The global pandemic has changed shopping habits and has seen consumers flocking to online retailers. As current lockdown measures have shut “non-essential” retail businesses, Bira urges retailers to adapt in order to survive these uncertain times.
Responding to meet the needs of your local community can not only make a difference to your customers but can also help get your business through lockdown by reaching out to your potential customers at any time and from anywhere.
Think of your Facebook Page as a digital home for your business. A Facebook Page includes tools to help you grow your business, connect with customers, and learn how people interact with it. So here are some easy steps to start making your business available online by creating a business page on Facebook.
Why do I need to be present on Facebook?
Social media is an essential piece of your business marketing strategy and is worth consideration no matter the size of your business.
Social media channels help you connect with your potential customers, increase brand awareness and boost your leads and sales. With more than three billion people around the world using social media every month, the use of social media is vital for your business, even more so during this pandemic. Make sure your online and social media presence stands out from your competitors.
Free features
You can use your Facebook Page to showcase your shop and post photos of your new products. You can add your location and opening hours, so people always know where and when to find you. You could also chat with customers and set up appointments directly from your Page to organise your deliveries or click-and-collect orders.
Build a community
Facebook offers a variety of free features to engage with your customers. You can post updates, pictures and videos to communicate with your customers. You can also message them directly.
Use business tools
Facebook offers free business tools that can further enhance your Page and help you achieve your goals. You can create events, sell your products, manage appointments, or even recruit employees directly from your Page.
Understand your customers
Facebook offers free Page Insights to help you understand the actions that people take on your Page. You can learn what your customers care about and how often they interact with posts on your Page.
How to create a Facebook page
To create a Facebook Page for your business, you must have a Facebook profile. Once you have your Facebook profile, follow these steps to set up your business Page:
- From your News Feed, tap the menu icon in the top right. Tap Create Page. Tap Get started.
- Give your Page a name, usually your company name. When you’ve finished, tap Next.
- Add a category to describe your Page. This is a way for people to find you on Facebook when they search for a type of business. If you can’t find the exact category for your business, choose the closest one and the one your customers are most likely to recognise. (Once you’ve chosen your first category and finished setting up your Page, you will be able to add two more). When you’ve finished, tap Next.
- If you have a website, you can add that here. If you don’t have one, you can skip this step.
- You can add a profile picture for your Page. We would recommend using your logo so that people can recognise your business more easily. When you’ve finished, tap Next or Skip.
- You can also add a cover photo for your Page. If you’d like to do this later, you can skip this step. However, we recommend that you add a cover photo as it captures the essence of your brand and convey your brand personality. When you’ve finished, tap Visit Page to go to your new Page.
- To create a username, go to Create Page @Username on the left side of your Page. Enter a username. If the username is available, click Create Username. A box will pop up showing you the links people can use to connect with your business on Facebook and Messenger. Your Page username appears below your profile picture and each time you post.
- Add your business details: 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 is open until 9pm, 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 is more suitable for them.
To start filling out your business details, click Edit Page Info in the top menu. From this screen you can share all the important information about your business.
Contact
Add all the contact details you want to make public, including your phone number, website, and email.
Location
If you have a physical storefront or office, check to make sure that your location is marked correctly on the map. You can also add details about your service area, so people know, for example, which neighbourhoods you deliver to.
Hours
If your business is open to the public during specific hours, enter those here. This information appears in search results.
Extra options
If relevant, enter your impressum, price range, and privacy policy link. (An impressum is a legal statement of ownership, and it is generally only required in some European countries).
- Add a description: This is a short description that appears in search results. It should be just a couple of sentences (maximum 255 characters), so there’s no need to get too elaborate here.
- Add a call-to-action: A call-to-action (or CTA) button is a way to get people to take a specific action when they visit your page. The right CTA button will encourage visitors to contact your business directly via chat, email or phone; buy something; download your app; or book an appointment.
Click Save Changes under each section to implement your changes as you go.
Now that you’ve filled in all the information about your business, you’re ready to create your first post, share relevant content from your industry, or create a specific type of post like an event or product offer. Always make sure to create relevant, high-quality content that are tailored to the specific audience for your business.
Once you’ve published your first post, you can start inviting all your Facebook friends to Like your page. Ask them to like the Page and to share it with their own friends and communities.
Don’t forget to like and interact with other Facebook pages too! That way you can help each other’s brand awareness and customers engagement and build an even bigger social network with shops and companies that are complementary to your business.
Follow our Facebook pages for Bira and don’t forget to tag us in your posts so we can re-share your content!
As a Bira member, you can benefit from Free digital training and 30-day free trial to benchmark your social media performance and help you increase your footfall and sales with our digital partner called Maybe*. For more information, visit our dedicated page for Maybe*
Additional Guidance and Resources
- Five ways to promote your retail business during lockdown for free
- 4 Digital tools you can use to drive foot traffic to your retail store
- How to connect with your customers through social media
- Recorded webinar: Connect with your customers online
- 9 essential pages every independent retail website needs
- Pointy from Google
- Improve your online customers’ experience
- Maybe* | Making social media easier for small businesses
- 100% increase in online orders from independent retailers