Choosing the Right Facebook Page Category

What are the types of Facebook pages and which category is right for your business?

The Facebook business page types are:

• Local Business or Place
• Company Organization or Institution
• Brand or Product
• Artist, Band or Public Figure
• Entertainment
• Cause or Community

Following is a detailed description of each page type as well as tips to help you decide which is right for your business. TIP: Make sure you read through all the page types before you decide as you may match more than one category or a particular page type might not seem like the best match at first glance, until you go through the category list:

The Local Business or Place Facebook page:

 

If you have a ‘bricks and mortar’ store and want people to physically visit you, click the Local Business or Place page type.  TIP: If you have an online business or store then ‘Company Organization or Institution’, or ‘Brand or Product’ will be a better match for you (more about these types of Facebook pages follow below).  A long list of business categories is provided to select from, including:

• Attractions/Things To Do
• Bank
• Bar
• Book Store
• Concert Venue
• Food / Grocery
• Hotel
• Local Business
• Movie Theatre
• Musuem/Art Gallery
• Outdoor Gear/Sporting Goods
• Real Estate
• Restaurant / Café
• School
• Shopping / Retail
• Spas/Beauty/Personal Care

The ‘Local Business or Place’ page type gives extra info page options for you to fill out, including your open hours, parking options and the ability for people to ‘check in’ using Facebook Places when they visit you in person. A count of people who have checked in will appear on your page next to your Like (fan) count.

 

The Company Organization or Institution Facebook page:

 

If your business isn’t the type that needs to attract foot traffic to your physical premises, or you have more than one location which may have a variety of addresses and open hours (such as a franchise); then Company Organization or Institution is usually the better page type to choose compared to Local Business or Place.

You can add the ability for people to check in using Facebook Places to your page after set-up (whereas the Local Business of Place page type includes Facebook Places automatically for you as part of setup which is a lot simpler and faster).

Once you’ve clicked this square, you’ll be given a list of business page categories to select from, which include:

• • • Automobiles and Parts
    • Church
    • Company
    • Computers/Technology
    • Consulting/Business Services
    • Cause
    • Food/Beverages
    • Health/Beauty
    • Insurance Company
    • Internet/Software
    • Legal/Law
    • Non-Profit Organization
    • Retail and Consumer Merchandise
    • Media/News/Publishing
    • Travel/Leisure and many more.

TIP: If you can’t find a specific category to match your business, select one of the general categories – Company, Organization or Small Business – depending on which is the best match for how your customers see you, or how you want them to see you.

TIP: If you’re a purely eCommerce business, only sell online and only through your own website (ie: your products are not sold on other people’s websites or stores); then select this category rather than Local Business or Place or Brand or Product page types. If your products are sold through multiple websites, resellers and/or retailers then the Brand or Product page type may be a better match (see below).

The Brand or Product Facebook page:

If your products are sold through more than one website or stocked by more than one reseller / retailer (or will be in the future), select the ‘Brand or Product’ page type.

This is the right page type for products with brand names and is where the likes of Apple, Coca Cola, Maybelline and Adidas hang out.

Start by selecting your best match page category, which includes:

• • • App
    • Appliance
    • Baby Goods/Kids Goods
    • Cars
    • Clothing
    • Electronics
    • Food/Beverages
    • Furniture
    • Games/Toys
    • Health/Beauty
    • Jewelry/Watches
    • Kitchen/Cooking
    • Pet Supplies
    • Vitamins/Minerals and many more.

TIP: If you can’t find the right category choose Product/Service but do make sure you check out the categories under other page types first in case another page type has a closer match category for your business.

The Artist, Band or Public Figure Facebook page:

 

If your page will be focused on and/or promoting you or if you’re an artist or a band, this is the right page type to select.

Click the ‘choose a category’ box and a long list of page categories is provided, including:

• • • Actor/Director
    • Artist
    • Athlete
    • Author
    • Business Person
    • Chef
    • Coach
    • Doctor
    • Entertainer
    • Journalist
    • Lawyer
    • Musician/Band
    • Politician
    • Teacher
    • Writer and many more.

TIP: Depending on the category you choose, different information can be completed at the next stage. For example, if you select ‘Politician’ you’ll be able to complete information such as ‘political affiliation’ and ‘views’.

TIP: In order to make create ads on facebook for a political campaign or candidate (or really anything Facebook deems as a “political issue” you will have to go through a verification process to confirm you are not a Russian spy/ you are a real human living in the place you say you live.  It involves getting a piece of mail sent to you with a code, that you have to input to confirm.

TIP: If your page is intended to promote your book, the Entertainment page type (see below) is likely to offer a better match. For example, if you select the category ‘Book’ from the Entertainment category list, your info page will include the option of including your ISBN number.

The Entertainment Facebook page:

 

This category is for you if you’re business is classed as entertainment, such as a TV show, movie, book, radio station or magazine.

Click the ‘choose a category’ box and select from the options Facebook provides, which include:

• • • Album
    • Book
    • Concert Tour
    • Library
    • Magazine
    • Movie
    • Radio Station
    • Record Label
    • Sports Venue
    • TV Channel
    • TV Show and many more.

 

The Cause or Community Facebook page type

 

The last page type is Cause or Community, but unlike the other types there is no drop down of categories to select from.

If you’re a not-for-profit or charity organisation, I’d therefore recommend you check out the options you have if you selected ‘Local Business or Place’, ‘Company Organization or Institution’ and ‘Brand or Product’ instead.

Categories like:

• • • Non-Profit Organization
    • Cause
    • Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals

are all under Company Organization or Institution which might be a better match for you.

Also look for:

• • • Community/Government
    • Church/Religious Organization
    • Education
    • Health/Medical/Pharmacy
    • Hospital/Clinic

which are all under the Local Business or Place page type.

It’s worth carefully going through the list of each page type (just click on each square to view the categories) to find your perfect match, as having the right category can be more important versus the most relevant page type, as it’s your category that defines the information boxes Facebook asks you to complete after you’ve clicked ‘Get Started’.

We hope the information above has helped you understand each of the Facebook page types and will help you decide what’s best for your business.  If you need help developing your social media presence, we’re here to help!

If you’d like to talk to Steven or Mary, schedule a free 15 minute call to discuss your facebook page needs.  We’ll be happy to help.