Can you afford to ignore Facebook? With 500 million active users, of which 50% log on every day, it is a medium you will ignore at your peril.

But to many people there is confusion in relation to business pages, fan pages and personal profiles – and how does a business start?

First – fan pages are now business pages – they are one and the same.

So how do I create business page?

You first start with a personal profile. This should be set up by someone in the company, though you must retain control of it, should they leave the company.

This profile will be used to “spawn” the business page. I would recommend setting up an email address specifically for your Facebook page. This will give you access to all your information updates, accumulated fans, etc.

Why set up a personal profile first? – Because it is the way Facebook works. It is setting up a platform for your business to launch. It also is a good way to think of your business as a person, since it will be interacting with people as opposed to a corporate identity or a faceless (excuse the pun) charity.

From your new “personal” account, you can then create the business page –www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. you will then go to the Facebook Business Page creation tool to make your new page.

Under the heading “Official Page” look for “Create a Page for a:” and then select “local business.” Enter your page name. The name you choose for your Facebook Business Page will appear at the top of your finished page. Use proper capitalisation of your true company name, as that is what will appear in the Facebook page.

Once you clíck create, the next page you see will be your brand new Facebook Business Page. It is that simple. Later, after you’ve had 25 people “Like” your page, you will be able to select a vanity URL, but we’ll talk about that later.

When you have set up your Facebook Business Page, you should “freeze” the personal profile that was used to create your Business Page. Alter the privacy settings in the personal account to not show your personal information to others who are not “approved” friends.

The profile that you set up for your business, should be different to your personal profile. It is not recommended that you mix the messages between the two profiles.

What are the benefits of a Business Page?

There are many benefits, not least the fact that without a Facebook profile you will miss out on the opportunities your competitors are enjoying.

  • The ability to contact all people who “Like” you with special offers, newsletters, etc
  • Interact with fans or people who like you similar to a forum,
  • Set up events and invite fans to attend,
  • Create specialized welcome and shopping pages.
  • Links to your blog and twitter accounts
  • Real-time feedback with live interaction with clients and prospects

Your business page is an extension of your website and is tailored directly to people’s individual wants and needs.

Create an easy to remember business page

When you have 25 people who “Like” your Page, you can select a short easy name to promote on your website and business card. Your Business Page goes from something like

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150097137385337#!/3rmarketing  to something like this http://www.facebook.com/3Rmarketing  just visit this linkwww.facebook.com/username. You can have real name URLs for both your personal account and Business Page.

This is a one off creation, once created, you cannot change your business URL.

Tips for interacting with fans

You can use many media on your Facebook page, like Photographs, Videos, Podcasts, Articles, etc.

Keep your posts short and interesting and imbed the links to the more detailed information.  Do not sell too much. Provide useful information. The more you give your readers, the more they will come back, and if they want what you have to offer, they will buy from you.

Conclusion

With 500 million users worldwide and nearly 2 million users in Ireland, Facebook has become an essential business tool. Business that do not embrace this form of social media online marketing will suffer the consequences. Those that embrace it will be well positioned to find what customers want and give it to them.
Peter Lawless, Founder of 3R, Online Marketing Specialists

“Peter came into an exceptional line up of professional international speakers and shone as a versatile, dynamic and well-prepared MC.” – Gary McGeown, Empire Events Ireland, ThinkAndGetRichBootCamp.com

A charismatic and powerful speaker, TV & Radio Presenter, Trainer and Coach, Peter has been likened to a European Tony Robbins.

With 25 years of passionate belief in people, he started off as a college lecturer before rising through the ranks to run the European sales and marketing division of a US multinational, then moving on to drive two start-ups to multi-million companies. In 2004, discarding the corporate world, Peter Launched 3R, a sales and marketing consultancy for SMEs and has since helped countless thousands unleash their full potential to achieve their dreams.