Tips on Creating an Effective Facebook Profile

Social Media Image Guide

Step one of creating a business page on Facebook is to create a page and make your profile. Since you are planning on representing your business with this page, care should be taken to be sure it reflects your business in the way you want it to. Here are a few tips for first time page creators.

Safety First

Always use caution when launching a new social media profile. Using Facebook for business is not identical to using it for your personal life. Keep the two separate and always remember which one you are using. Many businesses have suffered greatly because someone posted content to a business profile thinking it was their personal profile. Put only your pertinant business information in your business profile and always remember to be extra careful with passwords. No need risking your entire business’s reputation on a mis-handled password…

Naming Yourself

Obviously you want your Facebook business name to represent your business, but there may be times that you need to use something else. Ideally, all of your social media profiles will have the same name or handle, but if you can’t get your name the same everywhere, be smart about it and minimize the damage.

Maybe you are representing XYZ Golf Club and you have secured “XYZgolfclub” as your user name everywhere. You get to Facebook and “XYZgolfclub” is not available. Uh oh. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do in this spot. Your best option is to go with something that still fits well and is memorable on a business card or marketing material. Maybe you can still grab “XYZgolf” or “XYZgc” or “golfXYZ.” It isn’t the end of the world. The point is, when naming your page on Facebook, stick with the branding that your company uses and only deviate by necessity.

Images

Your images in your profile matter. If your company has a good logo that you use everywhere, this is certainly a place you could use it. Some people will choose to put pictures of people — business owners, clients, customers, etc. If you own a store, a photo of the storefront would work. What matters is that your picture says something viewers and allows customers to identify with what it is showing. There is a whole world of research into branding and what you could use in your profile picture, but most importantly, don’t leave it blank and don’t skimp on quality. The only thing worse than no picture is a low-quality one. Put a little effort into your pictures. It will show that you did.

Be a Customer

When you look at your own profile, put yourself in the shoes of one of your customers. What would you be looking for? Is your phone number there? Your web address there? A map or address? How about the ‘About’ page? Tell your customers a story and show off what your business is. It doesn’t have to be a sales pitch, but for many customers, your profile is as far as they will go before they decide if they want to do business. Your contact information should not be difficult to find and your personality should come across on your page.

Your Facebook profile is often the first impression your business gets to make with customers. Don’t waste this virtually free marketing opportunity by treating it like it has no value because it has no cost.