Just wondering if I should add a new service of setting up Facebook business pages for local companies. From searching the forum, I see that some of you guys do that and I was hoping to get some advice on whether or not it's profitable. All I want to do is get them set up with their own account (with their email address) and let them manage it themselves from then on after I give them some basic instruction.

• So I'll know how much to charge, about how much time does it take to get a business set up like this?
• Recently, when I set a business page up for my hubby to test it out, the information I read said you can't set up a business page without doing a personal page first. So that's how I did his. This makes no sense to me, it seems you should just be able to do a business one and that a company wouldn't want personal info linked to their business page. Am I correct in this understanding? If so, how would I get around this issue?
• Is there a way to prevent Facebook users from commenting/posting? I would imagine some businesses wouldn't want just anybody to write things on their page. They'd want it mainly for announcements and updates.
• What types of businesses would be most likely to want a Facebook page? I'm thinking restaurants, mom & pop retail stores, and so forth. Any other ideas?
• What are the pro's and con's of providing this service to local businesses?

Thanks in advance for any help!
zippy

Hi there, I don't offer this service but have worked with clients to get them set up with the basics. Social Media isn't my 'thing' so I haven't invested the time and energy in learning Facebook as some of the other VAs here have. There are VAs who specialize in it and can work wonders with a business page.

It sounds to me like you're going to want to play with Facebook business pages before offering this as a service. That way you'll know how long it takes you to create a page (and truly, every page is different - some are very basic, some are very in-depth) and you'll have a better understanding of how it works.

As to the protocol FB has in place I don't think there's really a 'way around it' - but I have two business pages attached to two sep. personal accounts (i only use one personal account actively) and in both cases no one can see that these pages are connected to my personal account.

Again, working with the FB options, you'll learn a lot - there are settings you control for each business page related to who can post on the wall, etc.

As far as I can see from my own use of FB just about ANY type of business can benefit from a page.

Good luck

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Hi Zippy -

I too agree with the frustration I feel in that we have to have a personal page in order to have a business page. Research I've done suggests that it is because FB was intended in its infancy to be strictly "Social" and using as business seems like it was an afterthought.

The way I've learned from my business coach and a couple of SM "experts" is that it is a thing then that you have to be more deliberate to get people to go to your business pages. If someone sends you a friend request, for instance, and they are a business related contact you just politely ask them to go to "like" you on your FB page and indicate that they will find more benefit there, and that your actual Friends page is for personal use. Most people are getting this.

In fact - rather than invite people to friend me when I network I've started to just send an email request to "like" me and then I let them know I'll "like" them back.

I haven't gotten really active in this yet, but I had a lot more luck over a one week period than I had in 4 months prior, once I used this tactic.

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Pam Blackman - The Process Coach
Get more done in less time by streamlining!

Zippy -

I added a Facebook page for a friend of mine's Tai Chi studio. It was not really that hard. I am new to Facebook and Twitter I use it right now mostly to keep in touch with family.

I subscribe to Kim Komando's daily newsletters and todays tip was a template for Facebook business pages. http://www.pagemodo.com/ I looked at the page and even practice setting up a business page. It was very very easy. If you decide to setup pages for your clients you might try these templates.

Good luck,

Yvonne

Yvonne - This is a really cool site!!! Thank you for sharing!

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Pam Blackman - The Process Coach
Get more done in less time by streamlining!

Pagemodo is FANTASTIC! Thanks for the suggestion, Yvonne! It's by the far the simplest, quickest way to design a professional-looking business page. (I've searched everything I could find out there.)

I tried the free version for my husband's business page and it came out great. The free version allows one page, has "powered by Pagemodo" at the top, and a footer at the bottom "created with the free version of Pagemodo. Get a free page here." I'm not too keen on that but I'm hoping it will be okay for clients. Otherwise the first upgrade is $9 per month (3 pages).

I made this page as a Welcome tab, but can't seem to make it LAND on the Welcome page so it will be the first thing visitors see. Visitors are still landing on the Wall. Does anyone know how to get it to do that?

Thanks again!

Yes, you can set it using the little Options link just below the status update box. Click on it, and then click on Settings. You choose which tab you want to be the Landing Tab from these settings.

As far as having a personal profile attached to a business page. Tess is correct that no one has access to knowing who the Admin or Admins are for a business page. There is no link from your business page to your personal profile. If you don't want your personal profile to be found, just go into the Privacy settings and set it so that it's not indexed by the search engines and also so that no one can send you messages or friend requests. You can also set all the other settings to be really strict which would make it virtually impossible to find.

Personally, I wouldn't create client fan pages that said they were created using a free version. For a pretty low fee, you can invest in some easy to use templates that won't include advertising such as "Powered by" or "created using a free version."

And actually, Facebook will be phasing out the ability to use the FMBL application for creating new custom tabs probably by the end of this year or early next year. Current tabs will still be supported but you won't be able to create new tabs this way. You'll need to know how to do it using iFrames and other higher level coding skills.

You can still offer to help set up a Facebook Page for clients, but I wouldn't go too far into offering custom tabs unless you have the ability to code with iFrames. Your best bet would be to find an affordable services that already does this and offer to manage the custom tab project for the client. Places such as HyperArts can do it or there are others. Then you could tell the client the project would cost $XX but it would $XX more to include a custom tab from so & so.

Also, keep in mind that Facebook's terms of service only allow for one personal account and all business pages should be within that one account. So if you create a page for someone, then you can add them as and Admin later so they can access it from their account. Don't set up a separate account for it otherwise you risk losing both accounts and the fan page if Facebook finds out.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I do offer either setting up a fan page or a walk through on how to create and maintain. I was thinking of adding custom pages however with the changes coming I am nixing that service. If down the road I learn iFrame coding I may add but at this point no.

I have a welcome page created by pagemodo and left the "free service by" because this was a resource I posted and many people commented on it. I will however be removing it soon and going back to my FBML created page. Keep in mind that once people LIKE you they will go to your wall and not to your welcome page which is one of the reasons that I am thinking of just letting it go.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Hey Lee -- What are they changing now? I tried to research but didn't come up with anything. Just when you've got one thing down - then BAM!!! lol. Keeps me on my toes...that's for sure.

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Pam Blackman - The Process Coach
Get more done in less time by streamlining!

Hi Pam,
If you read my post above, you'll see that Lee is referring to the discontinuation of the FBML Application. You can also read about it here:

http://www.hyperarts.com/blog/what-i...ebook-iframes/

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!