You probably already know that your startup should have a Facebook page, but you might not have gone through the trouble of creating one yet. Or worse, Facebook might have created a page for you, via information it could glean from Wikipedia and other Internet sites. Regardless, if you don’t already have one built out of information that you have supplied to Facebook, it is time to get on the ball. These initial simple tips can walk you through the process of creating the perfect Facebook page for your business.
First, set up a Page in Facebook. This may seem like the obvious first step, but WAY too many businesses make the mistake of using a personal profile to represent their business. If you're passionate about your business, you need to have a business Facebook page. Yes, it may seem cutesy at first that your startup wishes an individual “happy birthday,” but don’t fall into this trap. As your startup business and its online presence grows, an individual profile versus a business page will start to have more and more disadvantages. One, Facebook caps the number of friends an individual can have, but it doesn’t cap the number of fans a page can have. If you have to switch from an individual profile to a business page, you risk losing a large majority of those potential customers who will not take the time to become a fan.
Next. add a custom Facebook landing page to your page. This will act as a gateway to your business, and really showcase what you want people to know about your business when they visit your page. Even though this isn't the main default page for Facebook pages it still serves as a valuable page. Hopefully in the future they will allow you to make this the default page for new people to land on.
On your Fan page you should have a clear call to action. This should be a clear call to action that people won't misinterpret. Customers respond much better when you tell them exactly what it is that you want them to do. Do you want them to “like” your Facebook page? Then tell them that. Perhaps you are running a specific promotional sale or offer during the month. Tell them about that and have them enter their email address to gain access to the discount information. Whatever it is, don’t let them be passive visitors to the site, have them interact with the page in some manner. If nothing else, encourage them to be active on the page. This will help other people to voice their opinions. This will help your startup to grow.
Once you have their email address or any other information, don’t let this valuable information go to waste. This is information that your startup needs to use, because it represents clear targeted customer that will help your startup go to the next level. Enter the addresses into an email list program, such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. There are a wide variety of pricing options for these services, from free and simple to slightly more expensive and robust. Find the one that works for you and put those addresses to work.
These steps help you get started with a Facebook page for your startup. Once these steps are followed then you are ready to put the next part of your marketing plan into action.