The Importance of a Facebook Page's "About" Section

In our previous blog series spotlighting the biggest mistakes in social media, we briefly tackled the importance of creating clear, concise and creative bios for your brand on different social media platforms.

In this installment, we are diving deeper into Facebook’s “About” section, a section that is often overlooked when it comes to Facebook and brand page success.

Take a moment to consider something: If you were visiting your brand’s page for the first time and read what you have written, would you know exactly what the brand was about?

The “About” section is one of the first things visitors see upon landing on a Facebook page, so updating this section to include key information about your brand is very important for the overall appearance, quality and understanding of the page.

Some of the most common mistakes people make when completing the “About” section are:

· Not explaining what the brand does or who it serves in a clear and concise manner.

· Summaries that exceed the word limit and are cut off mid-sentence.

· Not including a link to a website.

When completing the “About” section, it’s important to note that this box will display differently depending on if a page is connected to a place or not.

Here are a few tips to creating a grade A “About” section on Facebook.

For Timelines Connected to a Physical Location:

If your page is associated with a physical location (categorized as a local business), it will automatically include any Facebook Place sub-categories which have been defined, an address, telephone number and hours of operation. If any of this has been left out, you can fill it out by clicking on the section and adding what’s missing.

(PHOTO: The About Section for Pages Connected to a Place)

For Timelines Not Connected to a Physical Location:

If the brand’s Facebook page is not connected to a physical location, you will need to create a brief bio. There are about 160 characters to work with before it’s cut off mid-sentence. When creating your bio, be clear and concise. It’s also a good idea to include your website. When doing so, make sure to add the http:// to make it a clickable link.

Don’t worry if you can’t fit everything you want into the box provided. The small “About” section is linked to a more detailed page, where you will be able to describe your brand in greater detail.

(PHOTO: The About Section for Pages Not Connected to a Place)

Some pages are even getting creative with their “About” section, using it for calls to action, special offers or important information. Since Facebook doesn’t allow this type of promotion on cover photos, this is a unique way to draw attention to something special you have to offer.

What are your tips or suggestions for completing the “About” section for your business page?