Well, we finally made it to Facebook. Just like any other small business, we struggled with the decision of whether or not to have a presence in Facebook. It’s free to start; it’s simple to use… but the reality is that it’s an investment of internal resources—mostly time. But given the staggering statistics of how much Facebook is used, we decided to give it a shot. Here’s how we did it.

1. We decided on content

We took this as an opportunity to have a balance of work-related posts and fun/personal ones with the goal of showing the world who we are behind the scenes. Where else can you post a link to a good article, a photo of a thank you gift sent to a client, and a description of a yummy dish at a favorite restaurant? I was a little nervous at first, but I have to admit it’s fun to share such content. I recommend making a list of the type of content you can post on your Facebook page. The point is to be more social; have fun with it.

2. We assigned a gatekeeper

Just like any other internal task, if there isn’t someone responsible for it, it ends up at the bottom of the list after all client projects. Even though we all contribute to our page, we send our content to one person—Michelle—so she can organize and keep track of it. You want to assign this task to someone you trust can write appropriate, short blurbs for all entries in a friendly voice. He/she will also need to do some minor graphics work to enhance any photos you post.

3. We created a schedule

A deadline helps. We decided to post twice a week: on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesday we post at least 1 entry and on Fridays we post several. During our internal marketing huddles on Fridays, we quickly brainstorm next week’s Facebook’s entries and assign homework to the appropriate team member. Decide on a schedule; saying you will do it when you have time will get you nowhere. And you have to be consistent in Facebook so it pays off. Try and stay ahead at least by a week so you’re not struggling to keep your schedule.

Armed with a schedule, someone in charge, and a clear idea of what we were going to write about, we created a page.

4. We created a page

We decided to create a business page instead of a personal profile. We want to talk about the business as a whole and not one particular individual. There are also advantages to having a business page: you can brand it, you can add your own tabs, and everyone can see it—not just those with a Facebook account.

5. We customized our page

Now that our page was set up, we proceeded to customize it. The first thing we did was design our branded area. This is an area of 200 pixels wide by up to 600 pixels tall. It’s an image that gets placed on the top left. Facebook then uses a square portion of that image as your avatar. Give this image some thought. Part of it is what everyone will see next to every post you make. It should identify you quickly and should be consistent with the overall branding of your company. Also, remember that many people who may see your page don’t know you and may be meeting you for the first time in Facebook. Take this opportunity to describe your business while you brand your page.

Next, we created 2 custom tabs: Meet the Fish and Fish Food. Meet the Fish allows us to describe each team member in a more personal way—way more so that we would on our website. And Fish Food is where we add anything that nourishes our creativity. This is the fun stuff!

Think of what tabs you may want to add to customize your page. You want them to have fairly static content… unless you are comfortable dealing with HTML code.

6. We added some content

We wanted to have some content right away when our first visitor came to visit instead of a brand new blank page. We entered about 9 posts before we let anyone know we were live. I recommend doing the same. There is no incentive for visitors to “like you” if there is nothing there for them to see.

7. We pre-launched

When you first create a page, Facebook gives you a very long, complicated URL—one that you don’t really want to pass around. You have to wait until you get 25 “likes” on your page to get a “vanity” URL—basically a short URL of your choice. So, we did a pre-launch. We emailed about 100 people so we could get our 25 likes. Email your closest friend, family members, business colleagues, and clients and let them know what you’re trying to accomplish. They will help you out.

8. We launched

Once we got our vanity URL (www.facebook.com/mbiweb), we told everyone in our database, added it on LinkedIn, posted it on Twitter, and sent a special issue of our online newsletter. We also added the Facebook icon with a link to our website, blog, email signature, and newsletter template. Remember that just because your page is live, that doesn’t mean you will get traffic to it… marketing is key.

It’s been about 3 weeks since we launched. We are maintaining our schedule of posting twice a week and are thinking of ways to generate traffic, such as a contest (stay tuned). And, we are learning to be patient. It takes a while to get a following; you need to think in terms of the long term.

This is how we chose to approach being on Facebook. What approach did you try? And, is it working?