Facebook marketing refers to creating and maintaining a Facebook Page as a channel to contact and attract customers. Facebook allows users to create personal profiles or business pages for companies or organizations.
Business pages are best in establishing a public presence to develop a customer fan base and following for their brand. Users who “like” or “follow” Facebook Pages will receive content updates on their News Feed. Businesses are then able to track engagement, raise brand awareness, communicate with users and deploy advertising.
Why Should You Use Facebook Marketing?
Your customers are active on social media and you want to be able to understand what matters most to them.
With 2.3 billion Facebook users worldwide and approximately 243 million users in North America alone, that can lead to huge growth for brand awareness. Establishing a social media presence will help to build relationships with customers, strengthen loyalty and increase web traffic to your website or store front.
With Facebook’s mobile advertising revenue worth approximately 93% of total advertising and 96% of active mobile users, you can’t afford not to add your business Page to Facebook.
How to Create a Facebook Page
Creating a Facebook Page for your business is similar to having your own website. Your Facebook Page is another place where people can find your business, learn more about it and interact with you. It is another way to increase your brand awareness that can be created in minutes. According to Facebook IQ, two-thirds of Facebook users visit the Page of a local business at least once a week. You want to create a Page where you can attract an active and engaged audience for your business. You can manage many aspects of your business with your Facebook Page. You can support a digital storefront for your business or even connect with customers and people interested in your business.
The process of creating a Facebook Page for your business is simple and streamlined. When creating your Facebook Page, you want to include basic information about your business like your name or number. It also helps to customize your page by adding a profile photo and cover photo, and any additional information.
- Creating a Facebook Page
- Add a Profile Picture and Cover Photo
- Add Your Information
- Create a Username
- Add Administrators
- Customize Your Page Tabs
- Add a Call to Action (CTA)
Creating a Facebook Page
The majority of Facebook consists of personal profiles. But if you’re business wants to establish more social media presence, creating a Page is the right way to go. A Facebook Page is essentially a profile of business offering additional information about a business, company or organization.
When creating a Facebook Page, you will be given two choices: Business or Brand and Community or Public Figure. For the purpose of this article, as a business, you would choose “Business or Brand”.
Once you add the name of your business, you can categorize your business (Retail Company, Footwear Store, etc). Depending on the category chosen, Facebook might ask you to include additional information like address, city, and phone number.
After clicking “Continue”, Facebook will ask you to sign in to your personal account if you haven’t already signed in. Facebook will then ask to add Profile Photo and Cover Photo for your new Page.
You can skip this process and complete it later. But it may be best to complete it so that you can see the initial look of your Page. If not, Facebook will give you a page with no profile picture or cover photo.
Add a Profile Picture and Cover Photo
The next step in creating a Facebook Page is personalizing it for your business. Adding a profile picture and cover photo is the way Facebook users will identify your business. This picture will be what shows up in search results and next to your posts.
When adding a profile picture, you want to choose an image that is easy for your audience to recognize. To not complicate things, using your company logo is most likely the best image to use. It’s how customers already recognize a business and how new customers will remember.
Businesses that use their logo as their profile picture creatively edit them based on holidays or events throughout the year.
The cover photo is a banner that goes across the top of your page. It provides a great opportunity to showcase a visual element about your brand or company that will attract users. This photo expresses your company’s identity and can be updated based on holidays, or to promote special sales.
To upload a cover photo, click on “Add a Cover” or “Change Cover Photo” at the top left of the banner. Facebook allows cover photos on computers to be 820 by 312 pixels and 640 by 360 pixels on smartphones. Although, the ideal dimension for a cover photo is 851 pixels by 315 pixels and less than 100 kilobytes.
Henry’s Camera has a great cover photo that adds an attractive visual element and is relevant to their business. Henry’s Camera is a camera company in Canada. They offer a wide range of cameras, lenses, accessories, and more.
Their cover photo is a beautiful shot of a beach from a drone, a product they also sell. Their cover photo tells users what they’re business is about while showcasing a pleasing introduction to their page.
Add Your Information
Once you’ve chosen a profile picture and cover photo, it’s important to add more information and details about your business. You can always add more information or edit it by clicking ‘About’ on the left panel. In this section, you will find many options to add more details like a phone number, email, website, and more.
In the ‘About’ section, you can make general changes to your page where you can adjust the category you classify your business as (Retail, Footwear Store, Shopping and Retail), edit the name of your page and create your unique username.
Under ‘Business Info’, you will find four different options to add information for. For the ‘Edit business details’, you can choose to add a category of how expensive your products or services are or you can leave it unspecified. This type of information gives users a better idea of how much your pricing is and what they can expect when browsing products.
Under ‘Edit Start Date’, this information consists of when you started your business. Facebook allows you to add the year and additional the type of word you want to use to describe when your business was established (Founded, Started, Opened, Created, Launched).
Lastly, if your business has a mission statement about why your company exists, what the overall goal is or what kind of product or service you provide, this is a great place to showcase this information here. Again, this type of information gives customers a story about what your company is about and what makes it special.
The next section on the ‘About’ page is ‘Contact Info’. This part of your page is essential in adding the necessary information because this is part of how customers can contact if they are interested in making a purchase have any questions about a particular product or service.
This is where you can add your phone number, email address, and your company website if you have one. Another important aspect of the ‘Contact Info’ section is the Facebook Messenger link. This link gives users the opportunity to directly open a Messenger conversation with you. This link can also be used anywhere, like on a website, an app, a flyer, an email or an SMS to help someone find you more easily on Facebook Messenger.
Create Your Username
After finishing to add all necessary information about your company or business, you can now create a username for your Page. Creating a username is the last step in customizing your Page for users to see. Your username allows for easier for people to find your Page easier in search when it has a unique username.
Having a username also allows you to create a custom URL (also known a vanity link) making it quicker for people to visit your Page. If you have a look at another company, Best Buy Canada, their username is @BestBuyCanada which creates the URL www.facebook.com/BestBuyCanada.
Add Administrators
After creating the basic setup of your Facebook Page, you can now move to the important step of determining who will have access to the page to post, edit and moderate and which employees will fill these roles. This is where you can assign other people to certain roles like Admin, Editor, Moderator, Advertiser and Analyst.
The Admin of a page has the highest level of access and can manage all aspects of the Page. Admins can publish and send messages through Messenger, respond to and delete comments, create Facebook ads, view analytics and assign Page roles. The Admin essentially has all the same capabilities as the creator of the Page so if you’re going to choose an Admin other than yourself, make sure you’re choosing the right person.
Editors have access to all the same capabilities as an Admin except for one thing. Editors cannot assign or change Page roles.
Moderators can send Messenger messages, respond and delete comments, create ads, view insights but cannot publish as the Page.
Advertisers, as their name implies, can create ads on and if an Instagram account is connected to the Page, they can create ads for that page, too. They also have the ability to view insights on ads and posts.
Analysts have no access to publishing posts, responding to messages or creating ads but they can see which admin published a specific post or comment and can view insights.
Customize Your Page Tabs
To add an extra element to your Page and to make sure to showcase the right content for your users, you can customize your Page Tabs menu on the left side of the page. If you visit Tim Hortons’ Page, they chose to promote their posts, photos, and videos you can browse and included a page to find a location near you.
To customize your Page Tabs, click on ‘Settings’ in the top right of your page. Find “Templates and Tabs” and you can simply change the order of your Pages or even add a new tab.
Add a Call to Action
When you create a Facebook Page, one of the beneficial features of that page is the ability to add a page button. This button acts as a call-to-action giving you the ability to attract potential customers in a different way than a traditional website.
When adding a page button, you are given the ability to choose what you want your button to say. Facebook offers options to choose from depending on if you want to book a service, contact a company, look at prices or learn more about a business. Once you select an option for the CTA button, you can determine a link to where the button will lead to, like a website, a video or Messenger.
How to Create Posts
Once you’ve set up your Page for your business, your next step is to focus on how to create posts that effectively engage with your customers. There are five main post types that you can use on your Facebook Page:
- Text
- Image
- Video
- Stories
- Link
Text
Text posts are the most common form of posts. They’re easy to create but don’t add much visual context for users and its difficult to promote engagement. Instead of posting just a text post, it’s more effective to attach a multimedia component to make the post more appealing to generate user engagement.
For example, if you look at one of Starbucks Canada’s posts, it’s mainly a text post but they include a link to a Facebook Event which includes an eye-catching colourful photo. The majority of text posts now have a clear call-to-action and are combined with a photo, video or link to encourage user engagement.
Image
Posting an image is always a great idea to encourage more user engagement. Photos can showcase a new product or service, incite feelings or emotions, or encourage participation. Having a look at Nutella Canada’s post, the photo they shared is a way to celebrate World Nutella Day, a day they created, that displays their product in a colourful and versatile way.
It is important to note that even though Nutella has an attractive post, they also include text that asks a question creating a call-to-action or engagement from users.
To post an image, click the “Photo/Video” button. It will prompt you to choose a photo from your computer or mobile device. You want to also add a short description relevant to the purpose of the post. Remember, like your Profile Picture and Cover Photo, photo posts also have size specifications. Facebook allows photos to be 1200 pixels by 630 pixels.
Video
Videos are a great way to tell a story on Facebook. The video can be a story about your business, a product or, as Nike does it, athletes. Back in January 2018, Team Canada’s World Junior Hockey Team won their 17th gold medal.
To celebrate, they created a stop motion video commemorating all 17 times Canada won the gold medal. Not only is Nike celebrating the accomplishment, but they have created an enormous amount of “Likes”, “Comments” and “Shares”. They also sell Team Canada jerseys as well.
To post a video, click “Photo/Video”, then click “Upload Photos/Video”. It will prompt you to select a video file from your computer but if you’re using a smartphone or mobile device, you can select a video from your camera roll.
Once you choose a video for the post, it will prompt you to add a title, describe your video, and add tags or keywords. Along the right side, you can also choose the thumbnail of the video and add captions and subtitles. You can then choose to post your video right away or schedule it for a specific time or date.
Story
Facebook Stories is another type of post that uses a vertical image or video displayed across the entire screen on mobile devices. Stories are a way to engage with your audience in a more frequent, authentic and casual way. You want your page to come across as friendly and accessible, and Stories can help people get to know you and your business better.
To create a Story, open up Facebook using the mobile app. When you go to your Page, if you scroll down you will see “Your Story”. Click “Add to Story” and it will immediately open your camera roll where you can choose to add a photo or video. You can then choose to edit the photo or video by adding text, or links.
Link
A great way to populate your Facebook Page and promote your own content is through links. If you have a blog or an article you think is relevant to your audience, sharing it is a productive way to gain visitors to your website.
Posting a link is similar to creating a text post. You want to include a relatable sentence or two that would intrigue someone to click the link to read your article.
As an example, we used an article about the best running shoes. When you include a link, Facebook automatically creates a preview of the article. Before posting though, you want to delete the link to make your post look professional and clean.
No matter what kind of post you choose to create, all of these types of posts incorporate text and some sort of a visual component.
How to Create Engaging posts
Best Practices:
- Use high-quality visual components. Each post should ideally include some type of media, like images, GIFs or videos. People may be more likely to interact or respond positively to posts that include high-quality visual media that captures their attention. It’s important to avoid using video or image content that is blurry and doesn’t reflect your brand or message.
- Make posts actionable. Share articles or blogs from your website, provide links to your newsletter sign-up form, ask your fans to answer a question or provide their opinions in the comment section of your post. It helps to try different tactics to capture the attention of your audience in order to encourage them to actions that affect your business like clicking on your website or booking an appointment for example. You may not always need to encourage this type of action but these types of posts may help in providing real business value when the action people take directly contributes to your business goals.
- Keep posts simple. In general, simple posts with clean visuals are best at capturing an audience’s attention. Like your own business website, it’s helpful to keep a consistent and clear color scheme associated with your business when creating content, and keeping text concise and impactful.
- Pin significant posts. If you have major news or an announcement, pin it to the top of your Page. A pinned post is the first thing anyone will see when they visit your page. It can be a great way to inform customers about a new product or event. Pinned posts can be removed if the content is time-sensitive like if you’re having a sale, for example.
- Be recent, personal and meaningful. New and frequent posts tell your audience that you’re active, legitimate and care about them as customers. When potential customers see that you’re posting content that matters to them, they could be more likely to become fans of your Page or trust your business.
Planning Your Content
Scheduling Facebook posts make it easier for consistently creating content for your users. Using a social media content calendar helps to organize the type of posts you want to create and what time of day to post them so you won’t be caught scrambling to figure out what to post next. Creating a content calendar helps to track what you’ve been posting and what kinds of posts you would like more or less of.
It’s also important to remember the kinds of posts you want to create. Creating a post that engages with the audience is about storytelling. You can share the story of how your business got started, what you do to give back to the community or show off your store-front of place of business with a virtual tour using photos or a video.
Another category to think of is education. You can create a post to educate about what makes your product or service different and special, show how to use your product or service, or even go “behind the scenes” of your business showing how products are made.
Lastly, creating a post that excites your audience is a great way to create buzz for your company or business. These type of posts may include an announcement of a new product or service, sharing an upcoming or current promotion or you could announce an event.
In the end, you want to make sure your posts are helpful or interesting to your audience and show that you’re active. If people come to your Page and see that it’s active, they are more likely to give a “like” and engage with the existing community.
Powerful Post Ideas
- Showcase products. Use photos to highlight your products, show off a new product line, post photos to get people interested. These kinds of posts help to create excitement among your audience.
- Feature employees. Introducing employees to your community and telling their stories helps to humanize your business and adds a face to the name.
- Behind the scenes. Creating posts that show a side of your business that people don’t normally see or detail about the work that goes into your product or service. These types of posts also helps to humanize your business and help you stand out from the competition. These posts help to create transparency between you and your customer as they learn what goes in your business.
- Asking a question. This encourages users to interact with your business and the post. It gives people a chance to communicate with you and with other users.
- Share an article. Sharing a relevant article to your business can entertain or inform people. It can add extra value to your Page while allowing for more engagement from your audience.
- Celebrate a holiday. Recognize relevant holidays with timely and thoughtful posts.
Top Creative Apps
You don’t need a professional photographer to create stunning and beautiful posts that showcase your business. Some of the best posts are created by using your smartphone. Here are some of the best apps that help to create posts that will attract the attention of your audience.
Adobe Photoshop Mix
Adobe Photoshop Mix is a free app that offers advanced imaging in a simple way that lets you create and share professional multilayered images and designs. You can combine multiple images with stylish typographic designs.
Ripl
Ripl is an app that allows you to add motion to still photos. You can create a video using designs and customize with your photos, logo, music and a message. Ripl offers a free version that allows you to create a 30-second video choosing from 10 designs and 10 fonts while allowing for 8 photos to be included. The pro version, for $14.99 USD a month, allows for a 60-second video, 200+ designs, 150+ fonts and 250+ music tracks.
Mojo
Mojo is another great app for creating vertical stories for Facebook. The app offers a wide range of customizable templates and fonts, and the ability to add your logo. It helps to turn your photos into a video format that is more visually attractive.
Unfold
Unfold is a similar app where it uses photos to create a Story post to advertise your product or service. You can create content using over 150 templates and advanced text tools to capture high-quality content. Unfold offers a 7-day free trial and a monthly or yearly subscription at $2.99 and $19.99 USD.
Adobe Spark Post
Adobe Spark Post is a free app that allows you to create stunning graphics. Using professionally designed templates, you can edit your photos, add text and apply design filters to create eye-catching and attractive graphics. Adobe Spark Post offers a monthly and yearly subscription for $9.99 and $99.99 USD to access premium settings.
Use a Facebook Group to Connect to Your Audience
Besides your Facebook Page, a Facebook group can also be an effective way to grow your online presence. A Facebook Group is a place to build a community, whether that is local or national, that provides a safe space for customers to share their thoughts giving you the opportunity to learn what matters most to them. A Facebook Group is a great way to learn about what matters to your community, demonstrate your expertise and speak with customers who share a passion relevant to your business.
Let’s say your business sells mountain bikes across Canada and the United States of America. You can create a Facebook Group for each country that can bring together riders of your bicycle. You can use these groups to post about events, new product releases and engage with customers to how they like your product.
Insights
You can also join Facebook Groups that are relevant to your business. You can post as your Page in groups so you can reach people interested in what you do and increase your page following.
Track your metrics using Facebook Insights
Managing the metrics of your Facebook Page can be time-consuming and difficult. Luckily, Facebook makes it easy to track and understand the numbers behind every post and interaction with Page Insights.
Page Insights is a free tool that allows you to manage and measure your page by giving you information about your business Page’s performance based on what you’re posting and how users are responding and engaging with your posts.
Reach and Engagement
Page Insights allows you to view your reach and engagement for any post. You can discover how many people saw your post and how many liked, commented or shared. This information is critical in determining which kinds of posts get the most attention and engagement allowing you to leverage posts to target different audiences creating content tailored to their interests.
Actions
You are also able to discover the type of actions people are taking on your Page. Whether that is new page likes, new followers or clicks to your website, this information will help you adjust your Page to encourage people to take the actions you desire.
People
Another important aspect of Page Insights is the ability to understand your audience. Page Insights offers demographic data such as age, gender and location so that you can see your target audience. This can help you tailor future posts based on how people found your posts and when people are looking at your Page.
You can access the Page Insights tool by going to your Page and looking for the Insights tab on the top navigation bar across the top. Once you click on “Insights”, you’ll have access to data about your Page, posts and engagement.
Conclusion
Facebook is a powerful and flexible tool that can be used to market your business or company in different ways. Facebook’s tools help cater to you so you can create authentic relationships with your audience. Facebook makes it easy so you can be as creative as you want to attract and connect with your audience. By creating a Facebook Page for your business and posting engaging and useful content consistently, you can start to build your social media presence and grow your brand awareness.
