Create a personal account and a fan page for your business and you ll be on your way to building relationships with new and existing customers. And the best part of all it s FREE!
Create Your Account: Log onto www.facebook.com and fill in the form where it says Sign Up. Enter your first and last name, email address, and choose a password. Identify whether you re male or female and enter your birth date. Click the green Sign Up button. You ll then be asked to enter the black words shown in the white box (they do this so automated spam programs can t create accounts). Enter the words in the text box provided and then click the green Sign Up button.
Set Up Your Account: Facebook then takes you to Step 1: Find Friends. For now, we ll skip this step. You can always go back to it at a later date. Click on Skip this step located in the lower right of the light blue box. You re now at Step 2: Profile Information. You can complete the information for your schooling and company. This helps your friends find you through searches and is optional. Complete the information and click on the Save and Continue button or simply click on Skip.
Profile Picture: Facebook then takes you to Step 3: Profile Picture. You can upload a photo you already have saved on your computer by clicking on Upload a Photo. A dialog box pops up for you to find a photo. Click on the Browse button. The Choose File to Upload box opens. Click on the photo you want, and then click on the Open button.
Profile Picture: Wait just a bit, and your picture will replace the generic face icon. If you don t wish to upload a photo, simply click on Skip. If you uploaded a photo, click on the Save & Continue button. In the black bar at the top of the next window, it says your account isn t activated just yet. You ll need to log into your email account for the Facebook confirmation email. Click on the link within the email from Facebook. A new Facebook window opens. Close the previous window that says you need to confirm your account and work in the new window.
Edit Profile: Click on the Edit Profile button listed under Step 2: Fill out your profile information. We re skipping Step 1: Search your email for friends On this next page, you will see 3 tabs under your name: Wall, Info, and Photos. A 4 th tab has a + sign on it. Note that you re on the Info tab because it s highlighted in white, while the others are highlighted in blue. In the Basic Information section, fill out the form you can leave any part blank. Under your birth date, you can choose to not have your birth date shown, or just the month and day. When finished, click on the Save Changes button.
Personal Information: The Basic Information section closes and the Personal Information section opens. You can fill in the boxes with information about yourself, or simply leave this section blank. When finished, click on the Save Changes button. This section will close and the Contact Information section will open. Again, you can leave any part blank or fill in all items. Click on the Save Changes button and this section will close, and the Education and Work section opens. Fill out any or none of the information, and then click on the Save Changes button. All sections will now be closed. Click on the Done Editing button and you will see your information. You can come back and make edits at any time by clicking on the Info tab and then clicking on the section you want to edit.
Find Friends: The next step is to find some friends/customers to connect with. Click on the Find people you know link. You can search for friends using your email contacts, or searching for former classmates or former/current coworkers. Or, you can simply type someone s name or email in the Enter a name or email text box. Type Aquascape Ponds in the search box, and then click on the magnifying glass icon.
Find Friends: Your search results will show Aquascape Ponds along with our logo. Click on the Add as Friend link. A dialog box pops up asking if you want to add Aquascape Ponds as a friend. Click on the Send Request button. Aquascape Ponds will have to confirm you as a friend. Once your friend request has been confirmed, your friend s posts will show up on your wall and likewise, your posts will show up on their wall. You will also be able to comment on any posts they make or photos they upload and they can comment on yours as well.
Your Wall: Each time you log onto Facebook, you will be taken to your wall. Note the 4 tabs at the top of the page: Wall, Info, Photos, +. The Info tab has your profile information that you previously filled out. The Wall tab is where all the action happens. Your friends posts will appear here. When you want to make a post of your own, click in the text box where it says, What s on your mind? and type whatever you want to say. Click on the Share button and your post will then appear on your wall and on your friend s wall. Now that the basics are covered, let s move on to creating a fan page for your business.
Creating a Fan Page: The main difference between a fan page and a regular Facebook account is that anyone can become a fan of your business page. You won t need to accept any friend requests because people simply click on a Become a Fan button to fan your business page. They ll automatically receive your fan page posts on their wall. To create a business page, click on the Create a Page link and follow the step-by-step instructions provided by Facebook.
Creating a Fan Page: From the drop down menu, choose your type of business. Next, name your page, preferably the exact name of your business. If you want to wait to publish your fan page, check the box that says Do not make Page visible You ll be able to publish your page later (this simply means your page isn t available for others to see until you publish it). Type the security words into the text box provided and then click on the Create Page button. Since you ve already created your personal account, click the I already have a Facebook account button and fill in your login information. You can check the Keep me logged in button if you want to stay logged in. Then click on the Login button.
Editing Your Fan Page: The next step is to edit your fan page just like you did your personal account. Upload a photo for the profile picture and then click on the Edit Information link to add info such as your website, hours of operation, etc. Click on the tab with the + sign. Once you add photos or videos to your fan page, these tabs will appear with the Wall and Info tab. Simply follow Facebook s stepby-step instructions for uploading photos and videos. Click on the Wall tab and enter comments just like you would on your personal page.
Info that s good to know: On your fan page, there are three links toward the top of the page. See the example below: Aquascape Inc. + Fans Aquascape, Inc. and Just Fans. On the screen below, Aquascape, Inc is selected. This means only Aquascape Inc s posts are showing (along with any fan comments to those posts). If you click on Just Fans, posts to your fan page by your fans will show. If you select Aquascape Inc + Fans, then posts by both Aquascape and its fans will show. This is important to know, otherwise you could miss comments on your page that were posted by your fans.
Helpful Tips for Your Fan Page: (note these are tips for your business fan page and not necessarily for your personal account page). Let your customers know about your fan page! Link to it from your website. Talk about it in your newsletter. Add a link to your fan page in your email signature. Include the web address of your fan page on your business cards, invoices, etc. Use your business fan page to interact with your customers and not merely to promote your business. You ll want to do a little of both. Encourage customers to post questions/comments on your fan page but then be sure to check back often so you can answer questions. Comment on your customer s comments so they know you re there and interested in what they have to say. Post photos of your work and encourage customers to post photos of their water features too. Post links to informative articles on water gardening that you think your customers will enjoy. You can do this in the What s on your mind? text box. There s a link icon directly below this box click on it and then simply paste the link. Remember that Facebook is great for building relationships so your business fan page should be interactive. Avoid posting ongoing advertisements. Consider asking questions like What do you enjoy most about your pond? It s perfectly acceptable to post coupons on your business fan page, after all, your customers will want to take advantage. You can offer special Facebook discounts. Stop in our store this Tuesday and mention you re a fan on Facebook and receive 10% off your order. If you offer seminars, be sure to mention the date/time on your fan page of each!
Aquascape on Facebook: Connect with Aquascape through any of our Facebook accounts/fan pages. Aquascape Ponds Aquascape s main account page. You need to make a friend request to be connected. Aquascape Inc Aquascape s business fan page. Anyone can become a fan and post to this page. Greg Wittstock, aka The Pond Guy Greg s personal account page. You need to make a friend request to be connected. Aquascape Designs The business fan page for Aquascape s construction and R&D department. Anyone can become a fan and post to this page. Aquascape Foundation The fan page for the Aquascape Foundation. Anyone can become a fan and post to this page. Ponds for Kids The fan page for Aquascape s Ponds for Kids program. Anyone can become a fan and post to this page.
Final Comments: Facebook offers many features you might want to take advantage of that we didn t mention in these instructions for getting started. At the very top of the Facebook page is a search box. You can enter any question or topic in this box, such as uploading photos to get help and instructions. Check out pages from other businesses to get ideas on what you can do!