When thinking about designing an engaging Facebook Business Page for your business, there’s a handful of items to keep in mind to ensure the best experience for the audience. Of course, there’s a LOT that goes into crafting a Facebook business presence, but these should surely get you started!

Invest in elevated imagery.

Your cover photo is so key to leaving a memorable first impression. If you are able to, hire a professional photographer to capture some solid brand imagery for your business that you can highlight across all of your digital and print publications, and pick one of your favorites for the Facebook cover! You can also create a custom cover design with imagery, icons and text via a free program like Canva.com, or Photoshop.

On this cover photo, if you decide to opt for a design, make sure you list your social media @handles and website URL for easy reference!

Some businesses choose to use the cover image as a space to showcase their latest campaign theme or product release, or take a stand on an issue/showcase one of their values by way of visuals. Others may simply choose to use the space to familiarize the audience with their team or mission.

Branded vs. Personalized Image

In the case of most corporations (such as Target), they keep the “profile image” on their business page as their company’s logo or a variation of it based on holidays or world events. But, the new trend on Facebook business pages is to utilize a photo of YOU for your profile image, similar to how you would on your personal profile. This is great for solo biz owners, bloggers and influencers - it encourages your audience to feel a connection with you and familiarize your face with your work. It also comes off more authentic.

Clear Call-to-Action (CTA).

Underneath your cover image in the bottom right, you’ll see a blue button that encourages you to add a Call-to-Action (CTA) - be sure you select this and don’t skip it! If you want people to sign up to your email list, use “Sign Up”. If you would rather they shop your product selection, click “Shop Now”. Or, if they simply need to book you for a consultation to get started, select “Book Now”. Link it up to the proper app or website link and you’re good to go!

Post engaging and relevant content.

When posting to your Facebook Business Page, make sure that you are sharing information that is super engaging and also timely for your audience. Whether there is world news that applies within your niche, or you’re simply creating innovative graphics or sharing an inspirational sentence, you should always think about what your audience is going to most enjoy and be sure to switch it up!

Facebook rewards pages that share multiple types of content - articles, videos, photos, text-only posts, etc. so be sure that you keep up a variety with what you are sharing.

Also, make sure you take note of the types of regulations set on Facebook posts in their official guidelines - don’t ask your audience to “tag a friend” or “share this post” - these types of requests get flagged in Facebook’s system and are against their Friends & Family Connections rules, so your posts may get less traction overall. If you want people to share, you can consider saying something like: “Spread the word to someone who would appreciate this!”, avoiding keywords like share and tag. This is especially important when running giveaways/contests on Facebook - this is encouraged behavior on Instagram, but not FB.

Nail that customer service and increase social proof.

Perhaps the most important element of your marketing is customer service! Be sure that you have systems in place to respond quickly to any inquiries that come through in your messages, comments or reviews, at least liking or “hearting” the posts, if not responding with a thoughtful comment. In this day and age, customers expect a response in under 2-4 hours, but at least responding within 12-24 hours at the very least can help you maintain a positive customer service rating.

Similarly, invite your friends and previous clients / customers to write you a review on your business page, recommending you to others. This will build your social proof - the concept of human persuasion that involves showcasing the positive results that others have experienced with your business. This will help you rank in Facebook search results.

Verify that page!

Another way to make sure you show up accurately in Facebook search results is to verify the page! This is a setting within your Facebook page that verifies your ownership of the business, making you more “legit” and ranking you higher in searches.

Curate your company voice.

Key to your success as a business and a brand, your company voice will help you stand out from your competition (and the other businesses on social!). Perhaps you have a different tone or voice on each platform or method of communication - your advertisements and blog posts have more formal language, whereas your social media is much more relatable and humorous. Take a moment to survey the platforms you will be using on social and determine the target audience you are trying to reach and what tone they would appreciate.

Add your products or services.

If you’re a product-based business, you can add a shoppable tab on your Facebook page that also syncs up with your Instagram account, allowing customers to click on different products and shop them from within the apps.

On the flip side, if you’re a service-based business like me, you can add a list of your services, along with pricing as desired and a small description.

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As you begin to think about how to best set up your Facebook Business Page, I hope these tips helped give you a jumpstart and ensure that you reap the rewards of all your hard work!

Have any follow-up questions? I’d love to answer them in the comments below! :)