Creating a Facebook page instead of a personal account can be beneficial for businesses, organizations, or public figures who want to establish an official presence on Facebook. With a Facebook page, you can publish content, run ads, interact with followers, and analyze data related to your page’s performance. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook page instead of an account.
Difference Between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Page
The main difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page is the intended purpose:
- A Facebook profile is for individual personal use to connect with friends and family. You can have only one personal Facebook profile.
- A Facebook page is for organizations, businesses, brands, public figures, causes etc. to connect with their target audience. You can manage multiple Facebook pages.
Some other key differences:
| Facebook Profile | Facebook Page |
|---|---|
| Used to represent an individual person | Used to represent a business, organization, or public personality |
| Real name and personal info used | Can create a page name and branding |
| Friends limit of 5000 | Unlimited page likes/followers |
| Personal timeline and news feed | Customizable page tabs and post feed |
| Limited analytics and insights | Access to Facebook analytics and metrics |
So in summary, a Facebook page allows you to separate your personal profile from your professional or business presence on Facebook.
Step 1 – Create a Facebook Account
To create a Facebook page, you first need to have a personal Facebook account. This is because pages are managed via a personal profile. So create a standard Facebook user profile by:
- Go to facebook.com and click Create New Account.
- Enter your name, email or mobile number, password, date of birth and gender.
- Click Sign Up and follow the steps to set up your profile.
Use an email and password you don’t mind being associated with managing your Facebook page. This personal account will be listed as the page admin.
Step 2 – Navigate to the Facebook Pages Section
Once you have a personal Facebook profile, you can now create a page. To get started:
- Click on the triangle menu icon in the top right corner of your Facebook window.
- Select “Create a page” from the dropdown menu.
- Alternatively go to facebook.com/pages/create and click the red “Create a page” button.
Step 3 – Select a Page Category
You will now see a menu of different page category options. Choose the one that best describes your business, brand or organization. The main options are:
- Business or Brand – For companies, businesses, agencies, consultants etc.
- Community or Public Figure – For public personalities, artists, influencers, bloggers etc.
- Entertainment – For musicians, actors, sports teams, podcasts, movies etc.
- Cause or Community – For nonprofits, fundraisers, activism, social change etc.
Once you select a category, you will be asked for more specifics about your page such as the name, industry and description.
Step 4 – Fill Out the Page Details
You now need to provide the following information about your new Facebook page:
- Page Name – This will be shown at the top of your page and in search results – choose something recognizable.
- Page Category – Select from a more granular list of categories within your overall industry.
- Description – Write a short description of your business or purpose of your page.
- Profile Picture – Upload an image to represent your brand or entity.
- Call to Action Button – Optionally set a CTA like “Book Now” to drive conversions.
Fill out the details accurately as it helps Facebook classify your page content and target your posts. You can edit these details later as well.
Step 5 – Agree to Facebook’s Policies
On the final page, read and agree to Facebook’s terms around managing a page and commercial content. This includes their Page Policies, Commercial Terms, and Platform Policy. Agreeing indicates you will abide by their guidelines around content and advertising.
Step 6 – Promote and Build Out Your Facebook Page
Your new Facebook page is now created! But having an empty page with no followers won’t accomplish much. Here are some tips for getting started with building your page’s presence:
- Customize your page by adding a profile/cover image, call-to-action button, contact info and website links in the About section.
- Publish engaging content regularly – posts with photos/video perform best.
- Promote your page to get more followers – share it on your website, other social channels and email newsletters.
- Run Facebook ads to reach more of your target audience and build followers.
- Engage followers by responding to comments and messages.
- Analyze your Facebook Insights to see what content works best.
Building an audience and posting valuable content takes time. But by leveraging Facebook’s tools and analytics, you can optimize your page for results.
Advanced Facebook Page Options
Once you have your basic Facebook page setup, there are additional options you can use:
Create Custom Tabs
Add tabs to your page for specific content like an About section, Contact form, Events listings, Products catalog etc. Custom tabs allow you to structure and organize information on your page.
Link to Instagram
You can connect your Instagram business profile to auto-post your IG content to your Facebook page for additional reach.
Assign Roles
Assign editor, moderator and advertiser roles to allow colleagues access to help manage your page .
Merge Duplicate Pages
Consolidate multiple pages for the same business entity into one unified presence using Facebook’s merge tool.
Convert to an Instagram Business Profile
Switch your page over to an Instagram business profile while retaining followers and content.
Facebook Page vs Facebook Group
Facebook groups are also a popular way to connect with audiences, so how do they compare with pages?
| Facebook Page | Facebook Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Public presence for entities, brands, businesses, organizations | Private or public community for discussions |
| Content | Showcase professional content published by page admins | Facilitate conversations between group members |
| Growth | Build unlimited followers who like your page | Requires approval for new members |
| Admins | Controlled exclusively by assigned page admins | Can have group admins and moderators |
In summary, Facebook pages are better for one-way broadcasting of content, while Facebook groups allow for more interaction through discussions.
Conclusion
Creating a Facebook page provides businesses, organizations, and public figures the ability to establish an official presence on the world’s largest social media platform. By publishing engaging content and leveraging Facebook’s marketing tools, you can connect with your target audience and build a community of loyal followers.
The key steps are:
- Create a personal Facebook account
- Navigate to the Facebook Pages option
- Select your page category and details
- Agree to Facebook’s policies
- Promote your page and publish content
- Analyze results with Facebook Insights
With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook provides unparalleled reach to connect with your audience. A Facebook page serves as the hub for your social media marketing strategy.