Okay. So you’ve just started a business, a group, a discussion. Now what? You head on over to Facebook, with the idea of creating the perfect place for excitement and extravaganza. But… which do you chose? Which page is the most suitable, the most flexible; the perfect profile page?
It can be a bit of a minefield when you first join up, so we have put together a little guide for you to help you along your merry Facebook way….
Once you have an idea of the type of page you want to create and what it is you want to achieve with it, there are 6 types of Facebook page available to you. We’ve laid out the options below, with some information on each to help make that decision all the easier to make.
#1 The Local Business/Place Page.
The local Business/Place pages are perfect for businesses that conduct business in a particular location, or set to one particular place (such as hair or beauty salons, local tea and cake café etc).
When using these options, you will also be able to take advantage of Facebook’s location feature. This enables users to ‘check-in’ to your business, which will in turn appear on your page, their timeline, and their friend’s newsfeed. Using this tool is not only a great way of getting the word out about who you are and what you do, but its a perfect step towards promotion and marketing your business (ie. check in for a free Latté).
The local page also gives you extra options when it comes to filling out your information; such as opening hours and parking facilities. There are a variety of businesses to choose from, and once you have completed your details (Business name/address/phone number) you are ready to rock ‘n’ retail!
#2 The Company/Organisation/Institution Page.
This page generally fits the needs of a few groups of people. It is suited to those that sell online through their own website, or those that have multiple locations and business addresses for various branches in various locations
Think of Waitrose for example, far too many addresses to…well, address. Whereas “Flower and Fauna Online Bouquet” design have no fixed ‘point’ and use their website on the large part for sales and revenue.
#3 The Brand/Product Page.
The brand/products page is one for promoting just that. If you have a service or product that does not have a location (as above) but ideal for promoting products, services or brands that do not sell from a specific physical location such as Coca-Cola, a particular book, or a freelance massage therapist.
If your products are sold through more than one website or stocked by more than one reseller / retailer (or will be in the future), select the ‘Brand or Product’ page type.
This is the right page type for products with brand names and is where the likes of Apple, Coca Cola, Maybelline and Adidas hang out.
Start by selecting your best match page category, which includes:
#4 The Artist/band/Public Figure Page.
You don’t need to be a GaGa or Ghandi to bag yourselves a Public Figure page. Whilst the Artist/Band sections are fairly self explanatory, the Public Figure has a bit more leeway than you would think.
This sort of page would work well for professionals who promote themselves as their own brands. Authors, Life Coaches, Actors, Consultants; you can find them all with their own PF page. As personal profiles are capped at 5000 friends (!!) this would be a natural progression for your line of work.
It is also worth bearing in mind however that using “your personal profile for commercial gain” is against Facebooks terms of use, so it is best to avoid this at all costs.
#5 The Entertainment Page.
Whilst in the past it was largely used for the best known TV shows, Tours and Magazines, in our digital day and age, it has become a much more diverse page type.
More and more people are self publishing books and magazines to suit their tastes with many contributing, and more local theatres and groups are using the social site to promote their events and performances. This page is a great derivitive from the ‘Brand’ page, especially for an Author (who could be deemed a brand) and their book (which is good for their book publicity).
#6 The Cause/Community Page.
Again, this sort of page is fairly self-explanatory (to a point), however there are some key areas that are worth highlighting and considering when looking at this sort of page.
If you are a not-for-profit organisation, this may seem the obvious choice, however these pages are more suited to community discussion/debates/ideas/movements. Within the ‘Local Business’ or ‘Company Organisation’ there are drop downs/options specifically for NFPs, and more suited to the information you will need displaying on your page.
Some examples of pages that are suited to this category are those related to mental health discussion, green living movements (“avoid X product due to X”) or other communities with similar values and points of discussion.
“But which is the one for me?”
They key to picking the right Facebook Page is to thinking of your audience first, and how they will view you and your page. For example, if you are a museum and a non-profit, the chances are your audience will think of you as a museum primarily, so that will be the one to go with.
This will also help you be found on Facebook, as correctly categorising your page will help with your relevancy and the number of likes you will receive.
Do I need multiple pages?”
There are only very few occasions where a business or brand would need multiple pages. Ford for example have a number, including a Company page (Ford Motor Company) a brand page for each of its individual brands, Product pages for each of its vehicles, and a community page for fans of the brand to discuss and debate.
Of course, large brands such as Ford are generally the exception, and if you are having trouble picking a category for your page, have another rethink over your targets and goals are from having a page. Is it to promote discussion? Awareness? Promoting a product? An event? A service?
When you take it all back to basics, it all turns out to be much simpler than you first thought.
Happy Facebooking!
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