How to start a page on facebook

How to create a FaceBook business page

Create Facebook business page

Creating a business page on Facebook is pretty straightforward, by going to the specific business page on Facebook.

Having a specific business page on Facebook will allow you to build and expand your on-line brand presence, connect and communicate with your customers, drive sales, manage ads, and access specific reports, which are for example not available in Facebook groups or standard profiles.

To start, go on the Facebook for business website, and select create a page. It is also possible from this page to create directly advertisements for your business, even if your brand has no presence on the social network.

Create FB page

Making that choice is important to allow for different options, as a commercial business will have more options to manage ads as a for revenue business, and a community or public figure will not be focused on mercantile on-line strategies.

set up Facebook business page

After having made this choice, select the page name, which will be used as the page name when accessed by visors or used to comment or share content, and a category, which will allow the page to be listed in the appropriate community, and proposed to people interested by similar center of interests.

In below example, we are creating a community page for a smartphone help website, which offer guides to solve all kind of issues with smartphone, such as Internet connection not working, or the phone not being able to send SMS.

Create Facebook page

A profile picture must now be chosen, which will most likely be the logo for a brand or company. If you are not familiar with the concept of profile picture, a thumbnail of the picture given here will be displayed every time your page interacts on Facebook.

In our example, we will upload the website logo.

The page is now created! All options are now opened to you.

A pop-up will directly show up the first time accessing the page, offering to invite friends to like the page, and reach the first page likes. This option will still be available later on, but will not be highlighted anymore.

First step, in order to keep potential page visitors, is to put a background picture, a large picture which will decorate the top of the page, main visible element when visiting the site.

How to open a Facebook business page

And that’s it! The page is now created.

Next steps would be to go deeper in the page settings, and start putting valuable information to your customers or target audience, in order to connect with people and grow your people.

If you have a website, the option to create a button will let you enter a specific URL, and all the page visitors will have the possibility to reach it by using that specific button.

Important settings to take in consideration are the page info, accessible in the edit page info menu.

There, enter your contact details, opening hours for a physical location, and also, very important for any Facebook page, a handle, that will be used to create a page URL such as the following, instead of a machine generated number.

From that menu, it is also possible to access the insights, which are basically statistics on your page: how many visits, from where, which kind audience, are your visitors more males or females, of which age are they, and many more. These are important to understand your audience, and adapt your content in order to expand it and serve it what it expects.

Viewing as page visitors will allow you to visit the page just like any visitor would see it, without the extra information that are displayed to the administrators.

Create Ad menu will be the main place to create all kind of advertisements, targeted to specific audiences, to either get more page likes, sell products, take visitors to an external website, or simply create brand awareness.

Many more options are available to the page administrators, do not hesitate to play with them, and let us know should you have any question.

Facebook business page tips

A Facebook business page ‌ cost is free, therefore do not hesitate to setup one for your business or your community by creating a fanpage Facebook.

It is not possible to create Facebook page without personal account, but you can simply start by creating a Facebook account which you will keep private and not use, therefore not having any impact for you.

How to Create a Facebook Business Page in 7 Steps

A Facebook Page for your business is a powerful way to connect with your customers and reach new ones.

A Facebook Business Page is a free opportunity for businesses to increase brand awareness and generate sales on Facebook. To create a Facebook Business Page, simply log into your personal Facebook account, click “Create a Page” from the drop-down menu, and then follow the steps to build out your business profile.

coffeekai | Getty Images

While learning how to create a basic Facebook Business Page is simple, it can be a challenge to set up your page optimally and manage it on an ongoing basis. Try using Fiverr to find a freelancer who can help you develop your Facebook Business Page, create custom content to engage potential customers, and maintain your Facebook page so you can focus on running your business.

Follow these 7 steps to learn how to create a Facebook business page:

1. Register for a Facebook Business Page

Facebook business pages are created using a personal Facebook account, so you’ll need to first log in to your Facebook account. In the right-hand side of the blue toolbar, find and click the “Create” button.

Select “Page” from the Menu

A drop-down list will appear after clicking “Create.” Select the first option, “Page,” to create your Facebook Business Page.

Choose a Page Category

You will have the option between two page categories—a “Business or Brand” or “Community or Public Figure.” Most for-profit businesses will want to choose Business or Brand.

2. Enter Your Business Information

Tell Facebook what you want the name of your business page to be. This should be the same as your actual business name. Then, choose a business category that best represents what your business offers. For example, a clothing brand could enter “Clothing,” which will then pre-populate a list of related options for you to choose from.

3. Upload Your Profile Picture & Cover Photo

Next, choose a photo to upload as your business page profile picture. Businesses commonly use their logo as a profile picture, but you may use any photo that represents your business and your business’ branding. Be sure that your image is clear and doesn’t get cropped.

If you don’t already have an image in mind that you’d like to use, or are in need of a new one, it’s worth checking Bluehost. There you can find freelance experts who can design a professional profile picture for you, whether it’s a logo another image, at an affordable price.

Next, consider uploading a cover photo. A cover photo is the background image that appears on your Facebook Business Page, similar to your personal Facebook account. You want your cover photo to be visually appealing and representative of your business. Your cover photo should be at least 400 pixels wide by 150 pixels tall. You can check out our list of Facebook page templates for your small business.

If you are having trouble finding a cover image, you can create one for free using Canva. It includes many Facebook cover templates that you can easily customize without any graphic design skills or knowledge. For more information, check out our guide on how to design a Facebook business page.

4. Invite Friends to Like Your Page

Facebook will prompt you to invite your current Facebook friends from your personal account to like your new business page. Existing Facebook friends can provide a good initial base of likes for a new Facebook Business Page, so it is advised to go ahead and do this. Either click the pop-up prompt, or invite friends from your “…” button from your business page as illustrated below.

5. Include Additional Business Details

In the left-hand menu, find and select “About.” This is where you will input information that tells readers about your business, from ways to contact you to your products or menu. Enter all pertinent information, such as your website, hours, and contact information.

It’s not uncommon for a business’ Facebook page to rank higher in organic search than their website, given Facebook’s domain authority. Keeping this in mind, it’s important to complete all information, as it may be a potential customer’s first point of reference for your business.

6. Add a Button to Your Page

After you have input all of your important information into your Facebook business page, you will want to add a button to your page, which will appear in the top right-hand of your business page below your cover photo. This acts as your Facebook page’s call-to-action (CTA) and is free to use. Including a relevant one to your business can help generate more leads, and in return, increase sales. To do this, click the blue “+ Add a Button” option on the left-hand side of your page below your cover image.

You can choose from the following types of buttons: Book with You, Contact You, Learn More, Shop, or Download. Select the button type that best suits your business. For example, a hair salon would likely want to use the Book with You option, whereas a brand selling products would find the Shop option a better fit.

7. Market Your Facebook Business Page by Being Active on Facebook

Creating a Facebook Business Page is only the first step to using Facebook marketing for your business. You will need to be active on Facebook in order to market your page and grow an audience. For example, you will not only want to be consistent in posting on your page, but you will also want to actively participate in relevant groups where your target audience is likely spending their time.

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How to Make a Business Facebook Page

Facebook can be a great platform for small business owners because it allows them to reach a large audience and even re-engage existing customers.

If you’re looking for information on how to get your new Facebook page going, start by reading this blog! We’ll take you through how to set up your business page so you’ll be ready to get started on this next step in your business’s marketing plan!

Step 1: Create Your Page

It starts here. Simply open up Facebook to create a business page. Choose which page is appropriate for your business. You’ll need to have a pretty good handle on the kind of business you’ll be launching to choose a category.

When you’re creating your new business page, you’ll need to make sure you have your business type selected. Your options include:

This selection will help shape the other options provided for you when customizing your page.

Facebook Business Tip: Iron out the details ahead of time. This isn’t something you want to go back and finish later. Make sure you have your business type, business name, phone number and/or email address, and a professional synopsis ready to go. This is people’s first impression of your business—you want to make it a good one.

Step 2: Complete Your Basic Information

After creating your page, Facebook will prompt you through the following sections of your business page. Don’t skip them in an attempt to get through more quickly. All of this information will give your prospective clients a compelling reason to work with you.

The About Section

This should work as a quick recap of your business. It’s a synopsis of your products and/or services, so aim for providing two or three sentences here that really capture your goals and personality of your business.

Don’t slack on marketing here! You won’t have your audience’s attention for long, so make sure to capitalize on it. Link your website here and include how your business is different from others.

Facebook Business Tip: Choosing a unique Facebook domain name here? A unique domain name (your custom Facebook URL) can be a great way to give your business’s name visibility. Aim for something short and catchy that will be easy to remember and will fit easily on any marketing materials.

Make sure you have your Facebook domain name just the way you want it. It can be difficult to change at a later date and you don’t want to create any confusion for your customers.

Upload a Profile Photo

Nothing says amateur more readily than not including a profile picture. Make it look professional by choosing a photo of your product, storefront, or another relevant image.

This photo will be your future consumer’s first visual of your work. Make sure it’s a positive one, even if it means investing in a photographer or a photo editor. You want to be considered by your target audience as a successful professional. It’s imperative that your profile photo supports that.

Facebook Business Tip: A square image will work best for you here. While any size can do, the recommended size is 180 pixels by 180 pixels.

Reach More People

This is where Facebook will prompt you to create and share an advertisement. I generally don’t recommend skipping steps, but this is one you can pass on.

Your Facebook page is still in its fledgling state, and likely won’t draw people in at this point. Launching into sharing too early can waste a great opportunity to build traffic for your business’s page.

Facebook Business Tip: Once your page is up and running and you’ve gained some audience traffic and traction, head back here to gear up your Facebook marketing.

Step 3: Navigating the Admin Panel

Once you’ve gotten to this point in your page creation, your business page is fully created. Congrats! Now you need to fill your news feed page with information that’s going to draw your audience in.

At this point in your page setup, you’ll want to move on to address your notification settings. This is where you’ll set up how frequently you want to receive notifications. Factor in your marketing goals and online presence when navigating this piece.

You should also pay some attention to the Page Roles section. This is a great feature for businesses that have multiple people with access to the Facebook business page. If you have outsourced a media relations or marketing strategist, you’ll identify them and give them permissions here.

Facebook Business Tip: Don’t reach for that “like” button as soon as your new Facebook page has taken shape. Once you like your new page from your personal profile, everyone on your friends’ list will receive a notification. Wait until your business page is ready to go in order to make the most of that traction.

Step 4: Ramp up the Content

Start posting relevant content to your page and reaching out to people you want to help spur your growing business forward. Remember to use posts that prompt a response and give you the opportunity to engage with your audience.

You need to be present to make social media work for you and your business. Create and commit to a media schedule that won’t leave you wasting time or missing out on opportunities.

Post relevant information as well as personal posts. When posting via your business page, you’ll be able to choose from six different kinds of posts:

Facebook Business Tip: Mix it up to keep your audience interested in scrolling. You’ll want to use a variety of these post types on your business page. Look for quality sources and vet them thoroughly before sharing—what you post will reflect on your and your business.

Step 5: Get Facebook Reviews For Your Business

With your business’s Facebook Page you’re able to collect Facebook reviews from people who have visited your business by asking for a recommendation. Having a plan to ask for reviews and how to handle negative Facebook reviews will help your business keep a positive online reputation.

Once you gain enough Facebook reviews you can show these off on your website by embedding your Facebook reviews.

Step 6: Market Your Business on Facebook

Now that your Facebook page is in shape, you’re ready to begin targeting your audience. Plan on inviting people in waves. Begin with those you know and trust to support you. Let them grace your page with the initial likes and comments required to give your business footing.

Once that happens, reach beyond that circle to friends of friends, acquaintances, and business contacts. Each like you gain gives you a little more credibility for your next wave of marketing.

Finally, reach out to potential customers. By this time, you should have a good amount of interest and content. It should look like you’ve been around a while and have a legitimate business structure to move forward with.

Facebook Business Tip: Don’t forget to have your cover photo in place before “going live” to your audience. This is usually a branded image that further strengthens your image. Use an 851-pixel by 315-pixel image for the best results.

Use Facebook to Further Your Business Goals

Facebook can be a great tool for your business. Originally a social network, it’s now so much more. With 2.27 billion monthly users, a marketing strategy that uses your Facebook profile and Facebook ads can be highly effective.

Make Facebook work for you. Get your new page underway and ready for public viewing. You may see your business grow in leaps and bounds with just a few clicks.

The Complete Guide to Facebook Groups: How to Create a Group, Build a Community and Increase Your Organic Reach

Facebook has recently launched Groups for Pages, enabling the 70 million+ Pages on Facebook to create their own unique communities and feeds.

This update provides new ways for brands to boost engagement and could go some way to countering the decline in organic reach Facebook Page owners have been experiencing for the past few years.

More than 1 billion people around the world use Groups. And more than 100 million people see Groups as the most important part of their experience on Facebook.

Facebook Groups are the place to connect with other like-minded people and are becoming increasingly important for businesses on Facebook aiming to cultivate a community.

So how do you create a Facebook Group? And more importantly, how do you build an engaged community in your Facebook Group?

Let’s get started!

What you’ll learn in this guide

Here’s a brief look at what will be covered in this Facebook Group’s guide. Feel free to click on a section heading to jump to the respective section.

Facebook Groups vs Facebook Pages

A common question on this topic is: “Should I have a Facebook Group or Facebook Page?”

And it’s a tough one because Facebook Groups and Facebook Pages are increasingly becoming more similar.

For example, an advantage that Facebook Pages used to have is the Page Insights, which allows social media managers to understand how their Page and posts are performing. Now, Facebook Groups include built-in analytics, too — Group Insights.

Here’s a quick overview of the positive features for each:

Facebook Page

Facebook Group

Now that you can link your Facebook groups to your Facebook Page, maybe the answer to the question above is actually both.

In this post, we’ll focus on creating and managing a Facebook Group. If you wish to read up on Facebook Pages, you might like our guide on how to create and manage a Facebook Page for your business.

How to create a Facebook Group

Creating a Facebook Group is very straightforward. Let’s run through the important steps here:

1. Choose your Facebook Group name and privacy setting

To start, click on “Group” under the “CREATE” section at the bottom of the left sidebar on Facebook.

You can also find the same option under the drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of any Facebook page:

Next, fill out the basic info in the pop-up:

Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the three privacy options:

For example, a public or closed Facebook Group could be suitable for a community of your customers while a secret Facebook Group could be great for exclusive groups such as VIP customers or beta testers.

If your Group is public it’s also worth noting that anyone can see the posts and comments in your Facebook Group without having to join. If you want to protect the privacy of your members, a closed or secret Facebook Group will be more appropriate.

Once you’ve decided on the privacy options, hit “Create”.

You’ll be prompted to select an icon for your Facebook Group. If you don’t have a preference, Facebook will default to the generic Group icon (

But there are still a few more things we could do to make your Group more attractive to join, and easier to discover…

2. Fill out your Facebook Group’s info

Head over to your Group settings, by clicking on the three-dots button below your cover photo and then choose “Edit Group Settings”.

A best practice is to work your way down the list of and fill each out accordingly. Here are the key things to do:

1. Add a cover photo. The ideal cover photo size is 820px wide by 462px tall.

On the desktop, Facebook will crop the cover photo a little from the top and bottom. On mobile, your Facebook Group name and details will overlay your cover photo. You can see an example and grab a template here.

2. Select a group type to help people understand what the group is about.

Here are the group types available:

It is common for group admins to use this space to share information that they want the entire group, especially new members, to know such as the dos and don’ts of the group.

4. Add (up to five) tags to help people find your group. For example, when I search “social media” on Facebook, Facebook groups with the “social media” tag will show up.

Once you start typing, Facebook will offer some suggestions such as this:

5. Add your location if you are a local Group. It makes it easier for people who are looking for Facebook Groups in your area to find your Facebook Group.

You can add multiple locations if your group is present in a few places:

6. Customize your URL. Using an easy-to-remember URL makes it easier to share your Facebook group with others during meetups and conferences. You have up to 50 characters but I would try to keep it short.

3. Add or invite friends and promote your Facebook Group

Add or invite people using the ‘Add Members’ field on the right of your Facebook Group.

To add a friend, enter their name in the field. Your friend will join the Facebook group automatically without having to accept any invitation.

To invite a friend or customer, enter their email address. If you want to add a personalized note on the invite, click on the tiny blue icon on the right.

Here’s an example invite note:

If you are certain your invitees would love to be part of your Facebook group, you can go ahead and add them. Otherwise, I would recommend inviting them and letting them decide if they want to join.

Tip: Share (or Buffer) your new Facebook group to your personal social media accounts and your Facebook Page, so that your close friends and customers know about your new community.

There’s a “Share” button just below your cover photo for you to share your Facebook Group to different parts of Facebook (e.g. timeline, Messenger, and Page.)

You could use the Buffer extension (or your preferred social media scheduler) to share Facebook Group across your relevant social media accounts.

4. Link it to your Facebook Page

One great way to grow your Facebook Group is to link it to your existing Facebook Page.

Here are the advantages of linking your Facebook Group to your Facebook Page:

This is how it looks on HBO’s Facebook Page:

To link your Facebook Group to your Facebook Page, click on “Groups” on the left sidebar of your Facebook Page.

If you don’t see the “Groups” tab on your Page, go to “Settings” > “Edit Page” and add the “Groups” tab to your Page.

When you click on “Groups”, you’ll be prompted to link a group to your Page. Hit “Get Started”.

(If you have not created your Facebook Group, you can click “Create Linked Group” to start a brand new Group.)

A pop-up will appear for you to select the groups you want to link. Hit “Link” and then “Link Group”.

Woohoo! Your Facebook Group is all set up and successfully linked to your Page. Now let’s look at how to build an engaged community.

How to build an engaged community in your Facebook Group

Having an engaged community can help strengthen your community members’ relationship with your brand. This brand equity can then influence their decisions on purchasing from you.

Besides branding, a community can contribute to many areas of your business such as customer support, acquisition, and product innovation, according to CMX Hub’s research.

Here are some tips you can use to build an engaged community in your Facebook group:

1. Engage with your members regularly

Initially, when the community is small, there might not be many posts from your community members. It can be helpful to seed some relevant, helpful conversations on a consistent basis; perhaps two to three times a week.

For example, David Spinks, Founder of CMX, welcomes and invites new members to introduce themselves every Monday. He also regularly initiates discussions on topics in the community-building space.

(CMX Hub Facebook Group is a great group to join if you are hoping to get help on community building. Facebook Group Admins Facebook Group is another great one.)

A thoughtful way to go about this is to plan your posts in advance; perhaps with a calendar (you can grab a template here). For example, you could welcome your new members every Monday, initiate a discussion on every Wednesday, and invite members to share their achievements on Friday.

Most importantly, I would recommend commenting on every post and answering every question in your Facebook group (at least initially). This helps to make sure your members feel heard and that they are getting value from the group.

This is a strategy that solopreneur, Daniel Di Piazza, used to grow his Rich20Something Facebook group to more than 17,000 members.

“I purposely create conversations all day on Facebook and I pretty much respond to everything. I do miss some for sure, but even if it’s something as small as an “awesome” or a ‘Like’ – That totally makes a huge difference,” he explained on our Science of Social Media podcast.

To free up more time to reply and engage with your community, you could schedule posts to your Group with Buffer or by using Facebook’s own scheduling feature.

2. Use analytics to inform your strategy

Once activities in your Facebook Group pick up, you might want to know how your community-building strategy is performing and how to improve it.

Here’s some great news for you: Facebook is rolling out Group Insights (Facebook Group analytics) to Groups with more than 250 members.

Group Insights can be accessed by clicking on “Group Insights” on the left sidebar.

Here, you can find out insights such as how your Facebook Group is growing, when your members are most engaged, and who your most engaged members are.

Here are the metrics and insights you can get from Group Insights:

Growth details

Engagement details

Member details

Use these metrics and insights to inform your community-building strategy. For example, you could post on days and times when engagement is high, track active membership growth, and thank top contributors.

3. Host regular events

Hosting events is a great way to get community members involved (and maybe even attract inactive members back to the community).

In-personal meetups help to reinforce the connections made online, making the relationships more meaningful.

Here are some online and offline events you could host:

Once you have planned your event, create an event in your Facebook Group and invite members to attend.

To create an event, click on “Events” on the left sidebar and then “+ Create Event on the right”.

Fill out the basic information of your event to let your members know what the event is about and when it is happening. You can send an invitation to all your members (for groups smaller than 500 members) by selecting the option “Invite all members of (your group name)”.

After you have created the event, you can invite more friends by clicking on the “Invite” button.

If you would like to learn more about engaging your event attendees before, during, and after your events, here’s a guide on event marketing on social media by Eventbrite.

4. Form a group chat

(Update April 4, 2018: It seems that Facebook has removed this feature from Groups.)

Sometimes, you might want closer communications within your community. Posts in Facebook Groups are good for asynchronous discussions but less suitable for real-time, back-and-forth chats.

For example, you might want to discuss a particular post with the other admins and moderators. Or you want to let the group know you have reached your event’s meeting point.

You could form a group chat using Facebook Messenger for real-time, quick chats.

This is generally more appropriate when you have a small group (and intend to keep it small) than when you have hundreds to thousands of members. Alternatively, you could form a group chat just for the admins and moderators.

To create a group chat, click on the three-dots option below your cover photo, and then “Send Message”. Select the members for the group chat (or “Select All” to select every member) and click “Start Chat”.

5. Set guidelines and moderate discussions

Here are some of the things you can do to keep your Facebook Group conducive for your members:

Set up guidelines. You can either write them in your group description, create and pin a post, or create a Facebook document. You can include things such as the actions that are encouraged or should be avoided and the names of admins and moderators.

Edit your membership and posting settings. In your “Group Settings”, you can set permissions for new membership and posting. For example, you can set permissions such as if only an admin or a moderator can approve a new member and if all posts must be approved by an admin or moderator.

You can also learn more about new members by requiring them to fill up a short questionnaire before joining. You can ask up to three questions, and they’ll have up to 250 characters to answer each question.

Remove posts that violate the guidelines. You or your moderators can remove posts and comments on posts. I would recommend stating clearly in your guidelines the type of posts that are not allowed such as self-promotion and hateful posts.

You might want to consider removing and blocking repeat violators from your Facebook Group.

Share your Facebook Group with us!

And that’s it! Those are the things you can do to create a Facebook Group for your brand and build an engaged community.

We are excited for you to create your Facebook Group and would love for you to share in the comments section below a link to your Facebook Group and a brief description about your group.

Facebook Marketing in 2022: A VERY Complete Guide

Potential customers are already looking for businesses like yours on Facebook. A smart Facebook marketing strategy is the only way to connect with them.

Facebook marketing isn’t optional. Facebook is the most used social platform in the world, pulling in 2.29 billion daily active users.

It’s not all vacation pics and humblebrags either. For 53.2% of internet users ages 16-24, social media is their primary source of brand research. And, 66% of all Facebook users check out a local business Page at least once a week.

Truth time: You need to be on Facebook.

But what should you do first? Do you need to run ads? What should you post about? Does creating a business Page mean you’re in the metaverse?

The answers to all your questions are ahead, plus a step-by-step process to start your Facebook marketing journey off right.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

What is Facebook marketing?

Facebook marketing is the practice of promoting a business and brand on Facebook. It can help businesses build brand awareness, grow an online following, gather leads, and sell more products or services.

Facebook marketing tactics can include:

How to set up Facebook for business

For those working with a limited or zero budget: You can do Facebook marketing completely for free.

Optionally, you can accelerate your growth with paid services, like Facebook ads, boosted content, or influencer/partnership campaigns.

Let’s start at the beginning: Your business’ Facebook Page. Whether you only do this and share organic content, or follow the rest of the tips in this article, you need to have a Page.

Create a Facebook Business Page

1. Sign in to Facebook with your personal account. Your personal information won’t show on your Page, but you can also create a new Facebook account with a work email address if you prefer.

2. Open the menu (the nine dots on the right side) and click Create, then Page.

3. To create your Page, enter:

a. Name: Your business name

b. Category: Start typing to see the available options. For example, “retail” or “restaurant.”

c. Description: A sentence or two describing what your business does. You can edit this later.

4. Congrats! Your Page is live. Click Edit Page Info to add more to your About section, add a website URL, and more. I’ll cover exactly how to optimize your new Page later in this article.

Get verified on Facebook (optional)

You don’t need it, but it helps. How do you get that little blue checkmark like the cool brands?

Verified Pages mean Facebook has checked to ensure the person or brand is who they say they are. It communicates trust (which is important since 72% of people say they distrust Facebook).

Technically, getting verified is as simple as filling out a form. But really, Facebook only verifies profiles and Pages belonging to businesses or well-known public figures.

It can be difficult to get a personal profile verified, but it’s quite easy for businesses of all sizes, especially if you have a physical location. The key is ensuring your proof of identity links are independent, non-promotional content from high-quality sources.

Check out our complete Facebook verification guide for more tips.

Open a Facebook ads account (optional)

It’s a good idea to set up a Facebook ads account even if you don’t plan to use it right away.

Once you have a business Page set up, go to Facebook Ads Manager (now part of Meta Business Suite). You can add an existing Facebook ads account or follow the prompts to create a new one.

Now you can start an automated campaign, create your own campaign from scratch, or promote (“boost”) existing Page content.

Not sure if you’re ready for Facebook ads? I’ve got tips on when and how to start later in this article.

How to create a Facebook marketing strategy in 7 easy steps

1. Define your audience

Before you do anything, you must first define who your ideal potential customer is and what they want on Facebook. Then, create a marketing and content strategy around that.

Every article about social media marketing says this.

…Because it’s true.

At minimum, you need to define your target audience by answering the following:

Not sure where to start? If you already have followers on your Facebook Page, check out Audience Insights inside Meta Business Suite to see the demographics of your existing audience.

Meta’s Insights area offers more than basic info, including:

Does your data line up with the customers you want to attract? Perfect, keep up the good work. Not so much? Adjust your content strategy accordingly and watch your Insights to see what works for shifting your audience to the one you want.

This data is also valuable for ad targeting if you want to explore Facebook advertising.

Ready to dig deep? Here’s how to get all the nerdy info you want from Facebook Audience Insights.

2. Define your goals

Why do you want followers? What do you want them to do? For most companies, the answer is, “Buy something.”

But it’s not always about money. Other common goals for a Facebook Page are to:

Your Facebook marketing goals will depend on your overall marketing strategy. (Need a refresh? We’ve got a free marketing plan template for ya.)

If you’re up for more no-BS advice, check out this post about setting social media goals and how to measure them.

3. Plan your content strategy

No need to overcomplicate this. Your content strategy is:

What to post

Will you share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your process? Will you post exclusive discounts? Will you stick to business, or include some fun and games?

Let your imagination run wild with ideas— Ha! Just kidding. You’re gonna post what your audience wants, right? From all that research you did in step 1, right?

Creativity is encouraged, though. Blend what you know about your target audience with what you think will perform well. (Psst—we’ve researched all the best social media trends so you don’t have to.)

Think of your Facebook content strategy like buckets. Each bucket is a topic.

You get the idea. And you know what makes everything, including creativity, more fun? Rules!

A few classic social media content strategy rules to consider:

When to post it

Once you’ve decided what to post, deciding when to post it is the last puzzle piece.

As mentioned earlier, Facebook Audience Insights can help here, although our research has found the best times to post on Facebook are between 8:00AM to 12:00PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Not so fast. That’s a massive generalization. Like everything else in your strategy, experiment! Try different times and see when you get the most engagement.

It’s easy to stay on track with Hootsuite Planner. Everyone on your team can see upcoming posts, collaborate on drafts, and identify any gaps before you reach an oh-crap-I-need-a-post-right-now content emergency.

The best part? Hootsuite’s powerful analytics will tell you when the best times to post are, based on your personalized data.

Check out how it all works:

4. Optimize your Page

Whether you’ve just set up your Facebook business Page or had one for awhile, make sure you have:

If you have a physical business location, also ensure you’ve added a street address.

If you’re an ecommerce business, use Commerce Manager to display your products in the new Facebook Shop tab. Not sure how? Here’s how to set up a Facebook Shop.

5. Try other Facebook tools

1. Create a Facebook Group

Groups require a lot of moderation and attention to be successful, but they can earn powerful results.

2. Drive engagement with Hootsuite Inbox

Hootsuite Inbox allows you to respond to DMs and comments from all your social platforms in one place. Besides replying faster, it also enables your entire team to manage communications without duplicating work or missing anything.

See how much time you’ll save:

3. Try Facebook Marketplace for local sales

While you may think of Marketplace as simply the modern day replacement for Craigslist, it’s actually a powerful business sales channel, too.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

In 2022, Facebook Marketplace ads reach a potential 562.1 million people. While most sellers are people cleaning out their basements, business listings are welcome, including in lucrative categories like car and real estate sales (where regional laws permit).

It’s free to create listings, making it a must-try for local businesses. If you sell nationally, consider promoting your shop website, too.

6. Install Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel)

Meta Pixel is a small piece of code installed on your website to allow tracking, testing, targeting, and analytics for Facebook and Instagram ads. You only have to set it up once per website.

To install Meta Pixel:

1. Log in to Facebook Events Manager. In the left menu, click Connect data sources.

2. Choose Web as the data source and click Connect.

3. Name it and enter your website URL. Depending what your website runs on, there may be a one-click integration available. If not, follow the prompts to install the code manually.

4. Set up the events you want to track. From your Pixel’s Overview tab, click Add Events, then From the Pixel.

5. Enter your URL and click Open website. You’ll be able to select buttons on your site to track as an Event with your Pixel. No coding required. Assign each button a role, such as “Purchase,” “Contact,” “Search,” and more. Ensure your browser allows pop-ups for this to work properly.

7. Try Facebook advertising

Facebook ads can skyrocket traffic and sales, but launching a campaign can be overwhelming.

You’re also probably wondering how much Facebook ads cost. (Spoiler: It varies. You’re welcome.)

Facebook ads reach the largest potential audience of any social platform, up to 2.11 billion people as of 2022. Put another way, that’s 34.1% of Earth’s entire population over age 13.

If you want to begin social media advertising, Facebook is the best place to start for most businesses. There’s a lot to learn, but our step-by-step guide to creating your first Facebook ad campaign makes it easier.

But are you ready?

When to start using Facebook ads

The day after creating your shiny new business Page isn’t the best time to try out Facebook ads. But, letting someone else arbitrarily tell you when you’re ready isn’t the answer, either. Heh.

Yep, as with most marketing things, there isn’t one correct answer or KPI that can tell you when to start experimenting with ads.

I’d argue you should have these things first:

The easy way: Boost a post

“Boosting” a post is Facebook lingo for taking a regular Page post and turning it into an ad.

Boosting is the gateway ad those senior content marketers warned you about. Side effects of success include conversions, audience growth, and a newfound appreciation for digital advertising.

When you should consider it: If you’re completely new to Facebook advertising and want to test the waters. Boosted posts are relatively cheap since you specify your budget up front. Remember: Cheap isn’t effective if the ad isn’t accurately targeted.

Ready to hit turbo mode? Here’s how to boost a Facebook post the right way.

The full monty: Create your first Facebook ad campaign

Ad groups, creative options, launch dates, awareness ads, conversion ads, multiple formats, copy options… A full Facebook ad campaign is a lot of work.

It’s worth it. The combination of organic and paid Facebook content is the secret sauce to achieving all your social media ✨dreams. ✨

When you should consider it: You want to build focused momentum for a product launch, event, or other promotion.

Paid campaigns can work with budgets of all sizes, but spend time honing your targeting skills first. Experimenting with boosted posts can help dial this in.

You know when you see an ad and think wow, I’m the target market! Like finding out A&W has kids-size meals at 5:30pm on a hot summer Sunday when I know my soul will leave my body if I turn the oven on.

That’s how you want your ad’s viewers to feel: “This is for me.”

You can absolutely be successful at DIY-ing your Facebook ads, although plan to do a ton of research along the way. We have a few resources for you to start with:

Consider hiring an agency or freelance consultant to help plan your first campaign. You’ll learn a lot and optimize your chances of success.

8 types of Facebook posts to use for marketing

1. Text

Plain Jane. All type and no hype. The OG.

Text posts don’t include links, so they’re not meant to drive traffic, but they can be surprisingly good at growing your Page audience. Text posts have the highest average engagement rate at 0.13%.

However, these posts can easily get lost in the algorithm. For text posts under 130 characters, you can choose a colorful background to help them stand out.

Keep text posts short: Communicate something quickly to your audience, or ask them a question.

Or, be super relatable and funny.

2. Photo

Photo posts are second only to text posts for engagement, with an average engagement rate of 0.11%. A photo post can be any type of image, including a photo, infographic, or other artwork. You can add as many photos as you want to each post, but for 10 or more, consider creating an album instead.

Every type of business can make impactful photo posts:

Better yet, feature your customers’ photos for a unique perspective on your products and engage your audience, too.

The mountains are calling. 🏔📸: @jozfstefn

Limited photography budget? Check out these free stock photo sites.

3. Video

Video communicates the way nothing else can. It’s the next best thing to having your audience right in front of you.

Stuck for ideas? Here are a few types of videos to share:

MojoGrip is a go-to resource for aviation fans. They know their audience is just as passionate about aircraft as they are, so this “How It’s Made” video was a big hit.

Mosquito Helicopter Factory Tour | How It’s Made

Posted by MojoGrip on Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Wondering what successful social media videos have in common? Check our tips for creating viral social videos.

4. Live video

Using live video successfully is all about holding your audience’s attention.

Q&As are one of the most effective live video formats for B2B companies. For both B2B and B2C, try demo videos showing how to use your product, especially to show off lesser-known use cases or “hacks.”

Lenovo managed to engage their audience and show off a new product’s capabilities with this Live. Viewers voted on ways to try to destroy the laptop and Lenovo carried them out live to prove the computer’s toughness.

Not wondering what to talk about, just how to do it? We’ve got a Facebook live guide for newbies.

5. Links

Links = anything directing to an external source, like your website. Link posts can contain any type of media, too.

Creating one is easy: All you need is a caption of your own, then paste in any link and Facebook will pull in an image, title, and meta description from the website. Or, you can manually add your own.

Hootsuite does this, too, and you can schedule them to publish later, shorten URLs, and track clicks. Nice.

6. Facebook Stories

Every day, one billion Stories are posted across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp—Meta’s family of apps.

Facebook Stories offer a familiar vertical format and options for adding links, stickers, text, and more. You can use either an image or video. Images show for 5 seconds and videos can be up to 20 seconds per Story. All Facebook Stories disappear after 24 hours.

You can publish organic Stories, or make Facebook Stories ads.

For best results, keep text and graphics minimal and use the space to let your photo or video speak for itself.

7. Pinned post

You can set an existing post on your Facebook Page as a “pinned post,” which means it will always be at the top of your Page.

This is helpful for a welcome message, links to important pages or customer support contacts, or anything you’re promoting right now. You can change your pinned post anytime.

McDonald’s changes theirs up frequently for new promotions, like this one encouraging app downloads.

8. Specialty post types

These are great for specific cases, but you’ll use them less frequently.

Facebook Group posts

Running a members-only Facebook Group in addition to your business Page can be a lot of work. But if building a community is one of your goals, a Facebook Group is a perfect way to achieve that, thanks to its 1.8 billion active monthly users.

Posting in a Group is the same as posting to your Page, except it’s only visible to members. Think it would be a good fit? We’ve got step by step instructions, plus recommended settings, for creating a Facebook Group for business.

Hello Fresh runs their #FreshFam Group for customers to share photos and feedback of the recipes they made. It’s linked to their business Page under the Community tab.

Fundraisers

Fundraising on Facebook for a charity, or your own foundation, is an excellent way to grow your audience while making a positive impact.

Fundraisers show your values and connect people to your brand’s purpose. It puts your money where your mouth is. Bonus points: You can opt to match all donations (up to a limit of your choice).

And of course, make your new fundraiser your pinned post to maximize views, like the Humane Society of the United States:

However, only verified Facebook business Pages for public figures, brands, or charities can create fundraisers.

There’s a workaround if you’re not verified yet, though. Create a fundraiser with a personal Facebook user profile, then share it on your business Page.

Events

Creating an event post has 6 unique benefits:

5 Facebook marketing tools

1. Hootsuite

With Hootsuite, you can manage all of your Facebook marketing activities from one place. We hate marketing cliches, but it really is your, excuse us, one-stop shop for all things Facebook marketing.

Use Hootsuite to:

2. Heyday

Leverage AI to save money and provide top-notch customer service 24/7. Facebook Messenger chatbots can act as an interactive FAQ, as well as connect your customers to live agents for more complex requests. And, they can even suggest and sell products right from Messenger.

Ecommerce retailer Bestseller’s chatbot, powered by Heyday, automated up to 90% of their simple customer conversations in both English and French.

But more importantly, its smart programming understood Quebecois French terms—a rare and important feature for the Quebec-based company. They’d already found the generic French translations used by other apps unsuitable.

3. Chute

User-generated content is awesome for 2 reasons:

Chute simplifies the often-daunting task of finding relevant content based on topic, location, or more. Save what you find into an organized content library you can access from Hootsuite Composer.

It also makes it easy to properly obtain usage rights and permission for legal compliance.

4. Reputology

Reviews are one of the most important aspects of your Facebook business Page (and elsewhere). Reputology tracks incoming reviews and allows you to respond inside Hootsuite.

5. Facebook Ads Library

Sometimes a little inspiration is all you need. Facebook Ads Library is a searchable database of all the ads currently running on Facebook.

You can filter by location, type of ad, and keywords.

Get ideas for your next campaign, identify trending phrases or graphics, and check up on what your competitors are doing.

Manage your Facebook business Page, content, ads—and everything for all your other platforms, too—with Hootsuite. Plan and schedule posts, run ads, engage with followers, and measure your impact with powerful analytics. Try it free today.

Grow your Facebook presence faster with Hootsuite. Schedule all your social posts and track their performance in one dashboard.

Become a better social marketer.

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As an ex-agency strategist turned freelance WFH fashion icon, Michelle is passionate about putting the sass in SaaS content. She’s known for quickly understanding and distilling complicated technical topics into conversational copy that gets results. She has written for Fortune 500 companies and startups, and her clients have earned features in Forbes, Strategy Magazine and Entrepreneur.

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