{"id":2684,"date":"2019-02-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/how-to-use-facebook-for-your-financial-planning-practice\/"},"modified":"2019-02-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T05:00:00","slug":"how-to-use-facebook-for-your-financial-planning-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/articles\/2019\/02\/19\/how-to-use-facebook-for-your-financial-planning-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Facebook For Your Financial Planning Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-122 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/communication-computer-connection-162622-1200x801-1.jpg\" alt=\"Facebook signup screen\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The numbers are hard to ignore; Canadians are active on social media. <a href=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/2018\/02\/25\/state-of-social-media-in-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">94% of adult internet users<\/a> have at least one social media account. The most popular platform is Facebook. The social media giant says there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iphoneincanada.ca\/news\/facebook-23-million-users-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">23 million monthly active Facebook users<\/a> in Canada. As a financial planner, that is a lot of potential clients to tap into.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook is the perfect place for you or your firm to build a community and encourage engagement with your brand. You can treat your Facebook page like a mini version of your website, sharing news, photos, articles from your company, as well as other relevant industry related news. If you are new to social media, no problem. We are going to give you a step-by-step guide that will teach you how to do the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Starting A Personal &amp; Business Page (It\u2019s easier than you think) \u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Building Your Business Page<\/li>\n<li>Inviting Your Friends, Family, and Supporters<\/li>\n<li>Posting On Your Page<\/li>\n<li>Get Social: How To Like, Share, &amp; Comment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we begin, remember: YOU CAN DO THIS!<\/p>\n<h2>Getting Started On Facebook<\/h2>\n<p>To create a Facebook Page, you&#8217;ll need to already have a personal profile. This is because only people with profiles on Facebook can create or have a role on business pages.<\/p>\n<p>To create a personal Facebook account:<\/p>\n<p>1. Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.facebook.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Facebook-Start-An-Account-251x300-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>2. Enter your <b>name<\/b>, <b>email<\/b> or <b>mobile phone number<\/b>, <b>password<\/b>, <b>date of birth<\/b> and <b>gen<\/b><\/p>\n<p>3. Click \u201c<b>Sign Up<\/b>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>4. To finish creating your account, you need to confirm your email or mobile phone number. It\u2019s that easy. Now you\u2019re ready to set up a business page.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Setting Up a Business Page<\/h2>\n<p>To set up an account for your business, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/creation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/creation\/<\/a> and follow the steps to start a <b>Business or Brand<\/b> page by clicking \u201cGet Started\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-124\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/facebook-business-page-300x292-1.png\" alt=\"facebook business page step 1\" width=\"300\" height=\"292\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Then enter your business name and business category, then click continue.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Facebook-business-step-2-300x285-1.png\" alt=\"facebook business page step 2\" width=\"300\" height=\"285\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Next, upload a profile picture and cover photo.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Facebook-Profile-Picture-300x203-1.png\" alt=\"Screen to add Facebook Profile Picture\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Facebook-Cover-Photo-300x188-1.png\" alt=\"Screen to add Facebook Cover Photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Adding Your Business Details<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you have completed the first steps of setting up your business page, it\u2019s time to add more details about the financial planning services you provide.<\/p>\n<p>To add additional information, click <b>About<\/b> (on the left-hand side, below your profile picture), then click <b>Edit Page Info. <\/b><\/p>\n<p>Now add the following to your Page:<\/p>\n<p><b>Description<\/b>: Add a short description to your business. Keep it short and sweet (1\u20132 sentences).<\/p>\n<p><b>Contact<\/b> <b>Info:<\/b> Add a phone number, website, and email address. This will make it easy for the people who visit your page to access this information and get in touch with you.<\/p>\n<p><b>Location<\/b> <b>Hours:<\/b> Add your address and business hours so that people know when and where to visit you.<\/p>\n<p><b>Story:<\/b> A new feature on Facebook is adding a Story to your page. This is where you can share additional information about your financial planning business. Stories can include things like when your business was founded, what you specialize in, your mission and much more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-128\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-4.03.38-PM-300x247-1.png\" alt=\"Add your story to Facebook business pages\" width=\"300\" height=\"247\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Invite Your Friends To Like The Page<\/h2>\n<p>Inviting personal friends to like your Facebook page is a great way to start building your audience. You should send \u201cFriend Requests\u201d to friends, family, and other people on Facebook whom you know and trust.<\/p>\n<p>To invite friends to like your Page:<\/p>\n<p>1. Go to your page and click <b>Community<\/b> in the left column.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-129\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-10.55.39-AM-191x300-1.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot of left column menu\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>2. In the right column, click <b>Invite Friends<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-130\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-10.55.52-AM-300x275-1.png\" alt=\"Menu with invite friends highlighted\" width=\"300\" height=\"275\" \/><\/p>\n<p>3. Enter a friend&#8217;s name in the search box and then click <b>Invite<\/b> next to their name. If you want to invite your entire friend list, you can click <b>Select All.<\/b> Facebook generates an automatic request (see below), but you can customize the invitation to make it more reflective of your brand and more personalized to your friend group.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-131\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-11.02.18-AM-300x153-1.png\" alt=\"Screen for searching friends to invite\" width=\"300\" height=\"153\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Create Engaging Page Posts<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you are on Facebook, you need to be active on Facebook. It\u2019s time to Post to your Page. It is important that the content you provide is relevant to your audience; post information that teaches people new things, entertains them, makes them think, offers them something they&#8217;re interested in, or adds value to their lives in some way. As an R.F.P. you have a wealth of knowledge to share.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how you post:<\/p>\n<p><b>Creating a Post<\/b><\/p>\n<p>1. From the top of your News Feed or timeline, click <b>Create Post<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-132\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-12.08.56-PM-300x101-1.png\" alt=\"Facebook create post\" width=\"300\" height=\"101\" \/><\/p>\n<p>2. Add text where it says <b>Write a post&#8230;<\/b> Be sure to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Add a photo, graphic, or video if you can<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-2.58.31-PM.png\" alt=\"Add Photo or Video\" width=\"245\" height=\"43\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you would like to tag another business page, start by typing <b>@<\/b> and then <b>start typing the name<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Add a location<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-134\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-2.58.26-PM.png\" alt=\"Add location\" width=\"251\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p>\n<p>3. Choose where you&#8217;d like to share your post. If you add a photo, video, or text with a background as your post, you&#8217;ll also have the option to share to your story. Click to select News Feed, Your Story, or both. Here is the difference between the two options:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>News Feed<\/b>: Your post will show up in News Feed and on your timeline.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Your Story<\/b>: Your story will be visible to your selected audience for 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-135\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-4.17.05-PM-300x101-1.png\" alt=\"Choose where to share\" width=\"300\" height=\"101\" \/><\/p>\n<p>4. A check mark will indicate which option you have picked.<\/p>\n<p>5. Click <b>Share Now.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>6. Pat yourself on the back because you have made your first post!<\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Get Social: Like, Share, &amp; Comment<\/h2>\n<p>It is important that you engage with a variety of content from other people and businesses on Facebook to make you more visible. <b>Liking, commenting, and sharing content<\/b> is how you can engage with others on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some other helpful tips for posts:<\/p>\n<p><b>Your Tone<\/b>: Being on social media means you are sharing the voice of your brand in a fast-paced, very public space. Developing your company\u2019s tone and messaging is crucial to ensure that you are confident and consistent on social. How do you want your company to sound in public? Witty? Trendy? Professional? Friendly? Most likely, you\u2019ll want a combination of one or more traits to come through in your brand\u2019s tone.<\/p>\n<p><b>A Schedule for Posting<\/b>: People will not trust your Facebook page if it seems inactive. It&#8217;s crucial to develop a schedule for posting and providing updates to your Page. We recommend posting at least 2 times each week to keep your audience engaged.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-3.07.05-PM-300x290-1.png\" alt=\"Your post\" width=\"300\" height=\"290\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can see in this recent IAFP post that the <b>like<\/b>, <b>comment<\/b> and <b>share<\/b> options are at the bottom of a post. Here is what each action is for:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>\u2605 Like: <\/b>Clicking \u201cLike\u201d below a post on Facebook is a way to let people know that you enjoyed it without leaving a comment. Just like a comment, anyone who can see the post can see that you liked it. Facebook gives you these reaction options for liking:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-137\" src=\"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-4.31.30-PM-300x62-1.png\" alt=\"Facebook reactions\" width=\"300\" height=\"62\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>\u2605 Comment: <\/b>You can share your thoughts by adding a comment. It\u2019s a way to join an existing conversation or to start a new one. For example, you may read a financial article that someone posted and want to respond with your unique viewpoint.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>\u2605 Share<\/b>: When you share something, it means anyone can see it on your Business Page. Make sure the content you share is relevant and professional so that the people who follow or like your Page find it meaningful. When you share a post, you are giving it a stamp of approval; only share something that you would want your client or colleagues to see.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Facebook is a great way to market your business. It may seem complicated, but by following these steps, you have all the basics covered. Over time, you will find that Facebook is one of the best tools for targeting a specific audience. Happy Facebooking!<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The numbers are hard to ignore; Canadians are active on social media. 94% of adult internet users&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iafp.ca\/planners\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}