Everyone knows that it's important to have a Facebook page for your business. Oftentimes, business owners will set one up but aren’t sure how to make it work for them.
 
Zach Dotsey, the owner of Nextwave Concepts, has offered us some tips to share to help you get more out of your Facebook business page.
 
Set up a vanity URL
 
What's easier to remember: www.facebook.com/YourBusinessName or www.facebook.com/pages/Your-Business-Name/513845248621? Your vanity URL is not only an easier way for people to remember your Facebook address, but it's also easier to put on your marketing materials.
 
To claim your Facebook page vanity URL, you first have to get 25 Likes on the page. After you've reached that goal, go to www.facebook.com/username and click “Select a Username.” It should be pretty self-explanatory from there.
 
One word of warning: Your page's new name is not transferrable or changeable, so make sure you're completely happy with it before you submit it.
 
Ask for Likes
 
The more Likes you have, the more your content will be seen. There are many ways of gaining likes, but the easiest and least expensive way is to ask for them.
 
If you have a Facebook business page, that means you probably have a personal Facebook account. Some people aren't very active on Facebook, but most have a network of friends and acquaintances.
 
On your business page, click the ••• button next to the Share button overlaid on your cover photo, then click Invite Friends. Don't be afraid to send an invite to everyone on your list.
 
You can also put a link to your business page on your personal account and ask for people to give it a like from there. Just make sure you're specifically asking people to like the page, not the post. I've seen people get a ton of likes on the post with a scant few people clicking the actual link and giving the page a like.
 
Fill out all the business info
 
When you set up your Facebook business page, make sure you fill out all the information. This is a pretty simple step, but one some people leave for later and then forget to do.
 
Be active
 
This is the biggest problem I see with Facebook business pages. Business owners set them up, are active for a few days or a week, and then months go by and there's nothing.
 
You should get into the habit of posting to your Facebook account at least once a day. Some people aren't sure what to post. Some feel that everything on a Facebook page must be professional. Loosen up. Show them your personality, or the personality of your business. Here's a list of things you can post to Facebook:
 

• Company news and achievements
• Employee news, such as commendations or birthdays or new babies (with permission, of course)
• Product spotlights
• Customer testimonials
• Sales and specials
• Anything having to do with holidays
• Links to industry news and your thoughts on it
• Funny cartoons or images

 
Really, just about anything works. As long as it's not in poor taste or too controversial (unless that's what your company is about), just be yourself. You'll get a lot more interaction that way. Also ...
 
Pictures, pictures, pictures!
 
Posts with images get noticed a lot more than posts without. Not that every post needs a picture. However, if you just finished a new website, a picture of the website or at least your company's logo is appropriate and will garner more interest.
 
Also on the subject of using images, make sure to have a quality cover photo (the big image at the top of your page) and profile picture (the little square one in the corner). You want them to both be cropped appropriately and show something about your business.
 
A lot of companies use their logo for the profile picture and cover photo. I find that repetitive and prefer that the cover photo space be used to really capture a page visitor's attention. For example, an attorney might have a picture of the local courthouse. A clothing retailer might have a professional picture of people having a good time while wearing their clothes.
 
Know what you're doing
 
If you don't feel like you have the time or discipline to regularly post to your Facebook page, get someone inside or outside your company to do it.
 
And of course, if you don't have anyone capable of really keeping up with your Facebook page or it isn't really gaining any traction, you could hire a professional.
 
That's not all
 
There's plenty more advice that can be given on how to get the most out of using your Facebook business page. Books can be, and have been, written on the subject. However, everything above will be sure to get you started on the right track.