Did you know that more than half of the population wants to start their own business, but only 10% try to? More and more people try to make it every year. Owning a startup can be challenging in many ways, especially getting what you want on social media. I´ve been working for startups in social media for some years now, and Facebook should always be a big part of the marketing strategy. A Facebook page is a free marketing tool for businesses. Not only can you list your products and services with it, but it also gives you the opportunity to share links and post images and videos to connect easily to your customers. This is where you can show your company’s humane side and develop your brand identity. Let us see how a startup can leverage Facebook’s reach:

1. How to create a facebook page?

Go to facebook.com. Once you’re there, you’ll see a ‘Sign Up’ button on the upper left corner of the page beside the Facebook logo. Click ‘Sign Up’. Again, you need to have a personal account in order to manage your Facebook page. You can change the privacy settings later so that no else sees your personal account if you’re just looking to market your business page.

2. Create a facebook business page.

Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to start creating your own page. Select ‘local business’ or whichever category best fits your company.

3. Fill out business details.

Now, fill out the form with the basic details of your business, read the Facebook Pages Terms and check ‘I agree’, and click the ‘Get Started’ button. You’ll be redirected to another form where you’ll provide additional details about your business. Although it has a ‘Skip’ option, it’s a good idea to fill out these details to make your business page appear more professional. When you choose your business category, more specific subcategories will come up– choose the one that best applies to your business. Don’t forget to fill out all the other details such as the description of your business, and your business website if you have one. Creating a unique Facebook address (URL) is also important! A branded URL will makes it easier for people to find your page. Remember that you can only change it once after this, so make sure to double-check. It’s a good idea to use your business name and to keep it consistent with all your online usernames (consistent branding). Sure, it can take some time to fill in all this stuff, but the more specific it is, the better. Think of each little data-point as an opportunity to optimize your page so it’s easier for you to use, quicker for others to find, and better for your marketing.

4. Ensure all business info is complete.

Update your page information. You’ll see this option as you scroll up the page, on the upper right side. Updating your information builds credibility and helps your audience get better acquainted with your brand. There are so many data-points, and if you’re in the initial startup phase you might actually find out some things about your business you didn’t know before through this process. For instance, have you thought about your general business category? Have you ironed out simple things like hours of operation? Do you know your targeted audience? Be thorough.

Creating a local business page on Facebook and listing your products and services can help you generate more leads for your small business. From taking up more space on the search engine results page, to advertising lead magnets to your target audience, understanding how to leverage what Facebook has to offer will greatly enhance your marketing and sales efforts.