Building a Facebook page for direct sales won't take long, but it's not something that you just want to throw together without a plan, either. With proper planning and strategy, you can build a Facebook page that will become a strong piece of your overall funnel.

Chances are, once you signed up for your direct sales company, your sponsor or upline messaged you to say “Awesome!! Now go build a Facebook page!” It's good advice, if a little lacking.

Facebook is a natural channel to start building your online presence because it's one of the first places people check when they want more information about a person or business.

Building a Facebook Page for Direct Sales is pretty straightforward.

First thing's first, before you can build a Facebook page, you need to have a personal profile on Facebook. If you don't already have an account over on Facebook, go get signed up. Once you're logged into Facebook, it's time to go and create a page.

Go ahead and Hit the Plus button at the top of your screen:

Than tap on Page.

Next you're going to want to start filling in your Page information.

Type in a Name and the description:

When you start typing in your category, Facebook will create a list of suggestions for you.

Their goal is to make sure that they are helping their users who would be interested in your business to find your business — so make sure you get as close to the actual category as you can:

Don't get too caught up in choosing the right category — if you're not sure just choose one and you can always change it later. Follow the prompts for choosing your category and choosing a name for your business. When you're ready, click on “Get Started” to continue.

Next, you will need to choose a profile photo to represent your business. We recommend using a photo of you, preferable smiling or using one of your products (or both!). Or, if you like, you can use a graphic of your logo (not your company's logo — a logo branded to you. This will help build recognition for you as both a person and a business.

When you get to the part where you can place your website, this is where you'll face your first major decision: do you want people to go to your replicated site? Or would it be better to have them go to your shopping group? Maybe you'd rather get them over to your blog. Your decision is going to depend highly on information from your company's P&P as well as your overall funnel strategy. Here are a few things to consider:

• Does your company P&P allow you to add noncustomers to your shopping or VIP group?
• Do you want noncustomers in your shopping or VIP group?
• Where do you want to focus your primary community?

Once your information is all filled out, you'll be brought to your shiny new page. One of the first things you'll want to do will be to upload a cover photo. Be sure to check with your company's compliance rules from your P&P and with Facebook's Page Guidelines to keep your page from being flagged or reported.

You can refine and fill out your page by clicking on “Settings” and selecting “Edit Page.” Make sure you fill out as much of your page's profile information as possible with accurate information. Don't guess — if you aren't sure about something, skip it and go back in to edit later.

Next, get your content up and running: create some milestones, write some articles, and curate some stories. The goal here is to load your page with content and information before you begin inviting anyone from your network — so they have something to look at when they go to check out your invitation.

Be sure to keep a good mix of the 3Ps going, even for these first posts. You also want to make sure every post includes a clear call-to-action to help compel engagement right away.

Lastly, you'll want to set up your call-to-action button. Just as with the website, you'll need to make a decision about where you want this to lead your visitors: to your shopping or VIP group?

To your replicated site?

Somewhere else entirely?

There is no wrong answer to this question. To set this, click on the button and select “Edit,” then choose the type of button you would like and enter the information.

Once your page is set up the way you want it, start inviting your friends and family to like the page. You can do this by either utilizing the built-in “Invite” button available on the page or by copying the page's URL directly onto your personal timeline and inviting people to like and follow your page from there.

It's really easy to go overboard with this step and start inviting everyone you know, but restrain yourself from doing that. Remember, Facebook is a platform built on engagement and relationships — inviting everyone to like your page all at once could harm your page more than help it. Try to invite only those people you believe would be genuinely interested in the content you plan to post.

You will also see an option to link your page directly to your shopping or VIP group. Doing this will bring your page into your group as a member — allowing it to post into the group.

As with the rest of your Facebook page, whether or not you choose to link the page to your group is completely up to you and your strategy. On the positive side, linking the group helps build a community around the page, and Facebook is all about the communities. If you do decide to link them, be sure you continue posting into your group as yourself rather than as your page to ensure your engagement stays the same level.

As an optional step, you may consider looking into a post scheduler such as CinchShare. Having a reliable scheduler can help boost your engagement and keep you consistent — especially when you have so many other social channels to maintain. CinchShare is not a replacement for your presence, but if used well it can enhance your presence.

And that's all there is to it!! Once you've completed your page, be sure to post to it consistently to keep your community engaged. What other tips do you have for building a page on Facebook?

#EmpowerSocial