5 Checks to Ensure Your Facebook Page Is Up to Date

By Kristi Hines
Published October 5, 2015

Are you using a Facebook page for marketing?

Have you checked to make sure it's up to date?

Facebook regularly provides marketers and business owners with new ways to update their presence on Facebook.

In this article you'll discover five checks to ensure your Facebook page is up to date.

Discover five checks to make sure your Facebook page is up to date.

One of the big differences between pages in the Local Business category versus the other categories has been the About box in the page's left sidebar. Pages in the Local Business category would show the business's address and phone number, while pages in all other categories have the page's short description displayed.

Previously, the About box displayed the page's short description for non-local businesses.

Now, some pages in other categories, such as Company, display the address and phone number in the About box, instead of the short description. Pages that have not yet added their address and phone number, like the one for Gucci, show "Ask for" links to visitors.

There are "Ask links" in the About box on pages that do not have updated contact information.

It's important for marketers who have a Facebook page in a category other than Local Business to visit it to make sure it shows your short description, as opposed to a missing address and phone number.

This is the admin view of pages missing local business information.

If your page is missing information, you either need to update your address and phone number (which you can do by clicking on what needs to be changed) or switch your page to a different category.

To edit your page category, go to your About tab and edit it under Page Info.

Go to Page Info in the About tab to update the category of your Facebook page.

The updated category will appear beneath your Facebook page name, so choose something highly relevant for your page.

The Call-to-Action button allows you to display a specific call to action next to your page's Like button.

This drives traffic to your website or mobile app, and ensures people who like your page will be presented with the most options to follow your page.

Here are two examples of Facebook pages in a similar industry: Due.com and Hiveage.

Due's Facebook page does not use the Call-to-Action button. When someone likes the page, the options to Get Notifications from the page and have the page's posts show up first in the news feed are separated under two drop-downs.

A Facebook page without a Call-to-Action button splits the audience's notification options.

On the other hand, Hiveage's Facebook page uses the Call-to-Action button. When someone likes the page, the options to Get Notifications from the page and have the page's posts show up first in the news feed are under the Liked drop-down. This is where new fans are more likely to hover.

A Facebook page with a Call-to-Action button gives viewers notification options under the Liked button.

If you don't have a Call-to-Action button on your Facebook page, you can easily add one. Go to your page and click Create Call to Action.

Click to create your Call-to-Action button.

Next, you will find options to set your Call-to-Action button for website visitors (from a computer), as well as for iPhone and Android users.

Set up a separate call to action for website, iPhone and Android users.

Click the drop-down under Choose a Button to see your call-to-action options.

Choose from a variety of call-to-action options.

Next, enter a relevant website URL in the website field. Alternately, switch No to Yes under Set up a Link to an App and then choose a specific app for iPhone or Android users.

Click Yes under Set up a Link to an App, and then select apps for iPhone and Android users.

When you've finished the setup, click the Create button to test your Call-to-Action button. You want to make sure it directs Facebook page visitors to the right web page or app.

Video on Facebook is a hot commodity. Add a Featured Video to your Facebook page. It will appear at the top of your About box, as shown on the Facebook page of Subaru.

Subaru uses a Featured Video on their Facebook page.

To include a Featured Video on your page, start by uploading a video to the Videos tab. Afterward, you get the option to add it as a Featured Video.

Add your upload to the Videos tab, and get the option to add a Featured Video.

Simply select a video from your uploads to add as your Featured Video. Once you do that, you can click the pencil icon at the top right of the Featured Video on the Videos tab to add a description to your video, change it or remove it.

Click the pencil to edit your Featured Video.

It is particularly important to add a description to your Featured Video, since anyone who clicks to watch the video will see it. Think of it as another call to action, like Chipotle does on their page.

Use your Featured Video description as a call to action.

As long as you're thinking about descriptions, add one to your Facebook page's cover photo. The same rules apply. Anyone who clicks on it will see whatever you added for the photo description as a call to action.

While this feature has been around for a while, some businesses don't realize its value. Think of messaging as a great reputation-management tool. People might be more likely to click the Message button on your page with a complaint before posting something publicly on your page.

To enable this feature (if you haven't already), go to your page's General settings and check the box to allow people to privately message your page.

Go to your page's General settings to turn on the Message option.

The Message button will then appear next to your Like button.

Make sure your Message button appears on the page.

The Message button is also a great option for businesses that don't allow people to write posts on their pages. The alternative is forcing people to put complaints as comments on random page posts.

When did you last post to your Facebook page wall? In addition to the above cosmetic tips, you want to continuously make sure your Facebook page has new posts for your fans to enjoy.

If you don't want to invest in a third-party tool and can't remember to post to your Facebook page daily, try the built-in Publishing Tools.

Use the Publishing Tools inside your Facebook page.

This set of tools allows you to schedule posts, so you keep your page updated regularly. All you have to do is take a little time one day a week to write some great updates for your page. Then schedule a new post to publish each day.

Take one day a week to schedule daily posts using Publishing Tools.

Once you schedule your posts, you just have to wait for the notifications to roll in and monitor comments. The updates will keep your page fresh and open the door to engagement opportunities with your audience.

In Conclusion

Your Facebook page represents your business, so make sure it's accurate and fan-friendly. Perform these basic checks to ensure your page is up to date in terms of the latest features Facebook has to offer. This is essential for page owners and their audiences.

What do you think? When was the last time you updated your Facebook business page? What other things should Facebook page owners be on the lookout for? Please share in the comments.

Five checks to ensure your Facebook page is up to date.

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Kristi Hines is a contributing editor for Social Media Examiner, freelance writer, and HubSpot Inbound Certified Marketer. She specializes in analytics, blogging, and social media topics. Other posts by Kristi Hines »

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Original source: 5 Checks to Ensure Your Facebook Page Is Up to Date.
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