Your organization’s Facebook page should help you achieve your strategic communication goals in a fun, colorful way. Before diving in, make sure Facebook is right for you.

Yes? Okay, then. Onward ho.

Start here, and Facebook will walk you through the process, if you choose not to use the new nonprofit template page. In this case, make sure to choose Company, Organization or Institution.

Then move on to these easy-to-follow steps to set up your Facebook page right. 

1. Select a Cover Photo

(See above image, courtesy of Jon Loomer Digital). The ‘cover’ image displays at 851px by 315px (640 by 360px on a smart phone). Pick your photo carefully for a stellar first impression. The photo should be high resolution, well-cropped and eye-grabbing (not a posed photo of your staff). If you have a great photo of your beneficiaries, that's likely the way to go. To edit, just hover over the cover photo and select ‘change cover’.

2. Select the Right Profile Picture

Your profile picture, the image that appears on your fans’ newsfeeds, is superimposed over the cover photo and displays as a perfect square, 180px by 180px (140 by 140px on smartphone). No fudging here. Take the time to select a fun image that compliments your cover photo, or carefully crop your organization's logo to the right dimensions. Pet peeve – PLEASE do not cut off midway or distort your organization's logo. Make sure you get it right as your branding says a lot about your organization.

3. Upload More Photos 

Nothing gussies up your page like some knock-out photos. Your photo collection always appears as the first item in the Tab section just below your cover photo (this is the only unmoveable item), so you want to choose interesting ones. The most recently uploaded or tagged photo will always display in the Photos Tab.

4. Tell Your Story 

One of the cool things about Timeline is that it allows you to tell the broader story of your organization in chronological order. We recommend using these features to let fans better understand where you’ve come from and who you are.

5. Milestones

When were you founded? When did you add a major new project or service?  When did you meet a key milestone (like reaching your first 1,000 fans?) To construct your timeline story, add key milestones to your timeline by simply clicking the last icon Offer, Event+ just above right of where you post status updates. This milestone icon allows you to add the milestone event, location, date, description and upload historic photos.

6. Change Dates

Manipulating space and time is easy on Facebook. To change the date of your post:

  1. Click the little arrow dropdown in the upper right corner.
  2. Select Change Date.
  3. Set the new date.
  4. Save.

7. Hide/Delete Posts

To hide a post, hover over it, click the circle with line through it, and select Hide from Page. This will make the post invisible to fans or visitors, but save the post’s engagement statistics in your Insights. You can also delete a post in the same way, but deleting will also remove it from your Insights.

Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a spiffy new Facebook page! Now check out Facebook Do’s and Don’ts and Eight Things Every Facebook Admin Should Know.