Running a small Business today is different from several years ago. You have to run your business while also establishing an online presence. And, one of the key ways to establish this presence is creating a business Facebook page.

If you’re still holding out on creating a Facebook page for your business, the reasons to reconsider are multiplying fast. Here’s a big one: A whopping 60 million small businesses use Facebook to build consumer awareness for their brands and services.

There’s a strong motivation for that giant number. If your company is trying to market goods and services through a consumer-facing web or e-commerce site, a Facebook page will almost certainly improve your internet search results. But, before you can reap the benefits of a business page, you need to create one.

How to create a business Facebook page in 10 steps

Many businesses and public figures use Facebook pages to reach their fans, promote new products or services, and make themselves more available to those in need. The best part? Facebook is free to use.

Getting started is fairly straightforward. With this step-by-step guide you can start a Facebook page today.

1. Set up a personal Facebook account (if you don’t already have one)

Before making a business page, you need to have a personal profile set up. A personal account will allow you to manage the business page as the owner and can be useful for building a social network with other business owners. Fill out any information you’re comfortable sharing, and add a profile picture to help people recognize your profile as real, not a bot.

Be sure to scrutinize your privacy settings and review your criteria for who you will accept as friends. Chances are, once you start a page for your company, total strangers will send you friend requests. Be careful about the ones you authorize, as some may be fake profiles used for phishing or spam. To be sure, look at the profile, the date it was created, whether they appear to interact with other people, etc.

2. Navigate to the “Create a Page” link

Here you will be presented with six main categories. Pick the category that best describes your organization from these choices: Local Business or Place; Company, Organization, or Institution; Brand or Product; Artist, Band, or Public Figure; Entertainment; and Cause or Community.

You can get to this link by clicking on the dedicated “Pages” section in the left-hand navigation bar on your Facebook profile’s homepage. You can also edit the category for your page as your business evolves.

3. Choose a name for your Facebook page

Once you have selected a category, you will be prompted to pick a name. You might simply echo your official business name. For example, if your brand is Randy’s Shoes, you can name your Facebook page Randy’s Shoes. You might need to alter the name slightly if a business somewhere else in the Facebook world has a similar or the same name. So, you should probably do some soul (and Facebook) searching to see what others are doing.

Be careful with picking a name: This choice is irreversible once you have more than 100 page fans. It will also be part of the URL of your Facebook page, which is important for search-engine optimization reasons. If you decide you want to change your name and you already have more than 100 followers, you’ll likely have to make a new Facebook page.

4. Fill out the about section

Once you’re ready for this step, you can use the Facebook page dashboard to fill out information such as your company’s mission statement, its physical location, phone number, other contact information, website and so forth. You can choose what to make public and what to keep private, as well. If you’re not comfortable giving out certain contact info, leave it out.

5. Choose administrators

There are a number of page roles you can set to make managing your page easier. Think about who will be responsible for adding new information, content and useful links to your page.

The role with the broadest control over a Facebook page is Manager, which gives that person the right to send messages, create posts using the page’s identity, create ads and look at the insights reports (such as new “likes,” the reach of the page and so forth). Other roles include Content Creator, Moderator, Advertiser and Insights Analyst, which are limited to the functions those names suggest.

6. Add your visual identity

Your page’s structure is similar to that of your personal Facebook profile, which means you can add both a profile photo, usually your logo or another existing business identifier, and a cover photo. So, for example, if you run a local gym or fitness club, you might want to show off your equipment or present a photo of members using the facility.

7. Add events and photos to your Timeline to give your Facebook page more personality

To provide followers or visitors with more background about your company’s history and accomplishments, add memorable dates, such as when the business was founded, reached a certain sales milestone, or earned an award or media attention. You can also add photos that illustrate these things.

8. Promote your Facebook page

Once you and your team are happy with what your Facebook page says to visitors, it’s time to start building a following. Start by sending an invitation to existing contacts asking them to visit and “like” your page so they see future updates.

To do this, click on the Build Audience link at the top of your Facebook page. Here, Facebook lets you send invitations directly to contacts you have stored in these email services: iCloud, Windows Live Mail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL and Comcast. The number of invitations you can send is limited to 5,000 contacts.

You can also use paid Facebook ads to reach target audiences. These ads will show up on the sidebars of users who fit your demographic, and can be used to drive page likes, get traction on articles you publish and so on. You can even create a call to action button (CTA) that appears on the ad and tells users what to do next. Targeting is a big part of Facebook marketing, so be sure to narrow down your audience using Facebook’s ad creation tool.

9. Nurture your creation

Facebook pages thrive through predictable updates, which could include highlighting new products once per week or requesting feedback about new ideas that your team is considering. There are also many steps you can take to personalize your page, via the buttons that show up prominently underneath the Cover photo.

For example, you can add a link to an existing YouTube Channel or account that showcases product demonstrations or training videos. Interactivity is key, so make sure to respond to legitimate comments and feedback and to remove those that are off-topic or appear to be spam.

10. “Like” other Facebook pages related to your business

Using your Facebook page to connect with related businesses will help get your page in front of potential followers, so spend time researching which connections make sense. One page you should be sure to “like” is Facebook’s own resource for creating Facebook pages, which provides additional tips for Facebook page neophytes.

Life with a business Facebook page

A Facebook business page can do wonders for your business and brand, allowing you to connect with other entrepreneurs, engage in social media marketing, and more. There are billions of Facebook users, and the first step toward reaching them is having a business page. The next step is having good Facebook etiquette and keeping things useful.

Don’t neglect your page, keep the information up to date, and most of all, have fun with your audience. People love following businesses and brands that interact with them. So, don’t be shy, get out there, and show Facebook what you’re made of!