Looking to improve the digital presence of your beauty and wellness business this year? Nowadays, it is essential for businesses to be active on social media. Creating a verified Facebook and WhatsApp Business page is an ideal place to start.
Facebook and WhatsApp are two of the most popular social media platforms used today. Currently, 63% of U.S. residents over the age of 12 use Facebook. Across the globe, 60 million businesses use Facebook Pages to connect with their customers, advertise their services and grow their business. A Facebook Business Page gives you a direct line of communication to potential guests and allows you to access valuable insights to drive your business decisions.
WhatsApp is another platform that isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s currently the largest online texting platform worldwide, making it a great place to engage with potential guests. A WhatsApp business profile will allow you to list important company information, such as your address, email and website. It also lets you use interactive tools to organize and easily find your chats and messages.
If you aren’t currently using the power of Facebook and WhatsApp for your business, it’s time to get started. While setting up your business pages might seem daunting, it can be done in only a few simple steps. This guide will take you through the complete process of setting up a Facebook Business Page, getting verified, and best practices for connecting your business through digital channels.
What is a Facebook Business Page?
A Facebook Business Page provides your business with a space to post company updates, contact information, promote events and share content. For many businesses, it might be the first thing that potential guests see when searching for you online. That’s why it’s critical that your business page makes an excellent first impression.
Creating a Facebook page for your business provides your guests with a new way to ask questions, provide feedback, and connect with your team. With 1.93 billion active users every day, Facebook is an incredibly easy way to get your business in front of the right audience at the right time.
Facebook is also an advertising powerhouse - 20% of marketers consider ads to be Facebook’s most important feature. If you’re looking to advertise through Facebook ads, a Facebook Business Page is required.
A Facebook Business Page is also required to access the Whatsapp Business API. WhatsApp is a fantastic way to engage in two-way conversations with your guests. This makes it an important part of a successful omnichannel marketing strategy.
Learn more about how to communicate with your guests through WhatsApp.
10 Quick Steps to Set Up Your Facebook Business Page
First things first, you must have a Facebook account. If you don’t already have one, sign up for one here.
Open your Facebook profile.
At the top of the home page, select Create and choose Page.
Name your Page. It is best to give your Facebook page the same name as your business.
Add a category to describe your Page. For example, if you run a medspa focused on laser hair removal, you can select “Laser Hair Removal Service”. Learn more about selecting a category for your Page.
Enter your business contact information, such as your address, phone number, email and website.
Select Continue.
Next, add a profile photo to your page. This is an important way for potential guests to distinguish your business, so consider using your logo or another defining image. If you add a photo, select Next. To complete this step later, select Skip.
Add a cover photo to make your page stand out. This image will sit at the top of the page and is often used to promote specific services or display contact information. If you add a photo, select Next. To complete this step later, select Skip.
When you have completed the steps, select Next to go to your new Page.
Congratulations! You now have a Facebook Business Page. Take advantage of multiple useful tools and features, like Facebook ads, as well as explore insights around guest engagement. As a bonus, you can explore insights on your competitors' pages to better understand your target market.
The next step is to get your Facebook Business Page verified.
Why You Should Verify Your Facebook Page
If you’ve spent a lot of time on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed that some business pages have checkmarks next to their names. While it might seem unimportant, that small checkmark is one of the best ways to show people that your business is legitimate. There are also several other benefits of getting verified on Facebook:
Increased Credibility. Getting verified sends a message to your audience that they can trust your service. It also differentiates your page from users with a similar name, or unofficial spam accounts and scam artists. It also establishes legitimacy when compared to competitors who haven’t verified their pages.
Higher Facebook Search Ranking. Since a check mark means that Facebook has already viewed and approved your page, Facebook’s algorithm will automatically place you at the top of search results.
Increased Exposure. With a verified page, you’ll be ranked higher on search engines outside of Facebook. This includes Google search, which is an incredible asset for driving traffic to your business page. With increased exposure across internet search engines, your business will attract people in need of beauty and wellness services.
Engage with your guests on WhatsApp: Once your Facebook Business Page is verified, you’ll be able to verify your WhatsApp business page as well. This allows your business to send WhatsApp messages updating guests on appointment bookings, reminders, and cancellations.
To seamlessly enable WhatsApp conversations with an external platform like ezConnect
Download WhatsApp
Build your business profile
Complete the verification
Get started on WhatsApp
Prerequisites for Facebook Business Page Verification
Before any page can get verified on Facebook, it must meet several basic criteria for verification. Double check that your Facebook page has the following in place:
A page name that doesn’t violate Facebook’s Community Standards
A clear profile photo
A high-quality cover photo
Existing content such as photos and videos
It’s also important to check that the information on your Facebook Business Page is correct and up to date. This is crucial for all your social media accounts. To save time and reduce your margin for error, it’s best to invest in an online reputation management tool that will automate this process for you.
How to Verify Your Facebook Business Page
Once you have all these details, you can verify your Facebook Page in two main ways:
Call, text, or email verification
Domain verification
Call, text, or email verification
On your Business Manager page, click Security Center > Start Verification.
From here, you must fill out a form with business details. Fill in the legal name of your business, official address, public phone number, and website link before clicking Next.
Facebook will show a list of companies matching the legal name you entered. If your business name is listed, select it and click Next.
Afterward, confirm your business details through text, call, or email. Depending on what you choose, take note of the 4-digit verification code that Facebook sends you. Then, fill in this verification code in the box provided.
Domain verification
To verify your business on Facebook, you must prove you are who you say you are and your relationship to the business. If you opt not to use a call, text, or email, you can also verify your ownership of the business through domain verification.
Domain verification must be done by your webmaster, who will be required to enter a special code on your website. Only a person with access to your business website can do this.
If you are verifying your Facebook page through domain verification, be sure to read Facebook’s best practices for domain verification.
Documents Required for Verification
Regardless of which verification method you choose, you may be asked to submit official documents to verify your Facebook Business Page. You can use any official document that displays your legal business name and address.
Here are a few examples of documents that can be used to verify your page:
Utility bills like a phone or electricity bill
Bank statements
Business licenses and permits from any level of government
Certificate of formation or incorporation
Business Tax or VAT registration certificate
EIN confirmation letter from the IRS (the U.S. only)
Federal tax returns to the IRS by the company (the U.S. only)
Business bank account statements
Business credit report from one of the reporting agencies
Once the documents are uploaded, you can expect a response from Facebook within a couple of days. The name listed on the documents must match your company’s legal name, so be sure to double check this prior to submission.
If all goes to plan and there are no issues with your documents, congratulations! You should now be Facebook verified with either a blue or gray checkmark.
Optimizing Your Facebook Business Page and WhatsApp for Success
That wasn’t so difficult, was it? Your business just gained a new way to build relationships with your guests and communicate through a trusted platform. Don’t forget to add your WhatsApp business number to your page to encourage two-way conversations with curious page visitors.
To take full advantage of your social media presence, and the benefits of a verified Facebook Business Page, check out a platform like ezAds to launch an ad campaign in just four steps.
Want to take it one step further? To optimize your ad campaigns and social media for success, check out these 7 advertising strategies for beauty and wellness businesses.