Tips for Creating a Company Page on Facebook (Part 1) – Preparation

More and more German companies are venturing into social media, with the leading platform, of course, being Facebook.

What to consider when creating your own company page and how to best plan the entry, you will learn here!

Tip 1: Be sure to create an imprint!

Entrepreneurs often face warnings on the Internet because they either forgot their imprint or it is not accessible enough according to German law.

The same applies to Facebook. Not only the company pages but also all user profiles associated with the company are subject to warnings. Therefore, it should be ensured first and foremost to establish an "easily recognizable, immediately accessible and always available" (§5 Telemedia Act) imprint. "Immediately accessible" means it should be immediately visible directly in the timeline. Imprints, which are located under "Info" or in the tab for additional Facebook apps on the company page, do not comply with §5 General Information Obligations of the Telemedia Act and are also subject to warnings.

Therefore, the imprint should take one of the spots for the first 3 apps after the photos:

According to the latest standards, it is also advisable to have a link to an external imprint within the info section, as apps are not displayed in Facebook's mobile view.

However, this procedure does not represent a completely legally secure method.

Tip 2: Create content before starting

For a successful presence in social networks, the principle is: "Content is King".

The regular publication of new content through the company page forms the foundation for any user interaction. Not only the quantity but also the quality plays a critical role.

Even 3 articles per day will not lead to higher interaction rates without adequate relevance for the fans, but at the same time, it is just as useless to publish a high-quality article only every 2 weeks. It is important here to maintain the right balance between relevant content and the frequency of publications.

Especially in view of the recent changes in reach for fan and corporate sites, it should be ensured that fans do not lose sight of your page.

What should be avoided is using the timeline only as a newsfeed for already published information and content. Instead, it should be ensured to maintain the highest possible "Unique-Content" ratio per social media channel, so as to provide users with differentiated added value.

By reducing the overlap of posts, it becomes sensible for the user, for example, to become a fan of your Google+ page as well.

To ensure content diversity, it is advisable to collect content before launching and thus prevent potential bottlenecks.

Tip 3: Facebook is primarily a branding platform for companies

Users who become fans of a company have clear expectations of their Facebook page. Unlike a website or shop, visitors to a Facebook page primarily use it to identify with your company.

Although the information process often takes place through Facebook, the majority of purchasing processes occur directly through the shop environment on-page.

Therefore, it is recommended, at least primarily, to maintain a clear separation of the different points of contact by reporting only events and news in the timeline instead of trying to generate sales.

Otherwise, your company page could quickly develop into a ghost town despite a high number of fans.

Tip 4: Use custom apps for differentiation & create purchase incentives

Developing your own apps offers the opportunity to stand out from other Facebook pages by creating a customized design and, ideally, a unique selling point.

Since virtually any content can be integrated via Facebook apps using a white-label solution, your creativity knows no bounds.

This finally offers the opportunity to use Facebook as a sales portal:

A custom "Shop" app offers interested buyers the option to purchase a product either via a redirect or directly on the Facebook profile – meanwhile, other fans are not deterred by product offers in the newsfeed/timeline.

Apps are created using HTML and PHP, and programming assistance can be found in the Facebook Developers help section.

Tip 5: Generate attention from the beginning

To achieve the widest possible distribution right from the start, you should report about your new Facebook page through all available channels - a classic example is a blog post or an extra newsletter.

Regular posts like "Have you visited our Facebook page yet?" should be avoided, as they can create the impression of spamming among many users who are already fans of the page.

A more subtle solution is, in addition to a prominently placed link to the Facebook page, the integration of social buttons under posts, media, and offers. You can choose whether to use the "Like", "Recommend" button, or both:

This not only encourages existing fans to interact while informing non-fans of the page's existence, but also increases the distribution of your content.

For instance, it allows fans to share content from your website on Facebook independently, rather than just posts from the newsfeed.

 More tips will be available in the next part of our new Facebook series.

If you need support for building and optimizing your Facebook page, contact us.

We will be happy to provide you with a non-binding offer!