Most every business on the planet now has a Facebook page. Some are amazing, some are less amazing, but if you’re in business and you want to promote yourself, there are certain aspects of a Facebook page that you just have to have.

A great cover video

This is the no. 1 thing. Cover video is a big deal. You of course can have a cover photo, but video is just so much better. It needs to be at least 20 seconds long and can go up to a minute, and you want to make sure you update it periodically.

You can use still images put together in a slideshow, you can use a clip; there are all kinds of options there, but video is the way to go. People will watch it, and it’s one of the best ways for you to explain what you do. Nobody is going to tell your story the way you do, so why not take advantage of the opportunities you have to promote your business.

A matching URL

You want you URL to match your business name – that’s part of your consistent branding that you want across all your platforms. You want to make sure you’re easy to find across the board.

If you’re one name on Instagram and another on Facebook, it’s super confusing and makes it harder for people to find you. So make sure the name of your page matches your URL.

A complete about section

All of your about information, not just the easy parts. If you have a physical address, make sure that’s listed. Include your business hours – it’s OK to set those parameters and let people know you’re not available at certain times. Use the story section of your about page, not just the blurb. Write paragraph after paragraph about how you got started, and make sure you’re using those keywords that will get you found. Really tell people exactly what you do.

Be sure to add your contact information, including phone numbers. I’m always surprised how many businesses don’t have a phone number listed on Facebook. If you have an audience over the age of 40, they want to pick up the phone. I love to be online. I’m one the most online people in the planet, but I still like to make a phone call. You need to have that information available to people who want to talk to you.

A working contact button

Make sure your contact button is working the way you want it to. Do you want to get an email, a message to your page, a phone call? What’s easiest way for people to reach you? If you know you aren’t going to check your messages on your Facebook page, tell people that. Set up an auto-response that lets them know, “I only check my Messenger every few days, here’s my phone number.”

Be sure the contact button is connected to a working phone number or email address. I cannot tell you how many audits we’ve done where the button was linked to an old number or email. That doesn’t help you at all. If you’re an admin on the page, drag your cursor over the button and it will give you an option to test it. That way you know where it’s sending people and whether it’s working the way you need it to.

A reviews section

Do not be afraid to ask for reviews. If you’ve been in business for more than a year, you have happy customers who actually like you and are happy to tell the world why they like you. Ask them. When they tell you how great their experience with you has been, ask them if they’d mind leaving a review on your Facebook or Google page.

I think it’s part of that 80/20 rule. If you’re constantly giving good content, informing, educating and entertaining – the big three – and you’re establishing that know, like, trust factor, I think it’s totally OK to ask for reviews.

A notifications game plan

This is a big one. I’m surprised by how many people still don’t have this. If you’re an admin on a Facebook page, make sure you have Business Manager installed on your phone. It’s an app – totally free – that will notify you only of your business account’s notifications. I love a good cat video, but I can’t always enjoy that kind of personal stuff when I’m trying to work or teach a class or have an audit.

Those little red dots that pop up on my Business Manager let me know for certain that it’s business-related. Someone has liked my page, left a comment, sent me a message or asked me a question, and that’s how I can be sure I respond quickly and keep my stats high. It’s essential. Think of how frustrated you get as an end user when you reach out to a business and it takes them two days to get back to you or they never respond. You don’t want to be that guy. You don’t have to write a monologue, just acknowledge that they’re talking to you. That’s how you grow a community.