Facebook pages are Facebook’s way of giving businesses a mode to connect with the everyday Facebook user. Popular brands and small businesses alike can use this tool free of charge. If you have not yet set up a page for your organization, just go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php,and you will be able to start creating your page today.

What seems to confuse many people is what page type they should choose. There are six page categories to select from, and each one provides slightly different features.

Facebook Page Categories

• Local Business or Place:

  This categorization is ideal for a company that offers a physical location for someone to walk into. The types of businesses that can benefit from this classification range from restaurants and spas to gift shops and doctors’ offices. Choosing this category will cause a map function to automatically appear on your Facebook page indicating your location and provide you with an area to add your business hours.

• Company, Organization or Institution:

  This choice is great for service businesses and non-profits on Facebook. These are generally companies that want to market themselves but are not encouraging their customers to drop by the office. This is also great for home-based service businesses.

• Brand or Product:

  This selection is ideal if you are marketing one product or a product line. This choice is great for a small business marketing their brand of pet food or line of kids’ toys.

• Artist, Band or Public Figure:

  Are you hired for your personal expertise? If so, then this is the category for you. If you’re an illustrator or running for office then you – the individual – need a business presence. This feature allows you to keep your Facebook personal profile separate for family and friends, with this page portraying your public persona.

• Entertainment:

  Marketing a book or an independent film? Are you running a local event that recurs annually? This category is for you.

• Cause or Community:

  Many non-profits think this is the right choice for them, but this option is a tricky one. If you want full control of your page, you should not use this option. Community or cause pages are great for individuals who want to inspire a movement or generate interest in a cause. One of the conditions of this page type is that if the page gains overwhelming popularity, Facebook can take it over and run it for you.

Each page type also comes with different page details. For example the community page asks for: Start Date, Start Type, Short Description, and Website. On the other hand, the Entertainment Page provides fields for: Genre, Studio, Plot, and Awards. As you can see, the information is very different.

Take the time to go back and check your page category and sub category. Make sure you’re listed exactly how you would like to be known to your Facebook audience.

If you have questions about your Facebook page or would like to leverage this tool more effectively for your business, schedule a complimentary consultation.