Facebook has three tools (pages, ads, and groups) that can be used by anyone. Each of these options has its own purpose, and they can be combined for greater reach.
Pages
Facebook pages are similar to profiles, but for businesses, organizations, and public figures. Users can "Like" a page, which means they’ll automatically receive updates from that page in their news feed. Users also have the option to "Like" a page but not follow it. (Users also can follow some profiles.)
While profiles require a mutual relationship between friends, pages can be liked by anyone, without a requirement for the page creator to accept a fan. They also don’t have a restriction on the number of friends/fans they can have (unlike profiles, which are limited to 5,000 friends).
Advantages: Pages are free and easy to set up.
Disadvantages: It can be hard to get a foothold and build a fan base with a page.
Ads
Facebook offers a fantastic targeted advertising platform. You can create ads targeted at specific geographic areas, ages, education levels, and even the types of devices used for browsing. Facebook also lets users close ads they don’t like and "Like" a page right beneath an advertisement:
Advantages: Ads have powerful targeting parameters.
Disadvantages: Ads can get expensive, depending on your goals.
Groups
Facebook groups are similar to discussion forums, but with additional features that pages and profiles have (like a wall). You can create groups related to your industry or product offerings as a way to reach out to potential customers.
Advantages: Groups are free and have high levels of engagement.
Disadvantages: Groups can be very time consuming.
How to Market with Pages
Facebook pages are the simplest, easiest way to get started marketing with Facebook.
They’re free, relatively easy to set up (at least in their basic forms), and incredibly flexible.
There’s not much of a downside, either.
Unfortunately, many companies don’t use them to their full potential; or worse, use them badly. These guidelines will help you avoid making those mistakes.
Profile Photo and Cover Image
Your profile photo should be your logo. Simple as that.
The cover image is a different story. It’s really up to you to decide what to put here. Some use photos of employees, while others use fancy artwork and put their contact information in the cover image. Pick a photo that will enhance your page and draw the eye of your visitors.
“About” Section
The "About" section is prominently placed right below your company logo. This is your chance to tell anyone coming to your page what your business does.
Make sure you put good information here, telling people what you’re company does, why you’re different, and other interesting details. If you can, take the time to write it specifically for your Facebook audience. You can copy the text from the "About" page of your website or blog, if you’re in a pinch. Be sure to fill in all of your data under "Basic Info."
Just remember to keep it friendly and informal. A casual tone usually works best on Facebook. Here are a few good examples:
HubSpot tells us what they do and gives a contact method:
WP Engine shares what they do and the number of customers they have, which helps establish credibility:
You also may want to put your hours of operation in the About section.
Tabs
Tabs are the little squares that sit to the right of your About section. Here are ESPN’s tabs:
Facebook allows you to use up to 10 application tabs, known to Facebook admins as the "Favorites" section. Photos and Likes are required tabs. You may move the Likes tab wherever you wish, but Photos must remain as the first. Your top tabs are set to a limit of four.
Think about what the priorities are for your visitors. If you’re a physical store, you may want to make a tab for location. If you host webinars, perhaps you could use the Events tab to let people sign up and join your webinars. Social media is about engagement, so the more (and the more closely) you get your fans to engage with you, the better marketer you will be.
