How to Create a Facebook Page on the New Facebook

Posted on November 3, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli

How to Create a Facebook Page on the New Facebook

Do you have a profile on Facebook? Have you seen those pages circulating around Facebook where your friends can become a fan of authors, movies, books and more? You can create a Facebook page as a way to promote your book or game, too. I’d like to help show you how.

STEP ONE: NAVIGATE

Create a Facebook Page

Please note that as of April 14, 2009, you will have to “verify” your account via an electronic signature. It appears that Facebook is trying to ensure that a live person is behind the page in a profile, so businesses can no longer appear anonymously.

Here is what Facebook is looking for, in their own words from their “Help” section: “The name you enter as your electronic signature should match the name on your account. If you have a business account with no name or profile, or are trying to create an account when you create your Page, please enter your legal first and last name as your electronic signature.”

STEP TWO: CHOOSE YOUR PAGE TYPE — Choose what kind of a Facebook page you want to create. The choices are: Local (For a company or business), Brand or Product (Self-Explanatory) or Artist, Band or Public Figure (Band, Musician, Writer, etc.) for a personal profile. For this example, I’m going to choose the third option.

STEP THREE: NAME YOUR PAGE — If you’ve chosen “Writer,” you’ll want to type in your author name. I don’t have a pen name, so I’m going to create a page for me. Once you’ve put in what name you want to be referred to and searched by, click on the blue “create page” button.

STEP FOUR: LOG IN — Log in to the prompt here, or create your Facebook log in.

STEP FIVE: CUSTOMIZE YOUR PAGE — Now that you’ve created your Facebook page, you have the ability to customize it in a number of different ways, specific to the page type that you’ve chosen. Here are a few of the ways that you can choose to customize your Facebook page.

Add a Picture

Pull in Your RSS Feed: To pull in your blog or website’s RSS feed to ensure there is current content on your page, you’ll want to click on the “Add a Note” feature. On the right hand side in a small, grey box you’ll see “Notes Settings” where you can import your blog.

You will see your full expanded posts in the “preview,” but this is not how the RSS feed will show up in your Facebook page. Once you confirm the import at the bottom of the page, your RSS feed will display in the “Notes” box on a per post, per title basis.

Add Information: Underneath your profile picture is a place to add information about you, your brand or your product. I recommend adding one or two paragraphs of text written in a style appropriate for people who don’t know anything about you, your company or your product.

Add Video: If you’re playing around with video, I’d like to mention that there is an extra “verification” layer to use that option and the upload is not immediate. One option would be to have a shorter video in the “Video” box, and offer a link to your existing video by posting it on your wall.

Favorite Other Facebook Pages: If you are a company and have a product, you can add your product’s page as a “favorite” and vice versa. This is a good way to help your customers and fans become familiar with what you’re offering.

Rearrange Content: You may be looking at your page wondering where you can find photos or videos to add. If you don’t have content for every box, I recommend rearranging the elements on your Facebook page so the boxes that you do have content for show up first. I also recommend posting on your wall with a personalized message so the spot doesn’t appear to be empty.

STEP SIX: PUBLISH — After you’ve customized your Facebook page, you have to “publish” the page to make it live.

STEP SEVEN: PUBLICIZE — Now that you have your new Facebook page, you’ll want to publicize it and get “fans.” You can do that either through word-of-mouth advertising, through a Facebook ad or by adding a Facebook badge to your website.

Adding a Facebook Badge:

How to Create a Facebook Badge

create a Facebook badge

For an example of a recent Facebook page that I had created, take a peek at Musicnotes.com on Facebook. Remember, that getting fans and people to interact on your Facebook page will take time. Regardless, it’s a good idea to know what Facebook promotional tools you have out there not just because this page creation is free — but because Facebook continues to be a popular social media outlet that you may want to consider branching into.

Hope you found this article helpful in your quest to promote you and your work. If you have a Facebook page you’re looking to promote, either send me or post the link in the comments below and I’ll follow up later this week with a list!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Be Profitable, Tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

45 Comments

We'd love to hear yours!

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December 23, 2008

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Aimee Stinson said:

Thank you.

Facebook is a good way to promote my book, The Championship Game.
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February 3, 2009

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Jenn Mears-Nickerson said:

Thanks for a short but sweet tutorial! I have a client that wants to try Facebook for her business and this will come in very handy.
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February 12, 2009

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Ashleigh said:

When you create this page, you mentioned that you have to sign in to Facebook at some point. Is it possible to create a new user profile just for that page? I wanted everything related to this page to go to my work email and not be associated with my personal profile/email. I assume it is like facebook “groups”, where there is an administrator as a contact for the page.
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February 12, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Ashleigh, to create a Facebook page you’ll have to have a profile. You can start the process without logging into one, but it won’t allow you to create one without a personal profile. This is not like the Facebook groups, because the administrator isn’t visible as a contact for the fan page. The only way you can monitor the page as admin would be to login with the profile information you used to set it up.

If you find out differently or if they change this, let me know. After creating several pages, this is the only way I’ve seen that it will work.
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February 24, 2009

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Ramesh said:

How can one have a customized URL for the pages? Like, http://www.facebook.com/Microsoft
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February 24, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

The title that you choose for your Facebook page will automatically be inserted into the URL. Facebook controls the URL construction, and they keep track of where visitors are coming from.

Here’s an example of a FB page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Music-Notes/32868705377

The space between “Music” and “Notes” was hyphenated in the URL, but occurred only after the name was chosen for the page.

Same thing here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WINAMP/18942598151

Hope that helps!
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February 26, 2009

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Jane Hunt said:

Thanks for explaining how to create the badge! Can someone tell me how to connect it to my fan page (not personal). I’ve been searching for this info for two weeks - PLEASE HELP!!!!
Thanks,
Jane
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February 26, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Hi, Jane! You have to manually code the FB badge on whatever page you’re using it on. After you download the badge from FB, you have to upload it to your server and then use your FB page as the anchor text around it. There’s no automatic way to do that.
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March 9, 2009

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Sophie said:

great info, thank you!
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March 12, 2009

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Leslie said:

I just created a page a few days ago and did everything stated above, but it is not showing up as a “public” page. How do I change this?
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March 12, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Facebook changed their promotional pages late afternoon yesterday. It’s quite possible that they’ve changed those parameters as well. I need to look into this more and email facebook this weekend.
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March 12, 2009

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Leslie said:

Thanks Monica! I look forward to getting the new parameters when you have them.
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March 12, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Appreciate the motivation. Admittedly, I’m not looking forward to it.
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March 12, 2009

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Mike D said:

Hey Monica,

Great post by the way. Quick question.

I see some pages have a direct url for example, http:www.facebook.com/barackobama

Now when I create a page, my url is setup like this - http://www.facebook.com/pages/mypage

Where do I go to setup url without the pages?

Thanks for your help.

Mike
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March 13, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

There is no way to “set up” the URL through Facebook. That is not customizable and is controlled by Facebook. You can “try” emailing them directly, but they control the URL construct.

Hope that helps!
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March 17, 2009

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Leslie said:

Hi Monica,

Turns out I started building our business page AFTER being logged into my personal profile. Is there anyway to disconnect the two without starting over?

Thanks!
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March 17, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Unfortunately there is not. Either you’ll have to delete and start over, or email FB to see if they’ll transfer it to a different account. FB separates brand accounts from personal profiles, unlike other social media apps.
Sorry for the bad news!
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March 17, 2009

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Leslie said:

No worries. Since the page was new as of last week, at least I don’t have that much to rebuild - or lose! Just so I get it right this time, I’ve done Step 1 outside of my account. Should I login to my account when prompted or set up a separate business account to keep the two totally separate?
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March 17, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

If multiple people are going to have access to the account, then I recommend setting up a separate business account. If it’s just you, you “could” do it through your personal, but then what happens if you leave that business? I feel it’s best to set it up under an account that everyone has access to. That way you can hand over the “keys” to FB if you leave.
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March 17, 2009

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Leslie said:

Good point. Thanks for all of your time! This has been extremely helpful.
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March 18, 2009

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best frees snowboard videos said:

great post! thanks

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Super-Stoker-Videos/54070558037?ref=ts
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March 18, 2009

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Dean said:

After working with social media and online marketing since inception, I’m wildly confused and embarrased that I can’t figure out Facebook Pages.

Do you know of a tutorial that explains such as tasks as:

1. Once I create a Page within an exisitng profile (which I already did) how and where do I access that page again? I can’t find any links to get back to it.

2. I’ve seen references and instructions in the Facebook help section on how to send updates to fans. However, I can’t see any navigation to this feature. From FB help: “Page Admins can update their fans about new Page content, promotions, upcoming events, and more. Pages can send messages to either their entire fan base or target their update to fans in a specific demographic.”

3. It seems that there is no way to alert fans that you just created an event. So, is there anyway to utilize Events as an invation tracking tool?

Any direction to find these answers would be very welcome… Thanks, Dean
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March 24, 2009

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Brian said:

finally something helpful for my biz, mainstreetwings.com! thank you…although with the new layout of facebook, it seems that it could be a lot easier for them to add my fan pages to users. it’s almost hard to find now.
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March 24, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

On point #1 - Unfortunately, it is tricky to access your page after you create it, and it is not intuitive. The easiest way to do that would be to log in with your existing profile, and then type the first letter of your page title in the search box. It will automatically appear.

#2 - The “page update” feature is now a link in the new fan page, underneath your logo.

#3 - If you create an event, you’d have to follow up to fans with an update sending them the link. The content that appears in the fan page will not automatically filter through your fan pages. As of right now, the pages are not as interactive as they first appear.

Hope that helps!
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March 24, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Once someone becomes a “fan” of your page, then that page will appear in their updates. Getting more fans happens in one of two ways — virally or through your promotional efforts on your website. Most often, businesses will have a Facebook badge on their website’s “about” page.
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April 1, 2009

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Roberto said:

Hi!
Only fans can read the “only fans” tab right to the “wall”…. that means if I put there an information only for fans about an exclusive event for fans… only fans can read or anonymous guests can read it also ?

Thanks in advance
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April 1, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

No, what that tab means is that your “fan” comments are grouped together — minus your updates. You can create a “closed” event for fans, but you have to invite them and do that as a separate action.
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April 5, 2009

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Dave said:

Another question that seems to be obvious, but can’t seem to figure it out:

I have a new page for my brand which is associated with my Facebook profile. I want to make friends through the page (brand) account - not my personal profile, but it’s all going through my name - not the brand in the page.

(if you understood what I said!) do you have any ideas what how I can make friends via my brand/poage as opposed to using my own name?

Cheers!
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April 6, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

At this time, you “cannot” make friends with a brand like you can on MySpace or Twitter. Your fan page will be circulated virally for free; when someone becomes a fan, their action shows up in their friends’ news feeds. There are paid options to promote your fan page, but otherwise you’re stuck with your personal name.

I’ve opted not to make “friends” in that instance, and go for “fans” instead. Hope that helps!
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April 7, 2009

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Jennifer Oldroyd said:

Thanks for all the tips! I’ve set up a facebook page, but cannot figure out how to make it public, so when you are logged out, you can still see the posts. Help!
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April 7, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Facebook is having some technical errors today, so that could be part of your issue. Your “fan” page public view is whatever is on your page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ceoMom/71376732999. If something is not appearing when you’re logged out, it is because that is the way FB functions. There is nothing you can do to change that other than to make a recommendation.
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April 8, 2009

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Jennifer Oldroyd said:

Thank you so much!
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April 14, 2009

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joana said:

hello
i have been reading your posts,
i was trying to create a page, as i had done before, i just had to send my id to prove i was authorized, but now they ask me to enter an electronic signature, which i have not… what should i do? how should i get one?
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April 14, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Hi Joana,

The “electronic signature” is a brand new feature that they installed just recently. Here is the information regarding that from Facebook:

“The name you enter as your electronic signature should match the name on your account. If you have a business account with no name or profile, or are trying to create an account when you create your Page, please enter your legal first and last name as your electronic signature.”
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April 16, 2009

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Tracy said:

Hi Valerie,
I have a couple questions:
Can my non-profit business (employer) have their own “profile?”

How do you “contact” Facebook?

I was told by my CEO to remove our business profile because it was not allowed by Facebook. Soooooooo, I created a Page for my employer through my personal Facebook account. I am confused. I would much prefer to have the Page through my employer profile rather than my own for obvious and previously mentioned reasons.

I can find no where to actually contact Facebook with these and other questions. As a personal user I never cared, but as a business user, some help would be nice.

Thank for your help on my behalf.

Tracy
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April 16, 2009

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Tracy said:

Hey Valerie,

Have you written any Blog tutorials? I’m also going to start a Blog for my employer and could use some hints and tips-your style is easy to read and understand. We are going to use Wordpress.

Thanks,
Tracy
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April 16, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Hi Tracy!

Profiles must be attached to a human being, which means that you can only set up a page if that human being has a profile. Facebook appears to be getting strict about this in the sense that the profile has to include a “real” first and last name. That profile is the “only” way businesses can become “friends” with their customers.

Once you have a profile set up, you can create a fan page for any business, non-profit or not. The fan page is a separate entity from the profile page; on the fan page you can utilize different tools to promote your non-profit organization to obtain fans.

Contacting Facebook directly is very challenging, but it can be done. First, visit their Help menu to read more about the Pages. Through some hunting and pecking you might be able to find a way to contact their team, especially if you have an advertising or business-facing question.

http://www.facebook.com/help.php?

Hope that helps!

Monica
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April 16, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Hi Tracy,

I have written tutorials before; I’ve done quite a bit of technical writing in the past. Feel free to contact me to follow-up.

Kind regards,

Monica
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May 1, 2009

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eric said:

I created a page but didn’t publish it yet. I can’t seem to locate it when I log into my personal account. Any suggestions
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May 6, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

Hi Eric,

It looks like FaceBook removed some of the previous navigation. Recommend logging in, then navigate to the bottom of the FB site. There’s a blue link called “Advertising.” When you click on that link, you’ll see a tab for “Pages.” There you’ll find you’re unpublished pages.

Wonky, but it works.
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June 20, 2009

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James Dolle said:

I created a page, but cannot find anywhere the option to “Add a Note,” nor “Note Settings,” in order to pull in my blog’s rss feed. I keep going back looking all over for it, but it’s not there. What am I missing?
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June 21, 2009

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Monica Valentinelli said:

With the new layout of the Facebook pages, you have to go to “Edit Settings.” Under that section, you should see a number of items you can modify, including “Notes.” You’ll have to click on the little pencil icon to edit it.
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June 22, 2009

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James Dolle said:

Thank you, I found it now and did it.