Digital K Blog

Facebook recently replaced their “Become a Fan” button for Facebook Pages with a “Like” button. From Facebook:

Starting today people will be able to connect with your Page by clicking “Like” rather than “Become a Fan.” We hope this action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site.

If you have a Facebook Page for your business, how does this affect you? Not much… You’ll just notice that your ‘Become a Fan” button on your Facebook page has changed to a “Like” button.

 
Similarly, if you have a ”Become a Fan box” on your website (now called a “Like box”), the Fan button says “Like” instead.

 
So tell me, are you a fan of the new button/terminology? (Ooops! I should have written, do you “like” the new button/terminology!)

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about how to create a Facebook page for your business. Well, Facebook has modified the setup (again!) — so I have included the revised instructions below.

Thinking about using Facebook to promote your business? Keep reading to learn how to setup your own Facebook Page.

You may already have a Facebook account to connect with family and friends. But don’t create – or use - a personal Facebook profile for your business. Profiles are for People. Pages are for Businesses. Facebook profiles have friends, which require mutual acceptance. Pages have fans – and can be added without administrator approval. Pages also have different setup options than profiles, allowing you to include business-specific information. For example, a local business page can display the hours they are open for business.

Below are instructions for how to create a Facebook Page. The steps are slightly different depending on whether you already have a Facebook profile setup or not.

If you already have a Facebook account:

1.  Login to your account at Facebook.
    
2. On the left side of the website, click on “Ads and Pages”. 
    
   
    
3. On the next page, click on “Create Page” at the top. (If you don’t see the “Ads and Pages” icon — you can also get to this page through this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php)
    
   
    
4. Select a Category type: “Local”, “Brand, Product, or Organization”, or “Artist, Band, or Public Figure”. Then select a sub-category from the drop-down menu underneath the category you selected. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your category or sub-category after you create your page!
     
5. In the “Page Name” box, type in the name of your business. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your page name after you create your page!
    
6. Check the box confirming that you have permission to create this page for the business.
    
7. Click on the “Create Official Page” button.

 
Your Facebook Page is now created! Now it’s time to enter in your business information…
 

If you don’t have a Facebook account:

1. Go to Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
    
   
    
2. Select a Category type: “Local”, “Brand, Product, or Organization”, or “Artist, Band, or Public Figure”. Then select a sub-category from the drop-down menu underneath the category you selected. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your category or sub-category after you create your page!
    
3. In the “Page Name” box, type in the name of your business. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your page name after you create your page!
    
4. Check the box confirming that you have the rights to create this page for the business.
    
5. Click on the “Create Official Page” button.
    
   
    
6. On the next page, select “I do not have a Facebook account” and enter in your email, password, date of birth, and security words.
    
7. Click the “Terms of Use” and “Privacy Policy” links to view them. Then check the box to confirm that you have read them and agree to them.
    
8. Click the “Sign up Now!” button.

 
Your Facebook Page is now created! Now it’s time to enter in your business information…

When you first create a Facebook page, the link to your page is something like this: www.facebook.com/pages/companyname/#######

Wouldn’t you prefer a website address like this: www.facebook.com/companyname?

Here’s how to do that!

1. First, you need to have more than 25 fans of your Facebook page.
2. Login to your Facebook account.
3. Type in this website address: http://www.facebook.com/username
4. There will be an interface for you to choose a username for the Page(s) you are the administrator of.
5. That’s all there is to it!
    

Tips for Choosing your Facebook Page Username:

• Be careful what username you select! Once you claim your username by clicking the “Confirm” button, it is not possible to edit it, or to transfer it to a different account on Facebook. Even when an account is removed from the Facebook site, that username will not be made available to other users.
• Create a username that is as close as possible to your business name (For example: PizzaHut).
• Usernames can only contain alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) or a period (“.”).
• Your username must adhere to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Facebook pages are setup with several default tabs:

• The Wall tab allows you (and optionally, your fans) to share content.
• Your Info tab displays business information.
• On the Photos tab, upload photos of your product, photos from company events, and more.
• Create a discussion board on the “Discussions” tab.
• Post your upcoming events on the “Events” tab.

There are also tabs available for Links, Notes, and Video. In addition, applications built by outside developers can have their own Page tab.

 
To Change Which Tabs Appear on your Page:

1. Click “Edit Page” underneath your profile picture.
    
   
    
2. Scroll down to the Applications sections. Click “Application Settings” underneath each an application that you want to add or remove from your page’s tabs.
    
   
    
3. On the window that appears, select if you want the application added on or removed from its own tab. (You can also select if you want it to appear on a “Boxes” tab of your page.) Click “Okay”.
    
4. Repeat for each application that you want to edit.

 
Select the Default Tab:

You can also choose which tab to set as the default view when users who aren’t yet Fans arrive at Facebook Page:

1. As above, click on “Edit Page” underneath the question mark graphic on the left.
    
2. Click on “Edit” underneath “Wall Settings” and select the tab that you want to be the “Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else”

 
Facebook Page Tab Links:

Since each tab has its own URL (website address), you can choose which tab you want to link to from your website or blog, for your Facebook Ads, and for other off-site promotion. To retrieve the URL for a specific tab:

1. As above, click on “Edit Page” underneath the question mark graphic on the left.
    
2. Click on “Link to this Tab” underneath the name of the tab (application). 
    
   
    
   A box will pop up containing the URL for that tab.
    

After you create your Facebook page for your business, it’s time to enter in your business information. (If you haven’t created your page yet, I have provided step-by-step instructions: How to Create a Facebook Page for your Business.)

Edit Your Business Information:

1. Click on “Edit Information” on the top right side of the “Info” tab.
    
   
    
2. Enter information about your business in the “Basic Info” and “Detailed Info” sections. The types of information that you can enter will vary depending on which category and sub-category you chose for your page. Click the “Save Changes” button in each section.
    
3. Click the “Done Editing” button at the top when you have finished entering in your information.
    
4. Click the “Write something about…” link on the left side. 
    
   
      
   Then type in some brief information about your business. Clicking outside the box will save the information that you typed.

 
Create a Profile Picture:

1. Put your mouse over the question mark graphic in the top of the left column. A white box will appear. Click on the pencil icon next to the “Change Picture” link. Click on “Upload a Picture” in the menu that appears.
    
   
      
2. Click the Browse button and select a graphic or photo image from your computer. Typically, this will be your logo. Make sure that your logo is clear even as a “thumbnail,” since the image will appear at that reduced size throughout the site (for example, on fans’ profiles, and also next to any status updates you post).

 
Change Your Facebook Page Settings:

1. Click on “Edit Page” underneath the question mark graphic on the left. 
    
   
    
   The “Edit Page” screen will load:
    
   
    
2. If you want to set restrictions on who can view your page, click on “Edit” underneath “Settings”. Select your restrictions and click the “Save Changes” button.
    
3. If you want to change the default settings for how your page is viewed – or if you want to change the settings for what items fans are able to post to your Wall, click on “Edit” underneath “Wall Settings” and change those settings.

 
Customize Your Facebook Page Tabs:

You can further customize your page by clicking on the tabs at the top of your page.

• The Wall tab allows you (and optionally, your fans) to share content.
• Your Info tab displays business information.
• On the Photos tab, upload photos of your product, photos from company events, and more.
• Create a discussion board on the “Discussions” tab.
• Post your upcoming events on the “Events” tab.

 
There are also tabs available for Links, Notes, and Video. In addition, applications built by outside developers can have their own Page tab. View more information on how to customize your Facebook Page’s tabs.

 
Become a Fan!

Become your page’s first fan by clicking on the “Like” button next to your page name at the top of your page.
 

5/7/2010 NOTE: Facebook has modified the setup (again!) — so I have written a new post with revised instructions. You can access it here: How to Create a Facebook Page for Your Business

Thinking about using Facebook to promote your business? Keep reading to learn how to setup your own Facebook Page.

You may already have a Facebook account to connect with family and friends. But don’t create – or use - a personal Facebook profile for your business. Profiles are for People. Pages are for Businesses. Facebook profiles have friends, which require mutual acceptance. Pages have fans – and can be added without administrator approval. Pages also have different setup options than profiles, allowing you to include business-specific information. For example, a local business page can display the hours they are open for business.

Below are instructions for how to create a Facebook Page. The steps are slightly different depending on whether you already have a Facebook profile setup or not.

If you already have a Facebook account:

1.  Login to your account at Facebook.
    
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the web page and click on the “Ads and Pages” icon in the lower left corner.
    
    
    
3. On the next page, click on “Pages” at the top – and then click “Create a Page”. (If you don’t see the “Ads and Pages” icon — you can also get to this page through this link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php)
    
   
    
4. Select a Category type: “Local”, “Brand, Product, or Organization”, or “Artist, Band, or Public Figure”. Then select a sub-category from the drop-down menu underneath the category you selected. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your category or sub-category after you create your page!
     
5. In the “Name of Page” box, type in the name of your business. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your page name after you create your page!
    
6. If you don’t want to have your Facebook page viewable by the public yet, check the box that says, “Do not make Page publicly visible at this time.” You will still be able to work on your new Facebook page now and you can publish it when you’re ready.
    
7. Type in the security words in the box below them.
    
8. Click on the “Create Page” button. (By clicking on this button, you are confirming that you have the rights to create this page for the business.)

 
Your Facebook Page is now created! Now it’s time to enter in your business information…
 

If you don’t have a Facebook account:

1. Go to Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
    
   
    
2. Select a Category type: “Local”, “Brand, Product, or Organization”, or “Artist, Band, or Public Figure”. Then select a sub-category from the drop-down menu underneath the category you selected. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your category or sub-category after you create your page!
    
3. In the “Name of Page” box, type in the name of your business. NOTE: You won’t be able to change your page name after you create your page!
    
4. If you don’t want to have your Facebook page viewable by the public yet, check the box that says, “Do not make Page publicly visible at this time.” You will still be able to work on your new Facebook page now and you can publish it when you’re ready.
    
5. Type in the security words in the box below them.
    
6. Click on the “Create Page” button. (By clicking on this button, you are confirming that you have the rights to create this page for the business.)
    
   
    
7. On the next page, select “I do not have a Facebook account” and enter in your email, password, date of birth, and security words.
    
8. Click the “Terms of Use” and “Privacy Policy” links to view them. Then check the box to confirm that you have read them and agree to them.
    
9. Click the “Sign up Now!” button.

 
Your Facebook Page is now created! Now it’s time to enter in your business information…