Why Should I List My Business on Facebook?
Facebook is a social networking website with a user base of 1.2 billion people. 92% of business searches on social media happen on Facebook. Facebook pages often show up higher in search results than custom websites, so claiming your Facebook page is one of the best ways to maximize your web presence. Below, you will find a step-by-step guide on how to create and claim your business’ Facebook page.
Create and Claim Your Facebook Page: A Step-By-Step Guide
- Before claiming your business’ page, you must have a personal Facebook account. To create an account, go to: www.facebook.com/signup.
- Once you have a personal Facebook page go to: www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to create and claim your business page. The distinction between a personal and business Facebook page is important since a business Facebook page has more features than a personal page. A business Facebook page displays hours, ratings, maps, and allows users to “like” your business. Additionally, once 30 people like your page, you are granted access to Facebook Insights. This allows you to see the number of people that your post reached, the number of people who clicked your post, and the number of people who liked, commented on, or shared your post.
- Choose “Local Business or Place”.
- Enter your address.
- Fill in your information and add a photo. Be sure to add a photo that customers will recognize – using a logo here is a great idea.
- Claim your page.
- Claim a vanity URL. When you first setup your page, Facebook will give you a long, unwieldy URL. Once your page reaches 25 likes, you are able claim your own unique Facebook URL. So, instead of reading: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Best-Salon/81279102846, you can make your url: http://www.facebook.com/TheBestSalon.
Once you have claimed your Facebook page, keeping an active presence is key. Update your page with an engaging cover photo – use it as a virtual storefront by uploading a picture of your actual storefront.
By updating your page frequently with news, and by engaging with other businesses and customers, your business can gain an impressive Facebook following. Facebook has also recently introduced Graph Search – a search function that allows people to find businesses by searching for “Hair salons that my friends like”. This makes it increasingly important that your business is discoverable on Facebook.