Many small businesses are still perfecting their Facebook Page’s layout after Facebook’s Timeline changes, but there’s some definite proof that your Page can look great once you master the visual potential.

That said, you need to be very careful with Facebook’s Terms of Service.

We recently took a look at small businesses (all of them are Constant Contact customers, too!) that have mastered the art of the cover photo.

Here’s what we learned from them:

1. Take an action shot

Who: Add Helium

What: Add Helium, a scuba supply store, took an already amazing photograph and added a compelling slogan to it.

Just by glancing at the photo, you know what the store sells and how customers use the equipment.

2. Show off your products

Who: In A Pickle

What: In A Pickle has a lot of unique creations. That’s part of the restaurant’s selling point, so the cover photo often shows off some of the latest dishes.

Any business can use a cover photo as a place to showcase their products, but make sure that it’s not too sales-y.

3. Give visitors some encouragement

Who: 99 Bottles

What: The cover photo for 99 Bottles doesn’t have any hard purchase information, but does give information about the store itself that can help visitors get interested.

The store uses tabs effectively too, whether that’s to encourage fans to vote for 99 Bottles in an upcoming contest or to show off press releases.

4. Make sure people know the story behind your products

Who: BellaSoleil.com

What: We’ve featured BellaSoleil.com before, since the Italian pottery store made $10,000 through their Facebook Page. Here, we can see that to show just how authentic the products are, founder Elaine Topper uses a picture of Italy for her cover photo, then highlights a few products in the profile picture.

5. Show why customers should want to visit

Who: Belmore Court & Motel

What: The cover photo of Belmore Court & Motel more or less immediately inspires an urge to visit the beautiful area of Enniskillen, Ireland, and the profile picture gives potential guests an idea of where they would be staying.

6. Show people visiting

Who: Craigie’s Farm Shop and Café

What: While we’re covering businesses across the pond, let’s take a look at Craigie’s Farm in Edinburgh, Scotland. The farm’s cover photo allows fans to imagine themselves in the very same location as the tour group.

And Craigie’s shows that it’s OK to get a little artsy with the profile picture, too—the strawberry serves to show off what visitors can find at Craigie’s and adds a splash of color to the cover photo.

7. Show people where they’ll be visiting

Who: Galuppi’s

What: You can always feature your storefront on your cover photo, too. Here, Galuppi’s uses a unique perspective that fans don’t get a chance to see every day.

At the same time, the picture allows fans to appreciate the restaurant and the scenery around it.

8. Make a collage of what you do

Who: Splintered Studios

What: Artist Stephen Quick uses his cover photo to showcase some of his artwork, and his profile picture to quite literally show himself in action.

9. Make a collage of what your product does

Who: SpeechGear

What: SpeechGear provides enterprise-level software that helps translate different languages in real-time. That’s a concept that can sometimes be difficult to picture for real world applications, so the cover photo helps showcase all the different uses for the product.

To further drive the point home, SpeechGear uses one tab to link to videos and demos of the software in action.

10. Make a collage of what you sell

Who: The Calico House

What: The Calico House is a pretty special store that sells different quilting materials.

Owner Janeese Olson uses the store’s cover photo to get that message across right away, and uses a profile picture that both adds a personal touch and gives fans an idea of what the store looks like. We can also see that Janeese uses her tabs to link to the Calico House’s Pinterest Page and her email marketing newsletters.

11. Show off what you create

Who: Sugaree’s

What: For Sugaree’s, cover photos are… a piece of cake. Sorry, I had to.

The bakery features all sorts of desserts to show off their variety of products.

12. Show your impact on the community

Who: The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

What: The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is likely to have a very specialized fan base: residents of Bloomington, Indiana, and the surrounding area.

The cover photo is a great opportunity for organizations to show off their pride and influence in the local community.

13. Make sure people know you’re popular

Who: The Four Firkins

What: Nothing’s better for a business than an endorsement from their customers. The Four Firkins clearly knows this and their cover photo is proof of the beer store’s popularity.

Any business that hosts regular events can make those events a cover photo—just make sure to get permission from people who are explicitly featured in the picture.

14. Show why your business is unique

Who: Wild Rumpus Books

What: If your business has something that keeps people coming back—especially something that other businesses don’t—then don’t forget to use your cover photo to feature that.

Wild Rumpus Books has free range chickens that roam the bookstore, and a close-up photo is just the thing to show the store’s quirky personality and the great experience that goes with it.

15. Sum up what you do

Who: Innovative Global Vision

What: We featured Innovative Global Vision in 25 Ways B2Bs Can Use Facebook for Brand Awareness, because their cover photo was so effective. The cover photo can help visitors immediately see what the company does and whether it’s relevant to them just by looking at the photo itself. After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

16. Give fans something to explore

Who: The Tea Spot

What: If you want visitors to spend more time getting to know your company’s personality, then the cover photo is a great place to start. Rather than one image and one message, The Tea Spot uses the cover photo as an opportunity to take visitors through a visual journey that’s fun, interesting, and original.

As a result, you feel like you know the company’s values before you even start scrolling down the Timeline.

Don’t forget to change things up

Your cover photo should be like a revolving door of pictures. It’s not hard to change a picture and having an ongoing series of interesting cover photos can help keep fans coming back to your Page to check out what’s new.

As businesses keep doing more innovative things with cover photos, we’re bound to see some really interesting things. This is still a very new medium for companies to express themselves, so think about what you want fans to see and have fun while you’re doing it!

Whether you’re a seasoned Facebook vet looking for a refresher course, a casual user looking for more fans, or a new business looking to launch your first Page—there’s plenty you can learn from getting back to the basics.

Here are 10 things you need to do when getting started on Facebook.

1. Choose the right “type” for your business or organization

If you plan to use Facebook to market your business or organization, you’re going to need to set up a Facebook Page. A Page is different from a profile, in that it is open to the public and anyone can become a “fan” (compared to a Facebook profile where people connect by requesting to be a “friend”).

The first thing you’ll need to do when creating your Page is pick the right “category” for your business. There are a lot of options for different business or organization types. The best way to choose is by clicking the “category” field and start typing to describe your organization. You can say things like:

  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurant
  • Retail store
  • Doctor
  • And plenty of others, so make sure to experiment until you find the right option
Facebook page creation
Categories are selected in the left menu of the Facebook Page creation process.

If you’re not sure which category to choose, don’t worry — Facebook will allow you to select up to three, so just pick the three that best describe you.

2. Pick the right profile picture and cover photo

One of the reasons Facebook is such a great marketing tool for small businesses is that it lets the owner tell their story in a visual way. When it comes to setting up your Page, there are two key elements—your profile picture and your cover photo—to help you tell that story.

Profile picture: The perfect profile image will be one your customers already know and associate with your business—like your company logo. It’s not just a way to decorate your Page, it’s a way to get your business or organization noticed, by making it stand out in the news feeds of your fans and their friends.

Cover photo: The cover photo is the first thing people will see when they visit your Page and will have a big impact on the type of first impression you’re able to make. Its purpose is to help small businesses better tell their story in a more visual way—not to give them another place to sell their products. Don’t clutter your cover photo with too much text or promotional content; pick a photo that captures your business and the attention of prospective fans.

(NOTE: The dimensions for the cover photo are 841×315 pixels. If you upload an image that’s smaller than these dimensions, it will get stretched to this larger size and may not appear the way you intended.)

Not sure where to start with marketing? That’s why we created The Download.

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3. Tell people all “About” your business

On Facebook, people who discover your Page and want to learn more about your business should find all they need to know on your “About” section. The “About” section (which includes your Company Overview, Description, and Mission) is your opportunity to introduce your business to a prospective fan and give them an idea of exactly who you are, what you do, and why they should “Like” your Page.

Keep in mind that on Facebook, most of the people who will spend time reading your “About” section are people who are new to your business, not current customers. One way to make sure your “About” section speaks to that audience is to have a friend or family member who’s not directly involved with your business read your content, and share their feedback.

4. Take advantage of all the information you’re able to provide

One of Facebook’s biggest benefits for small businesses over its social counterparts is the amount of information it lets brands share with their fans. In the “About” section, you’re not only able to create an engaging bio to tell fans who you are and what you do, you’re also able to share specific details about the operation of your business.

Under what Facebook calls “Basic Info” is a whole form that small businesses and organizations can fill out and share details like: hours of operation, accepted payment methods, and the availability of parking around your place of business. What’s more, Facebook lets you access customized fields related to your industry, type of business, or services you provide. (For example, a restaurant is able to talk about the type of cuisine they specialize in or a band can share what record label they are signed to.)

Take a look at what options Facebook has for your business and provide the details you think your customers or potential customers would be looking for.

5. Tell your story by marking your milestones

Facebook doesn’t just let you share details and relevant information about your business—it allows you to tell your brand’s story and the milestones that define it. Some of these milestones will be immediately marked on your Timeline after you fill out your “About” and “Basic Info” sections (you should see the date you joined Facebook and the date you started your business).

But adding other milestones—like the introduction of a new product, the opening of different store locations, or the date you first hosted an annual event—is a great way to deliver important information to all the people who will soon be discovering your Page. You can also add photos to the milestone as a way to start building your Timeline.

6. Post a first update that people will want to tell their friends about

Believe it or not, at this point you’re ready to share your first update: your introduction to the realm of Facebook. Because you haven’t promoted your Page, it’s unlikely you’ll have much of an audience (if any) but it’s important that you start sharing updates before you start driving people to your Page.

I recommend making your first post a combination of text and rich media—either a photo or video. The idea here is to not only introduce your business to your new audience, but to also provide something that fans will want to engage with and tell their friends about. Be creative—snap a picture of your employees doing what they do best or shoot a quick video introducing yourself to your Facebook fans. Every comment, “like,” and share you receive is another opportunity to reach a new audience and supercharge your brand’s social word-of-mouth.

7. Tell your network and connect your touch points

Building a fan base is not easy—especially if you’re starting from scratch. However, lucky for you, your business already has plenty of fans.

If someone has already joined your email list, they most likely would love to connect with you on Facebook too.

Send out an email to your contact list, inviting people to “Like” your business on Facebook. It’s easy to do with Constant Contact’s email templates.

Once people “Like” you on Facebook, you’ll automatically show up on their newsfeed and can begin engaging with them socially.

8. Connect with other businesses

When getting started on Facebook, it can often be intimidating to see other businesses that have had big results in building their fan base and are really good at engaging with their fans. But all businesses and organizations, no matter if they have fifty fans or fifty thousand, had to start somewhere, and most of them are probably not too far removed from where you are right now.

Use their experience as a resource for creating your own success. Find businesses in your industry that have done a good job at building a community and pay attention to what type of content is getting the most engagement from their fans. You can also connect with other local Pages and start to build a valuable social support network within your community.

9. Keep engaging!

The biggest mistake that businesses and organizations make when getting started on Facebook is not continuing to stay active after their Page is published. Real results aren’t going to come from posting once a month, or just when you have something important you’re trying to promote. Here are some tips to keep in mind after you’ve published your Page:

  • Be human! People come to Facebook to interact, not to buy your product or read every blog post you’ve ever written.
  • Keep your status updates short and sweet, otherwise folks won’t read them.
  • Remember your fans like photos and videos so include rich media if possible.
  • Think about time of day: what time are most of your fans online and checking Facebook?
  • Use the 80/20 principle: Make 80% of your posts about interests your fan base shares and 20% about your brand or company.
  • Don’t post more than 1-2 status updates per day, otherwise fans will get irritated and un-like your Page in their news feed.

10. Set achievable goals for your Page and your business

Congrats! You’ve just completed your first goal: get started on Facebook.

Check that off your list, give yourself a pat on the back, and take some time to think about what you’re hoping to achieve from marketing your brand.

When getting started, don’t overwhelm yourself by setting unachievable goals. (If you’re a coffee shop expecting to have as many fans as Starbucks by the end of the year, you may be aiming too high.) Instead, focus on delivering valuable content to your fan base and paying attention to how they are engaging.

Once you feel comfortable and have started to build your community, then you can shift your focus to not only growing your fan base but to achieving actual business results from your Page. 

Not sure where to start with marketing? That’s why we created The Download.

The Download is the ultimate practical, step-by-step guide to online marketing. In this free guide, we’ll show you how people find you online and how to set yourself up for success to meet your business or nonprofit goals.

Get The Download: Making Sense of Online Marketing

So you want to go into business with someone. Good for you!

Maybe your potential partner is a family member, long-time friend, investor or business associate. Whatever the relationship, the start of a partnership is much like a young romance.

The parties are euphoric and it seems as though nothing could possibly go wrong—but then—something happens.

Time for a reality check.

Just like every personal relationship has its ups and downs, so do business partnerships.

So before you tie the knot, so to speak, you need to enter into what is known as a partnership agreement to protect yourself and your business.

Here are six common elements you should include in a partnership agreement—in writing—signed by all partners:

1. Percentage of ownership

You should have a record of how much each partner is contributing to the partnership prior to its opening. (People have short memories.) Typically, these contributions are used as the basis for the ownership percentage, but this is not a cut and dry formula.

For example, one partner may put in a considerable amount of cash, with no plans to work in the business, and a second partner may not invest cash, but will provide the sweat equity to make the business a success. As such, the partner who works the business full-time may get a larger percentage or vice versa. That’s up to you.

2. Allocation of profits and losses

You must decide if the profits and losses will be allocated in proportion to a partner’s ownership interest—which is the way it is handled unless otherwise indicated.

Also, will partners be permitted to take draws? A draw is generally a cash distribution on a regular reoccurring basis similar to a paycheck, without any taxes withheld. It’s considered an advance payment of profits from the partnership business to the partners. Because money is the root of all evil as they say, you and your partners need to make these decisions in advance.

3. Who can bind the partnership?

Generally speaking, any partner can bind the partnership without consent from the others partners. Imagine if your partner, without your knowledge, signed a contract for a private jet time share. (Sounds cool, but not practical.) That’s certainly something most small businesses can’t afford and such a liability could be a significant risk to the financial stability of your business. So you must clarify what type of consent a partner must obtain before they can obligate your company.

4. Making decisions

Making decisions in a business is often like trying to make decisions in a committee, nothing gets done. In fact, it can often stalemate a company, which results in business failure. Therefore, you need to establish a decision-making process in advance so your business operations can move along smoothly.

5. The death of a partner

What happens if one partner dies or wants to leave the partnership? To manage these situations you need a buy/sell agreement. This establishes a method by which the partnership interest can be valued and the interest purchased either by the partnership or individual partners.

6. Resolving disputes

What happens if you and your partners reach a point where you can’t agree? Do you head to court? Well, only if you want to spend a lot of time and money. My recommendation is to include a mediation clause in your partnership agreement which will provide a procedure by which you can resolve major conflicts.

By no means is this an all inclusive list. Make sure you and your partners consult with a professional adviser who can draft a partnership agreement for you. An attorney can also advise you and make sure you have thought about and covered all the necessary elements you need to manage, protect, and grow your business venture.

Is your business a partnership? If so, what other elements did you include in your partnership agreement that helped ensure a long lasting and healthy business relationship? Tell us in the comments below.

When it comes to getting started on Pinterest, people tend to fall into one of these three categories:

1. I’ve heard of Pinterest but I don’t know what it is and I would like to learn more…

2. I understand what Pinterest is but I don’t know how to get started…

3. I joined Pinterest because someone told me I should but I haven’t really done anything with it…

If you find yourself in any of these categories, this post was written for you.

Before you get started…

Before you even open your Pinterest account, there are a few questions you need to answer first:

Do you really know what Pinterest is? Take a few minutes to read this post. It’s a good introduction to what Pinterest is all about.

Do you know why you’re getting started on Pinterest? You should always have a set goal in mind when getting started on any social network. I’m not saying you need to have a report with projections for future growth, but you should at least have an answer when someone asks you why you’re signing up.

Do you know how to get around on Pinterest? It’s a good idea — before you start using Pinterest to market your business — to create a personal profile to help learn the ropes. Get familiar with the language (pin, repin, boards, sections, etc.) and explore the different pages and features that Pinterest offers.

After you’ve answered those very important questions, you’re ready to get started building your presence on Pinterest.

Here are 10 things you need to do to get started…

Not sure where to start with marketing? That’s why we created The Download.

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1. Get your names straightened out

On Pinterest, there are two names you need to be aware of: your username and your display name. Your username is what will be used in the URL of your Pinterest page (www.pinterest.com/username), but will not be the name that is displayed on your profile.

The name that will be displayed on your Pinterest page (and will be the name that people use to search for you on Pinterest) is your display name. So if you’re setting up a page for your business, start by visiting the Pinterest Business website and clicking the “Sign up” button. Create your account by filling in your business name and username in the signup process.

2. Upload a profile picture that’s Pinterest-worthy

Let me clarify by saying your profile picture does not need to be a work of art. But you do want it to be something that catches people’s attention, clearly demonstrates who you are, and stands out in the visual realm that is Pinterest. For businesses, company logos with solid colors tend to stand out better on Pinterest’s all-white background. (Keep in mind that the dimensions of your Profile picture are 165 x 165 pixels—photos smaller than that will look stretched.)

3. Create a profile that captures your business

The focus of Pinterest as a site for content curation—where people are constantly looking to find content they love and want to share—makes it a place where a lot of new people are going to be exposed to your business.

Here’s how it works:

  • You’re a bakery and you pin a picture of a fresh batch of muffins.
  • My friend, who’s already a customer and follows your “Muffins” board, sees the picture … LOVES IT! and repins it to her “Muffin Madness” board.
  • I, a lover of muffins, but not currently a customer of yours, see the picture … LOVE IT!, repin it to my “MMMuffin” board and click on your name to find out who you are…

So who are you? Tell me, or any customer: who you are, what you do, and why I should want to follow you or your boards.

4. Find businesses similar to yours on Pinterest

Guess what? You’re not the only business that’s in the beginner stages of Pinterest. In fact, with a lifespan of just over two years, the vast majority of Pinterest users would probably tell you they still have more to learn.

For that reason, and because Pinterest in its very nature is a site based on collaboration—you shouldn’t be afraid to look to other businesses for help when you’re getting started. Reach out to other local businesses, search for bigger businesses in your industry, ask your customers, or click on Pinterest’s “discover” icon to explore categories and trends to find inspiration.

5. Use Pinterest’s tools

Like with anything else, if you don’t have the right tools for the job—it’s tough to be successful.

Lucky for you, there are a couple of free tools you can access right from day one that will improve your chances of success on Pinterest.

Install the pin it button to your browser: Pinterest offers a free integration with all online browsers that will let you pin content to your page directly from any website. The “pin it” button not only makes it easy for you to curate content, but it will also link that content directly to the website it’s sourced from, helping you avoid any possible problems.

Download the Pinterest app: If you’re an iPhone or Android user, the Pinterest app lets you manage your page on-the-go, directly from your phone.

Use Pinterest’s built-in analytics tool: You can find Pinterest’s analytics features by going to analytics.pinterest.com, or by clicking on the Analytics link in the top of your profile.This tool tracks the growth of your profile, who is engaging with your pins, and what people are pinning from your website. Check your analytics on a regular basis to get a sense of what pins people are most interested in.

Pinterest Analytics

6. Create your first 3 boards

Believe it or not, you’re now ready to start creating your own boards.

I recommend creating at least three boards with a few pins on each, before you really start promoting your page. You don’t want to tell people you’re on Pinterest, until you’re actually on Pinterest.

Here are three ideas you can use to get started…

A board about your products or services: This board can be a great way to start contributing to the Pinterest community and to showcase your business. Be careful not to be too promotional, even when you’re just starting off. Make sure to give your board a better name than “Services” (maybe try… “What We Do”) and make sure your pins all have descriptions and link to your website.

A board designed to help: A key to not being too promotional on Pinterest is creating boards that your customers can actually use. If you’re a clothing store or boutique, that could be a board about fashion tips for the upcoming season, or if you’re a marketing company, that could be a board with infographics or pictures that link to blog posts—anything that will showcase your expertise and get people involved.

A board that’s just fun: I know getting started can be a little stressful, but try to lighten up. The beauty of Pinterest is that you can showcase your business and have fun while you do it. Think of something you love and that your customers will find entertaining. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

Creating boards with creative themes and unique goals is a good way to avoid being overly promotional on Pinterest.

7. Use the right keywords

When you’re creating your boards and pins, be strategic about the words you use in the board titles and pin descriptions. Many people use Pinterest as a visual search engine to find the products or topics they’re interested in, so make sure your boards and pins show up in search results related to the keywords you use. For example, a board of seasonal treats called “Fall Favorites” won’t be as visible in a search as a board called “Best Fall Dessert Recipes.” Take the keywords you’re using on your website, and in your email marketing, and social media marketing, and apply them to your Pinterest content.

8. Tell your network

Pinterest users LOVE finding out that their favorite business or organization is on Pinterest. Use the networks that you already have to spread the word. You can use Facebook and Twitter to tell people to find you on Pinterest.

If someone has already joined your email list, they most likely would love to connect with you on Pinterest too.

Send out an email to your contact list, inviting people to follow your boards or business. It’s easy to do with Constant Contact’s email templates.

9. Connect your touch points

Pinners are shoppers. In fact, 89% of Pinterest users have bought something they found on Pinterest. So let them know that your business is there by linking to your Pinterest account on your website. Not connecting your website to your social networks is a bad practice for all social networks, but especially for Pinterest. Adding a Pinterest logo to your website will not only help drive traffic to your page, but will act as a reminder to people who visit your website to pin your content. You’ll also want to make sure you’re inserting a link in your email newsletter with a strong call to action. 

10. Keep pinning!

You’ve set up your profile, you’ve created a foundation, and you’ve begun spreading the word—don’t stop there! Continue to explore and find new and creative ways to market your business on Pinterest.

It won’t be long before you’re the one that other businesses look to for advice on getting started.

Learn more

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