How To Create A Private Event On A Facebook Page

If you have a business, you need a Facebook Business Page. With 1.82 billion daily active users, Facebook is simply not a social network you can ignore.

Perhaps that's why more than 200 million businesses use Facebook's free services. That includes business Pages—yes, creating a Facebook Page is a free way to market your business.

The good news is, creating a Facebook account for a business is pretty simple, and you likely already have all the components you need to get started. Let's dive in.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

What is a Facebook Business Page?

A Facebook Page is a public Facebook account that can be used by brands, organizations, artists and public figures. Businesses use Pages to share contact information, post updates, share content, promote events and releases, and — perhaps most importantly — connect with their Facebook audiences.

Pages can be connected to Facebook ad accounts and Facebook Shops.

How to create a Facebook Page for business

Before you can sign up for your Facebook Business Page, you need to log into your personal Facebook account. Don't worry—the information from your personal account will not be publicly visible on your business Page.

This is simply because every business Page is managed by one or more page administrators. The administrators are people with personal Facebook accounts. Your personal account works like the key to let you into your new business Page. If you have team members helping you with your Page, their personal accounts will also unlock their specific roles and capabilities.

So, if you're not already logged into your personal account, log in now, then dive into the Page creation steps.

Step 1: Sign up

Go to facebook.com/pages/create.

Enter your business information in the panel on the left. As you do so, the page preview will update in real time on the right.

Source: Facebook

For your page name, use your business name or the name people are likely to search for when trying to find your business.

For category, type a word or two that describes your business and Facebook will suggest some options. You can choose up to three of the suggestions.

Source: Facebook

Next, fill in the Description field. This is a short description that appears in search results. It should be just a couple of sentences (maximum 255 characters).

When you're happy with your description, click Create Page.

Source: Facebook

Step 2. Add pictures

Next, you'll upload a profile and cover images for your Facebook Page. It's important to create a good visual first impression, so choose wisely here. Make sure the photos you choose align with your brand and are easily identifiable with your business.

You'll upload your profile photo first. This image accompanies your business name in search results and when you interact with users. It also appears on the top left of your Facebook Page.

If you have a recognizable brand, using your logo is probably the safest way to go. If you're a celebrity or public figure, a picture of your face will work like a charm. And if you're a local business, try a well-shot image of your signature offering. The important thing is to help a potential follower or customer to recognize your page immediately.

As we explain in our post on the best image sizes for all social networks, your profile image should be 170 x 170 pixels. It will be cropped to a circle, so don't put any critical details in the corners.

Once you've chosen a great photo, click Add Profile Picture.

Now it's time to choose your Facebook cover image, the most prominent image on your Page.

This image should capture the essence of your business and convey your business or brand personality. Facebook recommends you choose an image that's 1640 x 856 pixels.

Once you've selected an appropriate image, click Add Cover Photo.

Source: Facebook

After you upload the photos, you can use the buttons in the top right of the preview to toggle between desktop and mobile views. Use these to make sure you're happy with how your images look in both displays. You can drag the images in the left column to adjust their positioning.

Source: Facebook

When you're happy with your selections, click Save.

Ta-da! You have a Facebook Business Page, although it is extremely sparse.

Of course, while the skeleton of the Facebook Page for your business is now in place, you've still got a lot of work to do before you share it with your audience.

Step 3. Connect your business to WhatsApp (optional)

After you click Save, you'll see a pop-up box asking if you want to connect your business to WhatsApp. This is optional, but it does allow you to add a WhatsApp button to your page, or send people to WhatsApp from Facebook ads.

Source: Facebook

If you want to connect your business to WhatsApp, click Send Code. Otherwise, close the window to continue without connecting WhatsApp. You'll get one more pop-up box asking if you're sure. Since we're skipping this, for now, we'll click Leave.

Step 4: Create your username

Your username, also called your vanity URL, is how you tell people where to find you on Facebook.

Your username can be up to 50 characters long, but don't use extra characters just because you can. You want it to be easy to type and easy to remember. Your business name or some obvious variation of it is a safe bet.

To create your username, click Create Username on the Page preview.

Enter the name you want to use. Facebook will let you know if it's available. If you get a green checkmark, you're good to go. Click Create Username.

Source: Facebook

You'll get a confirmation pop-up. Just click Done.

Step 5: Add your business details

While you might be tempted to leave the details for later, it's important to fill out all of the fields in your Facebook Page's About section right from the start.

As Facebook is often the very first place a customer goes to get information about you, having it all there is important. For example, if someone is looking for a business that's open till 9, they want to confirm this information on your Page. If they can't find it, they'll surely keep looking until they find another place that's more forthcoming.

Fortunately, Facebook makes this very easy to complete. Simply scroll down on your Page view to the section called Set Your Page Up for Success and expand the item called Provide Info and Preferences.

Source: Facebook

Fill in the appropriate details here, starting with your website.

If your business is open to the public during specific hours, make sure to enter those here. This information appears in search results.

Don't forget to complete the Add an action button section.

Facebook's built-in call-to-action button makes it very easy to give the consumer what they're looking for and it allows them to engage with your business in real time.

The right CTA button will encourage visitors to learn more about your business, shop, download your app, or book an appointment.

To add your CTA, click the blue box that says Add Button, then choose which kind of button you want.

Source: Facebook

If you don't want to complete all of these steps now, you can always access them later. In the Manage Page menu on the left, just scroll down to Edit Page Info.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

Get the free guide right now!

If at any time you want to take your Facebook Business Page offline while you work on the details, you can choose to unpublish your page. From the Manage Page menu, click Settings, then General. Click Page Visibility and change the status to Page unpublished.

Source: Facebook

Follow the same steps to republish your page when you're ready.

Step 6. Create your first post

Before you start inviting people to like the Facebook Page for your business, you should post some valuable content. You can create your own posts, or share relevant content from thought leaders in your industry.

For inspiration, check out our blog post on Facebook marketing.

You could also create a specific type of post, like an event or offer—just click one of the options in the Create box at the top of your page.

Source: Facebook

Make sure that whatever you post offers value for your visitors when they arrive at your Facebook Business Page, so they'll be inclined to stick around.

Step 7. Invite an audience

Your Facebook Business Page now represents a robust online presence that will make potential customers and fans feel comfortable interacting with you.

Now you need to get some followers!

Start by inviting your existing Facebook friends to like your Page. To do so, just scroll down to the bottom of the Set Your Page up for Success box and expand the section called Introduce Your Page.

Source: Facebook

Click the blue Invite Friends button to bring up a list of your personal Facebook friends. Select which friends you want to invite, then click Send Invites.

Use your other channels, like your website and Twitter, to promote your new page. Add "follow us" logos on your promotional materials and email signature. If you're comfortable doing so, you can ask your customers to review you on Facebook, too.

To grow your audience quickly, check out our post on how to get more Facebook likes.

How to optimize your Facebook Business Page

Now that you know how to create a Facebook Page for business, it's time to think about ways to optimize your Page. These strategies will help maximize engagement so you meet your Facebook (and social media) marketing goals.

Here's a quick video overview of the steps you can take to optimize your Facebook Business Page. We'll dig into these components in more detail below.

Add a pinned post

Is there important information you want all visitors to your Page to see? A promotion you don't want them to miss? A top-performing piece of content you want to show off? Put it in a pinned post.

A pinned post sits at the top of your Facebook Business Page, just under your cover image. It's a great place to put an attention-grabbing item that will draw your visitors in and make them want to stick around.

Start by publishing a new post, or scrolling down your feed to find an existing post you want to pin to the top of your Page. Click the three dots on the top right of the post, then click Pin to Top of Page.

pin post to top of page

Source: Facebook

Once you've pinned the post, it will appear under the heading PINNED POST at the top of your page. This is only for your internal view. To visitors, it will just show as the first item under Posts, with a blue thumbtack icon to indicate it's pinned.

Source: Facebook

Make the most of templates and tabs

Tabs are the different sections of your Facebook Page, like the About section and Photos. You can customize which tabs you want to include and the order in which they appear in the left Manage Page menu.

If you're not sure which tabs to include, check out Facebook's various templates.

Source: Facebook

Each template has a set of buttons and tabs designed for particular types of business. For example, the Restaurants & Cafes template includes tabs for a menu, offers and reviews.

To access templates and tabs, click Settings in the Manage Page menu, then Templates and Tabs.

Like other Pages

Since Facebook is, after all, a social network, it's a good idea to use your Page to build a community for your business.

One way to build community is to connect with other Pages that are relevant to your business (but not competitors).

For example, if you run a shop in a popular shopping area or mall, you could connect with other shops in the same area. Think of this as an online version of your local business improvement association or chamber of commerce.

If you have a virtual business, you could connect with other businesses in your industry that could provide additional value for your followers without competing directly with your products.

To follow other businesses, navigate to their Facebook page, then click the more icon (three dots) under the page's cover photo. Click Like as Your Page. If you have more than one Facebook Business Page, choose which one you want to use to like the other business, then click Submit.

Source: Facebook

Pages will receive a notification when you like them and may check out your Page or even give you a like in return.

Your business page gets a news feed separate from your personal profile, so you can interact with all the businesses you follow from your business profile. To see all the content from the Pages you've liked as your Page, just select your Page and click News Feed in the left menu. If you haven't liked any Pages yet, Facebook will provide a list of suggestions to get you started.

Source: Facebook

Join Groups as your Page

Facebook Groups represent an organic opportunity to reach many people who are interested in a specific topic, but without paying for ads. Joining and posting to a relevant Group as your Facebook Page helps anyone who is curious about your post click through to your business page, rather than your personal profile. Here's a quick tutorial that explains how to join as a Page (it can be tricky!)

Review your settings

Your Facebook Page settings allow you to get into some pretty fine detail about who can administer the Page, where your posts are visible, words banned from the Page, and so on. You can also see people and Pages who have liked your page, control your notifications, and so much more.

Think of the Settings tab as your behind-the-scenes console for every adjustable parameter available to you. Take a few minutes to go through each setting and make sure that it's optimized for how you want to manage the Page and how you want your audience to interact with you.

To access your settings, just click Settings at the bottom of the Manage Page menu.

Source: Facebook

Check your settings regularly, as your preferences and requirements may change as your business—and social following—grows.

For even more control over who can administer your Page, and to control the roles filled by team members, contractors and agencies, consider setting up Facebook Business Manager.

Learn from Page Insights

The more information you have about your audience, the more content you can create to satisfy their needs.

Facebook Page Insights makes it easy to gather data about how your fans are interacting with your Page and the content you share. To access Page Insights, click Insights in the Manage Page menu.

Source: Facebook

Insights gives you information about your Page's overall performance, including some data on audience demographics and engagement. You can see metrics on your posts so you can understand how many people you're reaching.

You'll also see how many comments and reactions are gained from specific posts—data that helps you plan future content.

A key feature of Insights is the ability to see how many people have clicked on your call-to-action button, website, phone number, and address. This data is divided by demographics such as age, gender, country, city and device, making it easier for you to tailor future content to your audience. To access this information click Actions on Page in the Manage Page menu.

For more details, check out our post on how to use Facebook Page Insights.

Link to your Facebook Page from other web pages

Backlinks help boost the credibility of your Facebook Business Page and may help improve your search engine ranking. They also help direct new potential followers to your page.

Include a link to your Facebook Page at the bottom of your blog posts and where appropriate on your website. Encourage other companies and bloggers to do the same when you collaborate.

Once your Facebook Page is set up and optimized, check out our full guide to Facebook marketing to take your Facebook strategy to the next level.

Manage your Facebook Business Page alongside all your other social media profiles using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can create and schedule posts, engage followers, monitor relevant conversations, measure (and improve!) performance, and much more.

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