After spending some time the past few weeks chatting with small business owners who have not yet taken the Facebook leap, or have taken the leap and are still waiting to land, I made the following observations.
- Small business owners are extremely busy people
- Small business owners embrace new ideas
- Small business owners are savvy about their market and clientele
- Small business owners want to use Facebook but aren’t sure how to approach it
- Small business owners who have had a family member or friend help them get started on Facebook have had little training about how to manage it themselves.
- Small business owners are willing to learn, but can’t invest a fortune doing so.
So, for all you small business owners who want to, need to, and have been asked to by their customers, DO IT! Take the leap! Start your own Facebook business page! Here is some advice and encouragement to help you get started.
- Don’t make Facebook more difficult than it needs to be. Starting a Facebook page is quite easy, and doesn't take a big time commitment.
- Start slowly, step by step, setting a little time aside, (try 20 minutes a day) and you will be on your way to engaging your audience through Facebook.
- Explore each part of the page, and all of the tabs. Use the Help feature to learn more about parts of the page that you are unfamiliar with.
- Google your questions. You'll be surprised how many people have the same questions as you do when getting started on Facebook.
In order to have a Facebook Page you must have a Facebook Account. If you don’t want to create a Facebook account, you can create a business account which will allow you to handle the administration of your page.
- If you already have a personal Facebook account you should use it to create your page. Facebook does not link your personal information to your Facebook page, so you don't have to worry about people being able to see your personal information or association with the page. Creating multiple personal Facebook accounts (business or personal) is a violation of Facebook policy, so use your existing personal account.
- Once you have a Facebook account, you are ready to create you fan page.
- Remember, once you have 25 fans you can name your page! (Give it a username that will help to promote your page and can be used in your marketing communications). There are some restrictions when naming your page however, so proceed with caution.
There are many resources on the Internet with advice for creating your own Facebook Page. I like this information from Squidoo.com which has an excellent step by step page on How to Create a Facebook Page. I recommend you take a look before you start, and use their sections as stepping stones to learn more.
In no time at all, you’ll be on your way to embracing your fans with great information all about your small business!
Wishing you a great week!
Barb Bruce – myradius.ca
I invite you to become a fan of my Facebook page at
