Why do I need a Facebook page for my business?
Facebook Page or Profile?
I see many businesses wrongly set up on Facebook, and as per the above example, this can end in disaster. Would you be happy if this happened to your business?
If you want your business to have a presence on Facebook, you MUST use a Page.
Read Facebook’s explanation of how Pages differ from personal profiles.
Pages have functionality far more suited to business use than do personal profiles; for one thing an individual can only have a maximum of 500 friends, whereas there is no limit to the number of “Likes” a Page can have. It’s possible to customise a Page with various apps so that it almost functions like a mini-website – you can add videos, contact forms, even online shops – none of which is possible on a personal profile. Even better, once you have over 30 likes, you gain access to Page Insights – powerful analytics giving you useful feedback into how your page is performing. Oh – and you also get instructions on how to add widgets such as Facebook Like and Send buttons, a Like Box or your actual page feed, to your website or blog. None of this is possible via a personal profile.
Here are some examples of creative Facebook business Pages:
Coca Cola
Cupcake Chic
Spotlight Graphic Design
Nightwish -one of my favourite bands!
Note also the photo strip at the top of the pages (visible when you like the page) – this can be customised too. Here’s an example (click image to enlarge):
Involver -creator of Facebook apps
Has this convinced you that a Facebook Page is the way to go for your business? Do you have any other great examples of Pages? Let me know in the comments. And if you like this post, please share it on your favourite social media platforms!
About Naomi JohnsonNaomi is a freelance digital media consultant and coach living in north Notts. She also dabbles in web design and SEO. As a hobby, she has been involved with breeding, showing and judging pedigree cats for many years. A Fairtrade supporter, Naomi promotes the use of eco friendly/organic products wherever possible. Follow Naomi on Twitter and Facebook
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4 Responses to Why do I need a Facebook page for my business?
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I have always been in a quondry as to have a profile for business or Like page….i understand if i am correct that the search engines ‘prefer’ like pages?? Maybe you could advise?
Also how is it best to get Likes?? and can you tag people from a lik page?
Look forward to your replies
Helen
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Twitter: MaxWellnessUK
Hi Helen, thanks for taking time to comment – I think a lot of people would ask the same questions! It is actually against Facebook’s Terms & Conditions to use a personal profile for promoting a business – as per the example quoted at the start of my post, you could lose your profile without any warning. A Page has a lot more features and functionality, making it suitable for business use. If you use keywords in your Page’s “about” and “info” sections then this will help to get it found by search engines.
As for getting “likes” – don’t expect it to happen overnight, but if you regularly post helpful and useful information, interact with people, ask questions, post photos and videos, you should see the numbers go up gradually. You don’t have to “like” a page to comment on it now, so if your likers share your content, you might find some of their friends come over and like your page too. You can ask all your friends to like your page when you first set it up – and indeed at any time, but I wouldn’t advise being too pushy about it
You can’t tag people from a Page unless you are already friends with them. You can however tag other Pages.
Naomi Johnson recently posted..The Future of Social Media?
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Thank you for sharing this article.
It’s becoming more and more clear that FB is necessary for business, but what puts me off having a Page, which it seems I’d need to have, is that Pages are I believe, always available to be seen by everyone – I liked the old fashioned customer confidentiality….of course I can choose what I post, but it’s not the same. I guess it’s a trade off, for what you’d possibly gain perhaps.
hi Karen, thanks for your comments. The major thing with Facebook is the sheer size of it – 800 million users, half the population of the UK – I’m sure you’ve seen the statistics…… every business has customers who are active on Facebook, they could be complaining about you and telling their friends – so you really need to be listening
A Facebook Page is good for customer relations.
Another thing to bear in mind is that if you can’t be found on social networks, potential clients are very likely to end up with a competitor who is highly visible online.
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Twitter: NJJSocialMedia