Last updated on October 18th, 2018 at 09:01 am

I am sure right now you already know why you should create a Facebook business page. The statistics are just right there pointing fingers in the direction of having a Facebook business account. Any wise business person would want to harness Facebook’s over 2 billion active monthly users to grow their businesses.

If you have not created a Facebook business account just yet, then you can start today, anything short of that means you are hurting your business.

Here is why you should create a Facebook Business Account

There is a popular belief right now in Nigeria and also the world over that Facebook is on a decline and engagements are on a downward trend – quite true! Facebook organic reach is reducing only because of the complexities and diverse interests of Facebook users.

According to Pew Research, Facebook users still access the platform far more than any other social media network. Yes, you heard that! Facebook still keep a whopping 71 percent of its users on a daily basis, we only have 51 percent of Instagram users visiting daily.
Wise business people won’t Ignore having a Facebook business page at the expense of Instagram or any other social sites out there.

My personal account versus Facebook business account

In Nigeria, I always see business people make one very huge mistake – using their personal Facebook account for their businesses. That is you hurting your business growth again. Among so many reasons, here is one why you should stop that: you will never be able to scale your business growth by putting it before the eyes of people who really need it through Facebook Ads.
I believe this trend is not just limited to Nigeria alone, but a global situation, many times this is a result of the laziness of business-owners to start something new from scratch, they will rather want to harness existing friends – that might help to start now but won’t eventually.

How to create a Facebook business account

Now, let me walk you through a step-by-step guide to create your Facebook business Page, it’s quite a piece of cake.

Step 1: Login and signup

Login into your personal Facebook account, start by clicking the drop-down arrow around the right-hand corner of your Facebook page, then click “Create Page” option, then you will be able to create a brand new Facebook business account.

Upon clicking the “Create Page” option you will be redirected to a new window greeting you with several options that best fit your business category:
• Local Business or Place
• Company, Organization, or Institution
• Brand or Product
• Artist, Band, or Public Figure
• Entertainment
• Cause or Community

After you pick the option for your business, a box would pop requesting a few additional information about your business including:

• Name of your business
• Address of your business
• Page category
• Phone number

Make sure you are very accurate with your business details, those details are what Facebook needs to help you find people that might need your products/services. After that, click the “Get Started” button.
Yippee! Your Facebook business Page is live. A few more steps before we wrap it up.

Step 2: Upload a profile picture and a cover picture.

It is not good enough to upload pictures if you must then use quality pictures.
These pictures are so important if not the most important because they give the first impression about the quality of your business. So you want to carefully select pictures that will sell your brand, create curiosity and engagement.

Don’t just jump on Google to check out Images, most times all you get are crappy pictures, few good ones there are copyrighted. You don’t want your Facebook Business Account suspended for copyrighted issues.
Rather jump in on Canva.com, signup a free account and use their templates to create amazing pictures. Canva has been the platform that has done the magic for me and several million others out there.
Keep these 3 things in mind when choosing your Facebook pictures:

1. Choose a visually appealing picture
2. Make sure it is representative of your business
3. Make sure it’s a high-resolution shot at least 170 x 170 px for profile photos and 828 x 315 px for cover photos.

With Canva, the already created templates have all these picture dimensions ready for you to use.

Step 3: Add the necessary additional business details

Upon creation of your new Facebook page, you will receive a welcome banner with tips on improving your page. Click the “See All Page Tips,” and take your time to provide as much information as you can. It is recommended you provide the following details to your new Facebook business page:

• Short Description – Provide a brief description of your business (e.g. Naija beauty salon specializing in haircuts, styles, and trendy wigs in Nigeria).
• Business Hours – Here you are required to provide business open hours (e.g. 8:00 am – 5:00 pm)
• Username – This will appear at the end of Facebook’s URL (facebook.com/username). Pick a username that is easy to pronounce and remembered to help people find your page.
• Your Website Link – Add your website URL so people can visit your site directly from Facebook.

You may also read: Why you should create a website for your business today

Step 4: Add a call to action on your Facebook Business Page

This is one mistake common on many Facebook business accounts that I have seen in Nigeria and generally, perhaps, it is simply not adding an appropriate call to action (CTA). Thereby leaving your Facebook visitors without direction.

Ask yourself this:

What is the most important action you want your Facebook Business page visitors to take?
Would you rather want them to visit your website like me? You want them to call you or even chat with you? You want them to buy a product or service? Then add this call to action.
By default, Facebook adds a “send message” button, encouraging visitors to contact you via Facebook Messanger. That might not be the most important business decision for you. To get your CTA customized, hover on the “send message” button and click “edit button”. This will give you the chance to choose the best appropriate CTA for your business.

Step 5: Invite Friends to like your Facebook Business Page

Now you are ready to give your Facebook page your first shot at publicity. Don’t get shy about this. Invite as many as possible if not all your friends and family to like your Facebook Business Page, don’t just stop there, go as far as other social sites or a forum you belong to and drop a link to your page.

Step 6: Create your first post

Now that you have some few attention, it is time to start engaging. The best way to do that is to create your posts. Again this is where many people get it wrong: You must understand the rule of engagement of Facebook and any other social media platform. It is first a social platform before any other thing like a business can happen.
Always have It at the back of your mind that people do not visit Facebook to buy anything, rather spend time with friends and family. Hence, you do not just want to put your products and services in their faces, rather create a social post that they can benefit from which will ultimately make them see reasons to use your services or buy your products.

Step 7: Create a Facebook Ads Manager Account

Here’s the truth a few friends would accept your invitation to like your Facebook Business Account, don’t blame them much – they just don’t care, fortunately, this is good for your business. I have received lots of invitation myself to like a Facebook Business Page which I never did, here is why; I do not have interest for the Page.

I just won’t accept an Invitation to like your Facebook Business Account that sells “hats”, I do not wear hats! This is good for your business because you can focus on those who like hats instead of wasting time to make me like hats.

This is why when I started Daps’ Digital Facebook page, I did not bother to add friends, I ran some ads to get people interested in digital marketing through Facebook Ads.

That is why Facebook ads are unique.
Facebook knows us much more than we know ourselves many times
Facebook knows those who like hats…
Facebook knows those who are interested in your business, those who can yield to your call to action. This is why Facebook is more unique than any other platforms out there including the giant Google. Is it not amazing to note that Facebook is the easiest and cheapest platform to advertise?
Signup and start learning how to advertise on Facebook and help your business grow.

You may also read: How to Become a Self Made Digital Marketing Expert 2018

Summary of creating a Facebook Business Account

A Facebook page for your business is an amazing and powerful way to connect with your customers and reach new ones. It is free to create and an amazingly easy to set-up. Once you complete the steps in this guide, your Facebook business account should be ready to start bringing sales or any desired results.

If you have any question at all, kindly drop them in the comment section below.
All the best in your business endeavours.