With nearly 2 billion daily active users, Facebook is one of the most visited websites and the largest social media platform in the world. But it’s not just popular among the masses of everyday people—over 200 million small businesses have Facebook business pages. So, if your company doesn’t have a business page, it’s time to open a Facebook business account!
The good news is that you don’t have to be especially tech-savvy to open an account. In fact, opening a business account on Facebook can be accomplished in just a matter of minutes. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about creating your company’s Facebook business account.
Why you should open a Facebook business account
There are plenty of articles online that claim Facebook is on its way out. However, that’s not a good reason not to create a business Facebook page—after all, attracting some of those 2 billion daily active users could do wonders for your business. Here are a few of the top reasons to have a business account:
- Grow your audience organically: We can’t guarantee that your business’s messages will reach all 1.968 billion people on the site. That said, posting on Facebook allows you to share your thoughts and spread your message organically to new audience members.
- Promote your business with paid ads: Facebook also lets business owners promote their company with ads. Thanks to Facebook’s algorithm, these ads will only be displayed to Facebook users who are more likely to be interested in your business. Better still, they’re easy to set up and are much more cost effective than traditional advertising techniques.
- Create a Facebook shop: If you’re a retailer and are having trouble making sales through your website, set up a Facebook shop! Facebook makes it easy to sell your goods online without having to rely solely on users visiting your website.
- Improve your SEO: Getting the aforementioned website traffic is all about your search engine optimization (SEO). The more links from your website you share on your Facebook page, the more likely your website is to appear near the top of search results on search engines like Google and Bing. Needless to say, the higher you rank on those websites, the more likely users are to visit your page.
How to make a business account on Facebook
As we mentioned above, learning how to make a business account on Facebook is about as easy as it gets. After all, Facebook wants more businesses on the platform, so the website is designed to be easy to use. Follow these tips to open a Facebook business account:
Create a new business page
The first step in making a business Facebook page is selecting “Pages” from the left-hand menu. Click the button that says “+ Create New Page.” You’ll need to be logged into your personal Facebook account to access this menu, so if you don’t already have a personal account, you’ll need to make one.
Name your page
Next, you’ll need to name your page. This name will show up any time you comment on or like other users’ posts, make your own posts, or do anything else on the platform. So, the page should have the same name as your business. One thing to keep in mind is that using all capitals for page names is against Facebook’s guidelines. If your business name is stylized in all caps, you’ll need to alter it for Facebook.
Choose page categories
Facebook allows business owners to select up to three different categories under which their company falls, such as “local business,” “food/grocery,” “restaurant/cafe,” “shopping/retail,” or “bank.” This step helps increase your page’s visibility because the Facebook algorithm is more likely to show your posts to users whose interests fall under any of these categories. The first category you select will show up under your page name, so be sure to choose the most relevant category first.
Provide a page description
How would you give an elevator pitch about your business? Well, now’s the time to do it online! Your Facebook page description must provide a quick synopsis of your business in less than 255 characters. Make sure to be accurate about the services you offer, because users will see this description any time they visit your page. When you’re done with this step, click the “Create Page” button to move on.
Add a profile picture
The next step in opening a business account on Facebook is making your account stand out with a profile picture. To add a profile picture, simply click the camera icon and follow the instructions for uploading an image. Profile pictures should be your business’s logo and must be at least 180 x 180 pixels, but we recommend using an image that’s at least 360 x 360 pixels for best results.
Add a cover image
Your profile picture should be your logo, but you should upload a cover photo to make your business page stand out from the crowd. You have a lot of options here—a retail store might display a photo of its products, whereas a hotel or tourist destination might choose an amazing aerial drone shot of its property, or a service-oriented business might include a picture of an interaction between an employee and a customer. These images must be at least 400 x 150 pixels, but images that are 1640 x 614 pixels are clearer. Easily upload a cover photo by clicking the “Edit” button located in the cover photo section of the page.
Customize your call-to-action button
Every business page has a call-to-action (CTA) button that appears below the cover photo and follows a user as they scroll down the page. You want a user to interact with your company when you open a Facebook business account—now’s the time to make that happen. Click the “Edit Action” button and select the CTA that best fits your needs. Some businesses simply want a larger audience, so they choose the “Follow” button, while others get more users to call their store with the “Call Now” button.
Claim your unique username
Making a unique username is one of the most important steps when you create a business Facebook. This username shows up below your page name and is included in your URL. Facebook will otherwise automatically assign you a random username that doesn’t help identify your business and is hard for users to remember. Ideally, your username will be your business name, but that might already be taken. Change your username by clicking the “Edit Page Info” button and type in the username box.
Edit page information
This Edit Page Info screen has a ton of other fields you should fill out, including your business’s address, phone number, service area, business hours, and links to other social media profiles. Make sure you keep this information up to date.
Review page settings
You probably won’t need to change any of your page’s default settings, but now’s a good time to make sure that’s the case by clicking “Settings” in the left menu. Luckily, you can go back and update your settings at any time.
Publish your first post
Congratulations—you officially know how to open a Facebook business account! Now’s the time to say hello to the world by publishing your first post. Keep in mind that growing your audience organically takes time, so don’t be discouraged if your first post doesn’t receive a ton of user interaction.
Do your business banking with NorthOne
At NorthOne, we believe small business banking should be as easy as opening a business account on Facebook, which is why we have banking features designed to save you time and money. Find out why more than 320,000 small businesses use NorthOne by speaking with our team today.
