Facebook has evolved into one of the largest social networking websites due to its functionality and overall viral presence throughout the world. With that said, it is utterly one of the most important aspects of business to create a professional Facebook page to better communicate and relate to your current sphere of influence as well as your prospective clientele.

First thing is first, you need to register an account. Facebook has changed over the years from when I first created a page, but I experimented with a new account so that I can share the most relevant information. When you go to the homepage of Facebook, the upper right corner will have a “Register” button. When you click on that you will be brought to a registration screen where you will need to input all of your pertinent information needed to create an account. You will then be asked to confirm your e-mail address which is typically a simple process.

Next, you need to build out your network:

  1. You will be asked to search through your e-mail address(es) in order to find “Friends” that are already on the network. This is probably the easiest way to search through your initial group of “Facebook Friends”.   Along with the people that are already on the site, you will be able to send cordial invitations to your current list of e-mail contacts not already connected.
  2. After your e-mail adventures are over, you can click on “Find My Classmates”. You will be prompted to enter the information of your educational background (high school, college, and other continued learning experiences). Facebook will then bring up a list of current users who have attended the same institutions as you based on the time periods that you attended.
  3. Next, you can “Search For Your Co-Workers”. This is the simplest process so far, but you will most likely not get as many results. Simply type in the name of the company, and press the enter button.
  4. Finally, you need to join a regional network (or a geographical network). In order to view profile pages, and truly explore through the Facebook world, this is a necessity!

After you have developed your network (or at least started to construct what will be a great networking source for you), I highly suggest that you build out your profile. Click on “Profile”, and then click on “Edit” to get to the 6 things you need to alter:

  1. Basic Information — Enter details about yourself. Since this will be a professional Facebook account, you want to try and skip out of the in-depth personal information, but focus more on what is going on in your world professionally.
  2. Contact Information — Enter as much information as possible with regard to how people can contact you. You want to make sure that all of your business information is out there for people to see and USE!  Keep in mind that you want to make it as easy as possible for your network to contact you.
  3. Personal Information — Here is where you will enter a list of activities, hobbies, etc that interest you. Remember, you want to keep this as professional as possible so keep in mind that you are going to have other people read through this!
  4. Education Information — We went through this before in the search, but make sure you include all of your educational experiences (from high school and on). This will also (and maybe more importantly) help people connect with you.
  5. Work Information — Time for you to build up your online resume by including where you currently work as well as a description of what you do for your work. This is a great way for you to get your services/business out there for people to see as well as allow other co-workers/employees to find you.
  6. Professional Picture — As with any other social networking site, you need to make sure that you include a professional picture with your profile. It is, by far, the easiest way to personalize your information.

Once you have your profile established and ready to go, take a quick look at how you can now create a Facebook Business Page (or Fan Page):