Facebook business page setup checklist

Facebook has 1.93 billion active users, making it one of the most popular platforms worldwide and a social network you can ignore. No matter what industry you operate in, having a Facebook business page allows more people to discover and interact with your brand online. 

If you need help creating a page, this Facebook business page setup checklist will show you how in the following steps:

• Log in to your personal account
• Sign up for a business account
• Add pictures to your page
• Make sure you’ve filled in all information
• Create your first post
• Invite people to your page

First, you need to log into your personal Facebook account (or create one if you’re not already a user). The reason for this is that only people with personal Facebook accounts can become admins of business pages. In other words, your personal account works like the key to let you into your new business page.

Once you’ve logged into your personal account, you can dive into the next steps in this Facebook business page setup checklist.

The next step is to visit facebook.com/pages/create and open an account for your business. Facebook will ask you for a Page name and category. You can change your category later on, but your page name is permanent. 

Keep in mind that the category you choose determines what other fields you need to fill in after. For example, if your category is a local business or place, you’ll need to fill in the address and phone number of your location along with your opening hours.

Next, you add a short description of your business that will appear in search results to give people an idea of what you do. Your description only needs to be a couple of sentences or a maximum of 255 characters.

When you’re happy with your page name, category and description, click Create Page.

The next step in our Facebook business page setup checklist is to spice up your profile by adding a profile photo and cover image. First impressions are critical, so choose your images wisely to ensure they align with your brand and convey the feeling you want prospects to feel.

For example, your profile picture will be the image people see when you share content and comment on other posts, so your best bet is to use your logo. This way, people will instantly recognise your brand. 

Choosing the correct image size for your photos is also important because the wrong size could result in awkward cropping or pixelated images. You want the photos to look sharp, in focus, and to align perfectly in the space.

The recommended sizes are:

• Facebook profile image:  170 x 170 pixels
• Facebook cover photo image: 820 x 462 pixels

Once you’ve added your images, it’s time to go through your page to ensure it has all the relevant information. If you’re unsure what to fill in, Facebook gives you tips that guide you through each step of the process. You can also go back and make changes by going to your page’s About tab and clicking Edit Page Info.

Here are the fields you need to fill out:

• Username – Adding a username makes your name appear in the page URL, so visitors know where to find you online. It generally looks something like this: facebook.com/YourName. 
• Description – Tell people about your business and page in less than 255 characters.
• Categories – You can add up to three categories to help people define your business. 
• Contact information – This is where you add your phone number, website, and email address.
• Location – If you have a physical location, add your address to customers know where to find you
• Hours – Tell people what hours your location is open for business. 
• More – This section is where you include additional information, such as product or service descriptions and any other details you think are relevant. 

Once you’re satisfied with the details you’ve added, it’s time to go live and create your first post.

Now, it’s time to start using your page to spread the word about your brand. But before you begin inviting people to like and follow your page, it’s a good idea to post some valuable content to make the page look legit. 

You can use your expertise to create content yourself or share relevant posts from thought leaders in your sector. Having interesting and valuable information makes your site more inviting, which increases your chances of getting people to subscribe to it. 

You can learn more about how to use Facebook for a small business here.

The final step in this Facebook business page setup checklist is to invite people to it. Start by sending invites to your Facebook friends. You can also ask your friends and family to spread the word themselves to help you attract more people to your page.

Other ways to promote your page is through your other channels, like your website, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. For example, you can add “follow us” logos to your promotional materials and email signature. You can also ask your customers to review you on Facebook if you feel comfortable doing so. 

For more tips on how to grow your audience quickly, check out our guide on how to grow your small business on Facebook.