Facebook Fan Pages for Social Media Challenged Business Owners

Facebook is a social media outlet that can really help business owners connect with their customers. With over a billion users worldwide, Facebook (FB) has become instrumental in today’s business.

Did you know that according to Business, Inc., over 50% of social media users check out a company’s FB profile before making a major purchase decision? If so many people are checking you out, FB is a great platform to spread the news via word of mouth marketing or letting customers and potential customers know about your upcoming special events.

So why isn’t your business on Facebook?

Maybe you’ve never used social media before. You might be intimidated by technology or afraid to ask how to create a business page because you could be perceived as behind the times.

No worries. It’s really easy for businesses to create a fan page, but you have to know how to do it, especially if you have never used FB before.

So what will you need?

First you will need an individual account. If you already have one, great. If not, go to the Facebook home site and create your account by registering your email and only the required data.

Next, you want to build your fan page. Choose the Create Page icon at the top, and get started. You will be prompted what type of business you are. Choose this one with care.

Don’t worry that your personal page that you have kept private will be broadcast publicly over your Fan Page. It doesn’t work that way.

Once you’re in, get your page to reflect your business by immediately changing your cover. A FB cover is very similar to your website’s header. Your header’s main function is to provide visual appeal and invite your visitors to explore your website.

Your Facebook cover does the same thing. You can use the header graphic from your website if you want, or go for a different feel by creating a new cover photo. Just remember that the height of your photo must be 270 pixels, so you will most likely need to resize your website’s header if you elect to use it.

Now set your restrictions. The Edit Page at the top of your fan page will let you do this. Choose Edit Settings at the top of the page.

1. Make sure that you have left country restrictions blank
2. Check your age restrictions which are dependent on the nature of your business
3. Check your posting ability, post visibility, and tagging ability
4. Make sure Replies is checked to allow people to comment on your posts

Make your first FB post next. You can provide a link to your most recent blog post, promote a business special, give information about one of your most popular products, or answer a question.

Make sure that you optimize your posts for your keywords. Don’t use a blog or article verbatim when you “write something” for your business’s timeline. Public FB posts are indexed by the search engines, so you want to make sure that when you “write something” is original content. It doesn’t have to be long, 100 to 200 words will do.

Now you’re ready to invite folks to see your page. You can write an announcement about a new way to connect with your business, using your newsletter subscriptions or email contacts. Encourage people to provide feedback and like and Share your page.

It’s that easy. Now what’s your excuse for not having a Facebook presence?

(Directory One, a Houston SEO firm, has social media experts. Call them and have the fan page you’ve always envisioned.)