often most effective types of Facebook ads. (Simply click on the “create ad” button on your page.) Choose “Fans” of your competitors’ pages for the most bang for your buck.
Facebook Business Page Question #5: Okay, I got fans. But HOW do I make money from my fans?
Ah…there’s the (Facebook) rub.
That’s because these days Facebook is pretty much a pay-to-play system. Meaning you gotta “pay” in the forms of engagement boost ads in order to have nearly ANY of your fans see your stuff.
And while this may appear to be bad news, and it is, it does force us to be focused in our Facebook marketing costs by:
a) Sending out actual content humans want. Not schmaltzy sales-y shit.
b) Always be trying to convert “fans” into “leads.”
And the BEST way (still) I know how to do this is by getting your facebook fans on your email list.
Again and again in all of your Facebook marketing goodness try to drive fans to one of the following:
1) A page on your blog or site (which conveniently enough has an email opt-in form)
2) A customized Facebook app (where fans can sign up for your email list right on Facebook)
THIS is how you make money on Facebook. Yes, you could send people to a salespage. And yes you could try to direct fans over to some splashy web page that offers them something to sell.
But…
…with the cost of engagement only growing it’s important you go for the small victory now. (Such as an email opt-in.) Which sets you up for the much bigger victory later. (And after all ain’t that exactly what business is all about anyway.)
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