The OpenWater Blog

How to: Set Up a Facebook Page for Your Awards Program

There are almost 1.5 billion active users on Facebook. While some of these users may be familiar with your organization and/or awards program, most aren’t. This presents a massive opportunity to spread the word about your program and all you have to offer.

So if you don’t have a Facebook page dedicated to your awards yet, you need to get on it!

Having a unique Facebook page for your program gives you the opportunity to provide information, deadlines, and more all in one location.

How do you go about setting up a Facebook page? It’s actually pretty simple. Below, we’ll take you through the steps of creating a Facebook page, along with some best practices you can incorporate to further enhance your page.

Step 1: Set Up a Page From Your Account

Once you’ve logged in to your Facebook account, click the downward facing arrow in the top, right-hand corner. From this drop down menu, you can click “Create Page” to get started.

Step 2: Categorize Your Page

After you’ve clicked “Create Page,” Facebook will prompt you to choose a category. Most awards programs categorize themselves based on their industry. Once you’ve selected a broad category, you should choose a more specific category.

Step 3: Set Up Your Page

After you agree to the terms and conditions you’ll do some basic set up for your page, like filling out your “About” section and selecting your preferred audience.

Step 4: Optimize Your Page and Begin Connecting With Interested Members of Your Community

Congratulations! You have a new page for your awards program, but you aren’t done quite yet! After all, how you optimize your page to appeal to and connect with your community is perhaps the most important step of all!

There are a few simple and then some more advanced tips you can follow. Let’s start with the simplest:

• Set Your Profile Picture
  Profile pictures should measure 180 x 180 pixels to look their best. Often, it’s best to make your profile picture of something iconic like your logo or the award itself so your page is easily identifiable.
• Create a Cover Photo
  Cover photos are the 851 x 315 pixels of blank, attraction-drawing space at the top of your profile. You should use each pixel to create a simple, striking, and attention-grabbing design. You can even communicate deadlines or showcase past winners in your cover photo. Let your imagination run wild (just not too wild) and you’ll be one step closer toward connecting with your audience!
• Add a DescriptionWhat is your program about and where can potential entrants learn more about what you have to offer? By writing a concise, brief description and adding a website URL, you can direct your traffic to the proper location.

Once you’ve handled the basics, you can step up your Facebook presence even further with a few more advanced tactics:

• Create a Custom URLHave you ever seen what your page’s URL looks like? It’s full of numbers and letters that make it impossible to remember (let alone type in). Get a clean, custom URL by following Facebook’s instructions and get prepared to share your page.
• Call-to-Action ButtonFacebook gives users a way to like your page, but what if you could get them to do more? By creating a call-to-action button, you can encourage individuals to “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or even “Apply Now.” The best part is that creating a CTA button is simple. Just click “Create Call to Action” located near the bottom left-hand side of your cover photo as you edit your page.
  
• Photo AlbumsAfter you’ve taken care of the basics, you can begin to further customize and fill out your profile. For example, create some photo albums from your website’s gallery of past winners. By showcasing past winners and present entries, you can connect with entrants on a deeper level. You may even want to post exceptional entries as they come in to further engage your community.

And there you have it! A page just for your awards program where you can share all of the exciting things that are happening! All that’s left to do is incorporate your Facebook page into your awards marketing strategy.

For different ways to utilize your new page in promoting your program, download our ebook!

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Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

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