Facebook Page for Business: A Simple Setup Checklist

A Facebook Page for business is the free, public home your company can have on Facebook, separate from anyone's personal profile. Setting one up takes about an hour. This checklist covers what to do, who to give access to, and which numbers to read first.

Page or profile: pick the right one

A personal profile is for a person. A Page is for a business, a brand, a shop or an organisation. Do not run your company from your own profile. In 2009, Facebook proposed rules that bar people from using a personal profile for their own commercial gain. It pointed commercial posts toward Pages instead.

A Page also has real advantages for a small firm. Anyone can see it and like it without sending a friend request. You do not have to hand out your private profile to customers. Several staff members can help run it, and your own profile stays out of sight.

Create the Page while you are logged in to your own account. The account is only the key. It does not appear on the Page unless you choose to post as yourself.

Sources: TechCrunch, "Facebook Proposes To Ban Sponsored Status Updates," August 11, 2009 (techcrunch.com/2009/08/11/facebook-proposes-to-ban-sponsored-status-updates).

Set up the basics

Work through these items in order. Each one is quick.

• Choose the category that fits your business best, such as local business, company or brand.
• Use your real business name. Customers search by name, so match what is on your sign and your receipts.
• Write a short description. Say what you sell, where you are and how to reach you.
• Add your address, phone number, opening hours and website if you have one.
• Upload a clear picture, such as your logo, and a cover photo that shows your shop, product or team.

Before you invite anyone, read the Page as a stranger would. Check spelling, check the phone number and check that the name matches your other materials. A Page with missing details looks unfinished, and a visitor may leave.

Post a few useful updates before you promote the Page. A new product, a price list or a photo of your latest work is enough to start. Ask friends, staff and regular customers to like it first, so a new visitor sees a Page that is already active.

Give your team the right roles

Do not share your password. Facebook lets you give each helper a role instead. In 2012, Facebook introduced five admin roles for Pages. Each role adds to the one before it.

Role	What it can do
Insights Analyst	View Insights
Advertiser	View Insights and create ads
Moderator	Everything above, plus reply to comments, delete comments and send messages as the Page
Content Creator	Everything above, plus post as the Page, edit the Page and add apps
Manager	Everything above, plus manage admin roles

Keep the Manager role for yourself and one trusted partner. That way the Page survives if one person leaves. Give a part-time helper only the role needed for the job. A staff member who answers comments does not need to edit the Page.

To add someone, open your Page's admin panel and look for the Admin Roles setting. Review the list every few months. Remove anyone who no longer works with you.

Sources: Jon Loomer, "Facebook Launches 5 Levels of Page Admin Roles," May 31, 2012 (jonloomer.com/facebook-launches-5-levels-of-page-admin-roles).

Read Insights without getting lost

Insights is the free report that comes with every Page. It shows how people respond to what you post. You do not need every chart. Start with four numbers.

• Total Likes: everyone who has liked the Page so far. New Likes and Unlikes show the change over a chosen period.
• Reach: the number of unique people who saw anything linked to your Page, including posts and any ads that led people to it.
• People Talking About This: the number of unique people who created a story about your Page. That includes liking, commenting on or sharing a post, or tagging the Page.
• Engaged Users: the number of people who clicked anywhere on one of your posts.

Look at these once a week, on the same day. Ask one plain question each time. Which post got the most reach, and which got the most talk? Then post more like the winner. Posts that earned few clicks are a hint to change the picture, the wording or the time of day.

Insights also lets you export your data to a spreadsheet, which helps if you want to keep your own records over several months.

Sources: Practical Ecommerce, "25 Helpful Facebook Insights Definitions," September 19, 2013 (practicalecommerce.com/25-helpful-facebook-insights-definitions); Jon Loomer, "How to Use Facebook Page Insights," November 28, 2011 (jonloomer.com/how-to-use-facebook-page-insights).

A weekly routine that fits a small business

A Page works when it is kept up. Pick a routine you can really keep. Three short posts a week beat a burst of ten followed by silence.

• Monday: post a product, a service or a price.
• Wednesday: share a photo from your shop or your day.
• Friday: answer questions and thank people who commented.

Reply to every comment and message in a friendly, plain tone. A quick answer shows customers that a real person runs the business. Put your Page address on your shop sign, receipts, business cards and website so customers can find it.

Finally, keep your Page honest. Describe your products as they really are. Do not make promises you cannot keep. Delete spam comments, and respond to complaints in public with a calm offer to fix the problem.

If you follow this checklist, you will have a complete Page, a safe team setup and a simple way to see what works. Review it each month, and change one thing at a time.

Sources

• TechCrunch, "Facebook Proposes To Ban Sponsored Status Updates," August 11, 2009.
• Jon Loomer, "Facebook Launches 5 Levels of Page Admin Roles," May 31, 2012.
• Jon Loomer, "How to Use Facebook Page Insights," November 28, 2011.
• Practical Ecommerce, "25 Helpful Facebook Insights Definitions," September 19, 2013.