Anyone who hasn’t been hiding under a rock knows that social media is not just for consumers anymore. While many companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon, a few still have not committed just yet. For those outstanding companies, getting started on Facebook can seem like a daunting task. If you find yourself in this category, here are a few guidelines to help you get started:
- Set-up a separate email and account – Most people have a personal Facebook page, but we don’t recommend launching your company’s page from your personal account. It’s best to keep these separate to avoid any mishaps. Therefore, set-up an email account such as [email protected] and use it to create an account and page for your business.
- Prepare all the content ahead of time – Rather than going into Facebook and creating your “about us,” “product information” and other information on the fly, we recommend creating a Word document that outlines everything you’ll need, so it will be easy to upload when you are ready. This information should include your company’s short and concise background, website, key products and descriptions, avatar, etc.
- Don’t forget about images and videos – Be sure to have a few photos and images to include at your Facebook Page’s launch. This will make the page look more “used” and will make people feel assured that you’ll update regularly. We suggest using product logos, screenshots and video demos, if available.
- Have regular content updates ready – When getting started, it’s a good idea to have a few posts ready to go. Do you have a blog you can point people to? Do you have other social media accounts you can link to? People follow companies on Facebook to get information, so be sure you have a steady stream ready to go. However, don’t over-post either. Updating 3-4 times a week is sufficient, unless you have something very important to share.
- Flag any duplicate pages – Often when a company isn’t on Facebook, other users may create unofficial pages for your company. If there are other pages for your company, you can flag them as a duplicate, if you want. We recommend not flagging fan groups or those that are clearly not mistaken for the official page.
- Publicize the page – Once you have your company’s page up and running, share that page with your employees and relevant friends, and ask them to do the same. We recommend developing a short company-wide email blast to achieve this – with your Facebook page’s URL included, so they can easily “like” it. Also, highlight your new page on your other social media sites, if you have them, such as Twitter or your corporate blog.
- Reserve your custom URL – Once you have more than 25 “likes,” you can request a customized URL such as www.facebook.com/yourcompany. We highly recommend taking this step to help improve the searchability. You can do this in the editing page under “Basic Information.”
We wish you the best of luck launching and maintaining your company’s Facebook page! Remember to keep the content fresh and the tone as informal as you’re able. The beauty of social media is that consumers feel a human connection to your company, so don’t get too bogged down in formal language.
Do you have any other Facebook tips or best practices to share? Let us know in the comments.