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Jeweller takes a step-by-step approach to helping you set up your business page on Facebook

Facebook: A Beginnners Guide

Posted March 12, 2013 |

Always wanted to get on the Facebook bandwagon, but found it too daunting? Here's a walk through the first steps to creating your own business Facebook page.

Creating a company page

First thing’s first, visit and log-in to Facebook. Once there, go to Create Facebook Page and choose the category of page you would like to create – for a business with just one retail outlet, ‘Local business or place’ will probably suit best; for multiple outlets or for a business looking to expand in the future, consider clicking the ‘company’ button.

For the sake of this article, we’ll choose local business. From there a menu will display a list of business categories. It will be applicable for most jewellery retailers to scroll down and choose ‘Shopping/Retail’. Fill in the rest of the form, telling the world the location of the store, then click forward.

Next, you’ll be given the chance to upload a profile picture for your page. This is the icon that will represent your business when you comment on your own and any other Facebook pages so make it something that is simple and easy to read. Most companies will use a logo here.

Move on to filling the ‘About’ box. This short blurb will sit on the masthead of your timeline, so make it snappy and impressive. A mission statement will work best, 20 words that sum up what your company does. This is also a great place to add contact information and operating hours.

You’ll then be prompted to choose a unique Facebook name or ‘address’ for your page, which should ideally take the form of www.facebook.com/yourbusiness. In the event that the Facebook address is already taken, think of short ‘address’ you’ll easily be able to tell people. That’s it – your store is now on Facebook, but before you get too excited there’s a little more work to do to ensure you get value from your page.

The first steps
Facebook makes the first steps to creating your page easy. There are simple prompts that explain how the interface works and to introduce you to the various page elements. Once you have acquainted yourself with your page, it’s time to invite some close friends to check out what you’ve created. Before you do, however, have a go at writing your first post. A simple announcement that you’ve arrived on Facebook should do at this point.

At the top of your page, you will find your ‘Admin Panel’ which is the easiest way to keep up with who is posting on your page, who your newest fans are, and what trends are affecting the growth of your page. When you really get into it, your Admin Panel will start to look like the picture below:

Stake your first flag
You’ve climbed far enough up the mountain now to lay a flag down. See the flag at the bottom of your timeline? It should say ‘When was this opened?’

Click in the right hand corner and select ‘Edit’. Now type in the date you got started in business, where your first store was and perhaps a short story about why and how you got into the jewellery trade. To complement this information, upload a picture of the store as well.

While we’re trawling through the past you should continue to share your store’s history with some ‘Milestone’ posts. In your main status bar in the left hand corner of your timeline, you will see the ‘Calendar’ icon.

Click ‘Calendar’ and choose ‘Milestone’. After you’ve designated when you opened, you will be able to write about other events in the life of the business and post photos and stories that have been memorable for your company. Did you ever get a significant jewellery piece on display at your store? Did you upgrade your store, move address or change your product focus at any point? Anything memorable that can be paired with a great photo is worthwhile here as it helps build the legacy of your company.

Create beautiful scenery
You’ve laid out where you’ve come from with your history posts. Now it’s time to show the world where you’re at right now. This is your opportunity to make your page look truly spectacular.

On your masthead, there is a button titled ‘Add a cover’ which you should click to add a gorgeous image that sums up what you’re all about. It might be a special piece of jewellery you stock, an image from your history, a simple but beautiful company logo masthead or a shot of the front of the store.

The correct dimensions for a cover photo on Facebook are 851 pixels wide x 315 pixels tall and you are encouraged to use all of that space. While you’re not allowed to place advertising or promotional text in the cover photo position, you are allowed to feature images that really show off your business.

Visit other businesses for examples of what is possible and choose an image that really shows off your brand values.

Admire the view
You’ve done it! You’ve created your Facebook business page. Now sit back and assess how it looks because it’s what others will see so if you’re not impressed, put some more thought into how you can give it some ‘wow’ factor. Be proud of yourself, you’ve mastered some basics, but you’ve got a lot more to learn, so read on throughout this issue to gain some great ideas to get people excited about your business - both online and offline.

Top 10 facebook page tips - countdown to success

Now it’s time to ‘scale’ your social media activities. Here are our 10 tips to help expand your audience and increase your business.

10. Show love to all - It’s important to target ‘influencers’, but businesses must remember to share the love around. Show respect and care to everyone who makes the effort to interact with you.

9. Hedge all bets - Facebook’s dominance can’t be ignored, but no one really knows what will be the next big thing. There is value in a lot of social media platforms, and should also review other channels used by your target audiences.

8. Connect with a charity - People love a heart-warming story. Support the work of charities that are relevant to the jewellery industry or your local community.

7. Make everything social - Got a website? Make sure it has buttons that link to Facebook, Twitter and any other useful and relevant social applications.

6. The DIY approach - No one knows a business like its owner, so keep social media management in-house wherever possible. This is not a once-off billboard campaign; this is an everyday obsession that requires someone who knows the business intimately, someone who can answer customer enquiries correctly and efficiently.

5. Don’t sell too hard - Providing fans with value doesn’t mean offering paltry discounts every couple of months. Communicate with fans to find out what they want in a promotion, or just chat with them without even mentioning product.

4. Play safe and risky - Social media trailblazer Coca-Cola works on a formula for when to take risk with social media. While most content should be prudent and safe, 20 per cent should be innovative and a new spin on what has worked in the past, while 10 per cent should be high risk ideas that could offer a large pay off but may also be unsuccessful.

3. Know your customers - Businesses should have a customer database so why not maintain information on those who interact through social media. If they’re not already customers, they are certainly strong prospects.

2. Creative content - People love spreading something that makes them laugh, but the breathtaking impact of the Kony 2012 campaign also showed that the social media sphere is just as proud to champion a righteous cause. Being successful on social media is all about knowing the audience and having an engaging voice. Create creative content.

1. Different strokes for different folks! All your fans are different, just like all your store customers are different. While your business is the common denominator, your followers have different interests and backgrounds. Engage them by executing polls, asking questions and provoking discussions that help convey your brand’s message, without always talking about jewellery – you don’t always talk about the books at a Book Club! The point is to encourage interactivity between your audience and your business in many different ways.

You’ll soon see a trend of common interests emerge amongst your fans (say, your local basketball or football team), so use it as a marker to plan your next campaign or post. Relevant content is key to successful social media planning, so get to know your fan base and start forging a special method that works for your business.

Click here to download Jeweller's Facebook Timeline Anatomy

More reading:
Facebook Pages: Daily Dos and Don’ts
4 Top Facebook Timeline Pages: The Viral Factors
6 Aussie Trailblazers: How we used social media for our brand
10 top ways to measure and manage your social media campaign
Social Media Pitfalls: 7 things to remember
Luxury Brands and Social Media

Other social media platforms:
Twitter: Your brand's story in 140 characters
Google+: plus one ranking for jewellery businesses
Pinterest: Inspiration for jewellery businesses
LinkedIn: Business networking made easy
Instagram: Photo studio and blog in a pocket
Tumblr: Blog your brand. Brand your blog