Today, pretty much any company or business is going to have a Facebook page if they want to reach their ‘fan base’ or their customers. Or they will be using some other form of social media if Facebook doesn’t quite fit the platform for their audience. But Facebook is one of the top, if you couldn’t call it the top, social networks online right now. 
Did you know that as of March 2013, Facebook had 1.11 billion users, it offers 70 languages and that 75 percent of the users are outside of the U.S., and that every 20 minutes about 1 million links are shared? That’s an insane number of people if you think about it. So Facebook is definitely a must-have for branding and marketing and for social recruiting.
You need a professional Facebook presence, not just a personal page. There are some important elements that every Facebook business page should have in order to achieve the best results.
1. An Effective Cover Photo/Infographic
Professional pages are given a cover photo area, which is used to upload a graphic (851 pixels wide x 315 pixels high). This is a great place to put a header or infographic, you can think of it as a billboard for your business or freelance services. This is the best spot to display your information in a visually interesting way because it is the largest graphic on the page.
The graphic should have a professional image and the important contact information, such as your name, profession, email, telephone number, website address and any other contact information you might want to share. This graphic won’t allow people to click and go to your official website but they will be able to see your web address and easily visit the site manually.
If you are setting up the company Facebook page, you should use your logo as the cover photo to help with branding.
2. Highlighted Posts
Highlighted posts automatically stand out by being converted from 403 pixels wide to a 843 pixel x 403 pixel high format, which instantly draws your visitors eye. Using the highlighted post is a good way to grab visitor attention and draw them to something that you want to showcase. You could highlight a post about a current coupon, a time sensitive date or a link to a page on your website that you want people to visit.
3. Pertinent Milestones
Facebook milestones will feature important moments or events for the business that you want to share on your timeline. Milestones are automatically converted into the widescreen format (843 pixel wide format) like the highlighted posts and will be visible to everyone who visits your page. You can also change the privacy options to decide who can and cannot see the milestones.
These three examples should be included in every Facebook business page. They aren’t the only things to be included but they are among the most important. They will increase your online social network presence which will only help your business to grow. Don’t forget to update and share your Facebook business page with business colleagues, professional contacts, friends and family. The more you spread the word about your page, the more people that will see it.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
