Blog

About

Careers

Contact

Solo's blog provides the resources that microbusinesses, solopreneurs, freelancers, and other super-small businesses need to start, operate, and grow.

Blog for starting, running, and growing your business | Solo.co

Blog - All Posts

In this 8-minute read:\nFree ways to advertise your restaurant online\nFree ways to advertise in your community\nLet’s be real here, advertising can get expensive! We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. But it’s also so important for gaining exposure, and ultimately more customers, for your restaurant. We don’t believe that you must have a huge marketing budget to gain some awesome reach, though. Here are 20 free ways that you can advertise your restaurant locally as you’re starting out. \n1. Claim your online business profiles\nThe internet is a wonderful place where huge companies like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor have created free platforms for businesses to list their information in order to create the best user experience possible. So take advantage! These online profiles determine how your restaurant shows up in these different search engines. Help your customers and your business by claiming your online profiles. \nWe even have some tutorials ready for you:\nHow to claim your Google My Business listing\nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n2. Get and respond to customer reviews\nOnline reviews are crucial nowadays for converting new customers. Keep up good business practices, have great customer service, and serve awesome food and you should have no problem getting some really good reviews. But happy customers don’t always think to leave good reviews and sometimes need a little nudge in the right direction. \nHere are some ideas to get new reviews:\nAsk for them! (Especially after you hear someone raving about their favorite menu item.)\nPut up a sign that encourages customers to leave reviews (just try to avoid incentivizing customers with gift cards or giveaways because Google does not like that). \nInclude a link to your online review platforms in their email receipt\nInclude instructions to leave a review on all receipts\nOnce the reviews start coming in, it’s important to respond to them too. Interact with and engage your customers! This shows that you love what you do, and ultimately that’s what most people want from their restaurant experience. Plus, research shows that businesses that regularly respond to reviews earn up to 49% more revenue!\n3. Post your restaurant on free listing websites\nThere are tons of free advertising sites for restaurants out there. Take advantage of this and start getting your restaurant listed on these websites. We’ve even got your first list of 25 restaurant listing websites ready to go!\nClick here to read \n24 free listing sites every restaurant should be on\n. \n4. Create a free website \nDisclaimer: Websites are never 100% free if you want to own your domain or need it to be hosted, but they can come pretty close to it. \nWhile free websites aren’t always the most desirable, they are great when you’re on a budget crunch. And there are plenty of ways to create a pretty nice looking website for free. \nHere are a few of our favorites:\nWix \nSquarespace\nGoogle My Business\n (this one can be completely free)\nCustomers typically want to see menus, pricing, photos, and to get a vibe for your restaurant before making the decision to sit down and eat there. Include all of this on your website and make it easily accessible in your online listings.\nToo busy for a website? With a free Solo profile, even the smallest local restaurant, pop-up, food cart, or hole-in-the-wall can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many restaurant owners to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at\n \nSolo.co\n.\n5. Boost your SEO \nGet your website in front of more customers with the help of search engine optimization (SEO). This is basically how you get any website to show up on Google and other search engines. Claiming your Google Business listing and other online listings sites are a great first step. \nClick here for some more \nfree ways to boost your local search rankings\n. \n6. Participate in forums\nOnline forums like Quora and Reddit, and especially local community forums, can help to promote your restaurant. Create an account and search for questions about things that are relevant to your restaurant, maybe “how to cook the perfect pizza” or “best ways to boil an egg.” Post some helpful answers and at the end add an invite to come try out your restaurant. \nYou can also write up your own articles or post entertaining how-to videos on these platforms. If that kind of content goes viral, you’ll have people coming from all over just to see the cool place that produced that content (and of course to try your awesome food). \n7. Write a blog\nBlogs are great for boosting SEO as well as providing helpful content that promotes your restaurant and gives value to online users. \nHere are some blog ideas you can use for your restaurant:\nShare photos from a community event you participated in \nWrite a helpful how-to article (how to boil an egg properly, perhaps) \nCreate a video tutorial \nShare recipes (no secrets, of course)\n8. Build up your social media presence\nMake sure your restaurant is active on social media. This is an incredibly beneficial way to promote brand awareness and to take advantage of the power of “shares” and “likes” on the internet. Setup a Facebook business page, Instagram account, YouTube account, Snapchat, etc. and go crazy. Just make sure that you have someone who is actively posting to these whatever accounts you choose—at least a few times a week is a great goal to have here. \nSome ideas for your social shares:\nYour food, of course\nNew menu items\nSweet deals\nEmployee favorites \nCustomer favorites (tag them!)\n9. Join your local chamber of commerce\nMost communities have a local \nchamber of commerce\n. Find yours and ask to get your restaurant listed on their website. They typically provide some free resources for local businesses like promotional materials and marketing tips to help you get your restaurant off the ground. \n10. Host local events at your restaurant\nHave you ever done a paint night or slam poetry contest? Try hosting some local events to give community members a fun night to look forward to. Blast that event on social media, share with everyone you know, and post about it on your blog! Not only do these events excite customers, but they’re likely to buy food and drink while participating and come back for more events.\nHere are some ideas for events you could try:\nPaint night by a local artist \nKaraoke night\nLive bands\nArt galleries\nWine tasting\nHost a fundraiser\n11. Ask customers for feedback\nBeyond asking for online reviews, you can send out surveys or ask customers for feedback in-store. You could even have a customer feedback jar or box in the restaurant. This might not directly promote your business publicly (except when customers see your jar full of feedback), but it can help you know where you can improve and what your customers already love about your restaurant. \n12. Start a loyalty program\nWho doesn’t love a good deal? Start a loyalty program to provide dedicated customers with some awesome incentives to keep coming back. There are a few free resources out there, like Loyverse, or you could always start with the punchcard route. \nCheck out \n6 elements of an effective customer loyalty program\n to help you get started. \n13. Host a webinar\nEmbrace the live video capabilities of Facebook and YouTube and host a webinar for your dedicated followers (and maybe even gain a few more). Host a Q&A with your head chef, do a tutorial on how to plate food with perfection, or share the fun history of how your restaurant got started. \n14. Volunteer in the community\nGet major brownie points with some good ole fashioned philanthropy. Customers love to see the restaurants they frequent out and about in the community. Volunteer at 5k in the summer and hand out drinks and snacks from your restaurant, join community holiday parades, or host a fundraiser at your restaurant.\n15. Host a cooking class\nShow off your skills (without giving away your secrets) by hosting a cooking class at your restaurant. Share it on Facebook, post flyers, and get the word out. Show off your fun side and that you want to be involved.\n16. Celebrate funky holidays with sweet offers\nEver heard of “National Doughnut Day”? Krispy Kreme is a prime example of going above and beyond to celebrate their national holiday with free doughnuts at all of their locations on National Doughnut Day. Find the national day that resonates best with your restaurant and do something fun, whether that’s offering a fun discount or giving away free treats to people who dress up a certain way. And share it on social media and your website!\n17. Print out flyers and hand them out like crazy\nNever underestimate the power of flyers. Design some for your restaurant that promote an upcoming event or fun deals or just that you’re new to town and want to get to know the community. You could even ask local college students in a graphic design program to help out—it’s good portfolio piece for them and free promotional material for you. \n18. Make a free promotional video\nMake a fun promotional video and post it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, your website, and anywhere else you can think of. Cool resources like \nBiteable\n will help you create a free video that is sure to impress. \n19. Post on Craigslist\nCreate a comical Craigslist post to give your restaurant some more exposure. Things like this can go viral and keep the customers wanting more. Look to find other opportunities for free local online classifieds, too.  \n20. Let local organizations/groups use your space\nEveryone wants a cool place to hold meetings. Let book clubs, community board meetings, PTA meetings, and other local groups reserve a space at your restaurant to have their monthly meeting. They’ll order food and tell others where they hold their meetings, leaving more people wanting to do the same. \nTry some or all of these tips and see what works best for your restaurant!

20 free advertising ideas for restaurants

In this article:\nBest restaurant blogs to keep up with\nGreat podcasts restaurant owners should listen to\nFree online courses and webinars for restaurant owners\nOwning a business isn’t for the faint of heart, especially if that business is a restaurant. Taking your restaurant to the online world creates a new realm of challenges, from online reviews to managing a social media account for each of your locations. And this digital world is only getting busier with new technologies and methods that you’re being told you need to start using.\nBut in the midst of all the online ads being thrown at you and peers telling you just how you need to run your business online, how do you sort out what you should really be doing for your restaurant? Listen to the experts! With tons of \nfree ways to grow your business\n, we’ve gathered a list of 10 free online resources that every restaurant owner should be using.\n1. Restaurant Engine blog\nRestaurant Engine is a company that has built their knowledge on creating phenomenal restaurant websites, but it’s their blog that we really want to direct your attention to. They are continuously learning and updating their knowledge base of how restaurant owners can market and grow their business. From how to market your bar to how to design the layout of your restaurant, they can offer any restaurant owner great insights. \n3 must-reads from Restaurant Engine:\nThe Best Bar Marketing Ideas—Game Changers\nTop 3 Technology Trends for Restaurants\nHow To Integrate Online Ordering into Your Facebook and Email Campaigns\n2. Constant Contact—a simple recipe for social media success\nSocial media is ever-growing, and frankly, it’s an important place for every business to be. Social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram are awesome places to be to help enhance your brand and create awareness in your local community—especially if your business is new. Constant Contact put together \nthis hour-long (free!) webinar\n on how to get started with social media, from what content to post and how to figure out the best social media channels to use for your business. \n3. RestaurantOwner.com\nRestaurantOwner.com is another blog site that is complete with hundreds of resources for restaurant owners to use in their businesses. Their resource library is full of webinars, online training courses, helpful articles, downloads, workshops, surveys, and much more. \n3 must-reads from RestaurantOwner.com:\n15 Ideas to Make Your Restaurant More Family Friendly\nHow to Tap into the Magic of Social Media Marketing\nDelivering Your Ultimate Guest Experience (Free Online Training Course!)\n4. Alison\nAlison.com has 1,000 free online courses, several of which are extremely beneficial to restaurant owners and their employees. From hospitality and food safety courses to marketing and social media, you can find hours of great training material for you and your staff members of all levels. This resource does require a user login, but it’s easy and free to set up.\nTop 3 recommended courses:\nDiploma in Food Safety\nSocial Media Strategy for Small Businesses\nFundamentals of Marketing Your Business Online\n5. Open For Business\nOpen For Business, created by Open Table, compiles hundreds of articles from top industry experts. This site covers restaurateurs, behind the scenes of successful restaurants, Q&A’s with famous chefs, and other insider information from Open Table’s own data collection. This comprehensive library has helpful resources for every restaurant owner. \n3 must-reads on Open For Business:\n\nUnpacking Social Media: What Restaurants Need to Know in 2019\n\n\nHospitality, Reviews & Repeat Guests: Why Personalized Experiences Matter\n\n\nREPORT: What Guests Want in a Dining Experience – and What Restaurants Are Getting Wrong\n\n6. Upserve’s Restaurant Insider\nUpserve’s Restaurant Insider is a must-have in your list of free resources to keep up with industry news, marketing tips, and the latest insights into the world of the restaurateur. With case studies, media tips, and their own free online resource library, this is a site you won’t want to miss. \n3 must-reads on Restaurant Insider:\n8 Restaurant Grand Opening Ideas That Will Bring A Crowd\nAdapting Your Restaurant to the Needs of Disabled Customers and Employees\nEasy and Inexpensive Restaurant Video Marketing Ideas\n7. Restaurant Unstoppable\nRestaurant Unstoppable is a podcast produced by Eric Cacciatore, a devout student in the hospitality and management industry, and it is his mission to help and inspire restaurant owners around the globe. With over 600 podcasts surrounding the world of restaurants and interviews with the most successful restaurant owners around, you’ll quickly be hooked and learn something new every time you listen. \n3 must-listen podcasts on Restaurant Unstoppable:\nBruce Irving On Restaurant Email Marketing Dos, Do Nots, & Tools\nDamian Mandola On Attention To Detail\nDavid Scott Peters On 7 Steps For Creating Great Managers\n8. National Restaurant Association\nThe National Restaurant Association is always putting out new webinars and commenting on issues in the industry. They are continuously expanding their content and gathering new information to help restaurant owners everywhere. \n3 must-reads from National Restaurant Association:\n \nDigital change is driving the future of the restaurant industry\nReady for Gen Z? 5 ways to capture this influential market\nBig data and the restaurant industry: The only way to compete\n9. Modern Restaurant Management\nModern Restaurant Management (MRM) is an online magazine created to tell the stories of restaurant owners around the world, specifically so you can learn from others just like you! With everything you need to know from the ground up of starting up a restaurant, MRM posts new articles or videos every day. \n3 must-reads on MRM:\n\nThe Three Best Social Media Tips for Restaurants\n\n\nEight Video Marketing Tips for Restaurants\n\n\nHow to Make the Media Fall In Love With You and Your Restaurant\n\n10. TouchBistro blog\nTouchBistro is a solution for POS systems for restaurants, and they offer a multitude of helpful insights on their blog. With customer stories about POS systems, a video library full of tips and tricks, and a continuous flow of new articles, you’ll want to add them to your list of restaurant owner reads. \n3 must-reads on TouchBistro blog\n5 Restaurant Technologies That Can Help You Cope with Rising Minimum Wage\nThe Total Guide to Writing a Marketing Plan for Fast Casual Restaurants\n\nHow to Style Your Restaurant’s Food for Instagram\n\nThere you go! 10 free online resources to help your restaurant be the best it can be.


10 free online resources for restaurant owners

In this article:\nWhy small businesses should consider Yelp advertising\nHow does local business advertising on Yelp work?\nHow much does it cost to advertise on Yelp?\nLove it or hate it, Yelp is a big deal for small businesses. Yelp says that 82% of their users visit intending to buy, and 89% of those who do buy make those purchases within a week of visiting. So it might make good business sense for you to take advantage of advertising on Yelp. \nWhy Yelp advertising may be right for your small business\nIt may be worth it to your small business to budget for Yelp advertising, because not only do you get premium placement on the #1 local/regional website on desktop and mobile (according to a comScore report), but when you pay for advertising on Yelp, you get visibility on other platforms as well. \nMobile \n“near me” searches\n are increasing in popularity every day, with over 200% growth in recent years. And when you pay for premium advertising placement on Yelp, your ad can appear not only on relevant targeted local search pages on Yelp, but on your competitors’ Yelp business pages, as well as “other properties.” (Click \nhere\n to find Yelp’s master advertising terms and conditions.)\nAppearing on competitors’ Yelp business pages can be particularly valuable, since potential customers may not even be aware that there are other local options to consider in the category they’re browsing. If your Yelp ad shows up on a competitor’s page and you have a great star rating and reviews, customers might decide to visit you instead.\nNaturally, when you set up Yelp ads for your business, you get promoted across all Yelp platforms, including desktop, mobile website, and the mobile Yelp app.\nHow do I set up Yelp advertising for my business?\nThe first thing you need to do is \nclaim your business listing\n on Yelp. (Click for our easy how-to article.) This may sound obvious, but one study showed that less than half of online business listings have been claimed. Plus, research shows that businesses that claim their listings on multiple online business reviews sites make more money!\nAfter you’ve claimed your listing, you should optimize your profile by adding high-quality photos and other “next-level” info, as we discuss in our article, \n25 free local advertising ideas for small businesses\n.\n(Image)\n\nWhen your Yelp profile is as good as it can be, and you’ve confirmed the accuracy and completeness of your listing, then you can sign up for Yelp’s self service ads \nhere\n, or call Yelp’s business owner help line at (877) 767-9357 and ask them to walk you through the Yelp advertising signup process and send you a purchase order with information on on-Yelp and off-Yelp ad pricing.\nThen you can select your level of monthly spending and choose whether you want to participate in the Yelp Cost-Per-Click (“CPC”) Auto-bidding Program described briefly below.\nThere are lots of \nfree tools\n you can use to boost your Yelp success, but Yelp advertising is not one of them. It’s going to cost you. Let’s talk about expense.\nHow much does it cost to advertise on Yelp?\nThe cost for Yelp advertising is based on your budget, your preferences, and your local market, so we can only speculate about what it will cost for you. However, you can get an idea of how it works by reading Yelp’s master advertising terms.\nFor ads appearing on Yelp-owned pages, you’ll probably be using the Yelp Ads Cost-Per-Click (“CPC”) Auto-bidding Program. It’s complicated and variable based on many factors, but basically, when you sign up for Yelp advertising you can decide whether to participate in the auto-bidding program for ad impressions. \nIf another Yelp advertiser is competing for the same ad space based on multiple factors, then Yelp automatically bids up to your maximum monthly CPC budget, which you set and can modify at any time. If you win the “auction,” Yelp places your ad and you pay the final price per click based on the amount necessary to beat other advertisers.\nIf there are \nno\n competing advertisers in an auction, your ad is displayed and you pay the “minimum bid price per click,” up to your monthly maximum. \nFor advertising impressions \noutside\n of the Yelp-branded arena of ownership, Yelp “will deliver the Ad Impressions to enhance the quality and number of Clicks that Client receives from such properties. Yelp will not exceed the Client’s Maximum Monthly CPC Budget in any given month.”\nThis is important because depending on local competition and other factors, your CPC could easily be several dollars, and that can add up quickly. At a theoretical CPC of $5, if you get 500 clicks you’ll be spending $2500 a month.\nBut you can set a $500/month limit (or whatever works best for your budget) so if you get a ton of impressions and clicks rapidly, Yelp automatically will stop displaying your ad (and charging you for it), until the next month or whenever your max spending period rolls over.  \nIt’s important to remember that these are just “impressions” and clicks, not sales. But if you want to stand out in a crowded Yelp marketspace and increase your visibility to local customers, Yelp advertising could be well worth it for you.\nSources:\n
\nhttps://biz.yelp.com/advertise\n


Yelp advertising: an intro for small business owners

In this article:\nWhat is Talkwalker?\nFree tools that you can use with Talkwalker\nHow to set up Talkwalker for your business and use the free tools\nWith the online world continually growing each day, it can be difficult to keep track of all the platforms that your brand should be on and where people are talking about your business. From social media channels to hundreds of online business directories, there’s a lot to manage.\nThe beauty of the ever-increasing digital world is that technology capabilities are improving with it. Solutions have been created to help you manage your online reputation and keep track of your brand so you don’t become buried in spreadsheets. \nOne such solution is a social media analytics and monitoring platform called Talkwalker. \nWhat is Talkwalker?\nTalkwalker is a tool that tracks your brand across all media sources: social media channels, websites, print, TV, and even radio. \nThis comprehensive platform monitors all of these media sources on a global level and covers 187 languages. Through this coverage, you can learn what customers and competitors are saying about your campaigns, events, brands, and more. \nYou can also see how your brand is perceived on a global and local scale and what kind of an impact it has through the numerous products Talkwalker offers. \nTalkwalker product options include:\nAnalytics tracking with image recognition technology\nConversation Clusters for tracking trending topics\nCustomer Data+ to gain a complete picture of your customers\nVideo recognition\nQuick search\nCommand center\nAI engine\nInfluencer One to help you get in touch with relevant brand ambassadors\nTalkwalker also offers free tools that your business should start using right now\nTalkwalker alerts\nSocial search\nHow can Talkwalker benefit your business?\nEven if all you use from Talkwalker is their free tools, it can have a huge impact on your marketing campaigns. \nThrough brand mention alerts and social media monitoring, you can easily stay on top of the conversation about your business. This helps you keep your public image in check and ensure that your online reputation is well-received. \nHow to set up Talkwalker for your business\nLet’s go over how you set up a Talkwalker account for your business and how you can utilize these awesome free resources. \nSetting up free Talkwalker alerts\nFirst, we’ll walk you through setting up a Talkwalker alert. \nStep 1: Go to talkwalker.com\nGo to \ntalkwalker.com/free-social-media-monitoring-analytics-tools\n. From this page, you can try the different free tools that Talkwalker offers. Click “Try It Now” under Talkwalker Alerts. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Create an alert\nOn the next page, you should see a text box where you can type in what you want to create an alert about. This can be anything from competitors to your brand to your favorite topics. Type in what you want to track. \n(Image)\n\nOnce you type something in, you will need to provide some additional information, including:\nYour email\nResult type\nLanguage\nHow often you want results\nHow many results you want\n(Image)\n\nWhen you are done, click “Create Alert.”\nStep 3: Verify your email and create your account\nAfter you create an alert, Talkwalker will ask you to verify the email that you provided. You’ll get an email asking you to click a link and set up the password for your new account. \n(Image)\n\nClick the link, enter your password, hit the reCaptcha, and click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Check out the dashboard\nWhen you finish setting up your account, you’ll be brought to your Talkwalker dashboard where you can set up more alerts and keep track of your brand mentions. Anytime a new alert comes in, you will get an email notification (unless you disable this), and you can even export your alerts when you have several of them. \n(Image)\n\nSet up your free social search with Talkwalker\nNow let’s show you the awesome capabilities that you can have with Talkwalker’s social search. \nStep 1: Go to talkwalker.com\nGo to \ntalkwalker.com/free-social-media-monitoring-analytics-tools\n and click “Try It Now” under Talkwalker Social Search. \nStep 2: Create a search\nEnter your brand, company name, or a certain hashtag you want to track. Click “Search.”\n(Image)\n\nFrom there, you’ll be directed to a window to provide your name, email, and company name. Check the box to agree to the terms and click “Get My Results Now!”\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Check your email\nTalkwalker will send you an email to finish setting up your account. If you already have an account, follow the prompts in the email and when you get to the new password reset window, click “back to login” to go to the dashboard for the social search tool. \nIf you don’t already have an account, follow the prompts to set up your password and then click “Save” to be brought to the dashboard. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Check out the dashboard\nWhen you arrive at the dashboard you can start tracking your brand, competitors, and topics across all social channels. Enter the phrase you want to track, and if desired, even compare it to another phrase. \n(Image)\n\nFrom within this dashboard, you’ll have the ability to receives tons of different analytical insights through various filters, including:\nMedia types\nCountry/region\nLanguage\nDevice\nSentiment (positive, neutral, negative)\nDemographics\nWith the free version, you can also filter the results over the last day or the last 7 days. If you want a larger look than that, you can \nset up a free demo with Talkwalker\n to test this out before upgrading to their paid plan. \nBe sure to engage with your customers online\nTracking and monitoring your online reputation and mentions of your brand is important. You need to know what others are saying about your business. But you also need to do more than just monitor the conversation. You need to contribute to it. \nBe sure to respond to comments and reviews (yes, even the bad ones) and ensure your current and potential customers know that you're committed to creating an excellent experience for them.

How to set up a Talkwalker account for your small business


In this how-to article we’ll cover the main reasons to change your business name on Facebook (now technically "Meta," but who are we kidding... everyone still just says "Facebook"), how to change your business name on Facebook (instructions for desktop), quick instructions to change your Facebook business name on Android and iPhone, some easons you might not be able to change your business name on Facebook, and what happens if Facebook/Meta doesn’t approve your name change. Let’s get started!\nSocial media marketing is an essential part of marketing any business, even super-small one-person LLCs, contractors, solopreneurs, and microbusinesses. If you’re not doing it right, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities. Part of marketing yourself correctly on social media means getting your business name right across all of your online platforms, including your Facebook page. \nIf your business name isn’t accurate on Facebook/Meta, it may be difficult for your customers to find and connect with you online. In this article we’ll walk you through a few quick and easy steps to change your Facebook business name and provide some helpful tips along the way. \nReasons to change your business name on Facebook / Meta\nYou may be wondering what need you could possibly have to change your business name on Facebook. Afterall, you or your marketing team are likely the ones who set up your page so your name should be good to go barring any branding changes down the road. \nThere are several viable reasons to change your Facebook business page’s name, some of which you may never have thought of or known about. \nThere’s a typo in your business name. Now, we hope this isn’t the case for you, but it can happen. Maybe you were setting your page up late at night and made a small mistake. Rest assured that you can change that.\nIt’s difficult for customers to find you on Facebook. Do you have a business name on Facebook that is different from your business name on your website, business cards, or Google listing? You’ll want to make it as easy as possible for customers to find you online. So make sure your Facebook business page has your most well-known business name and not some unknown variation of it. \nIt isn’t consistent with your other online business listings. Are you familiar with NAP consistency? This is how your business name, address, and phone number are listed on the web, and it’s super important for your business information to be listed consistently wherever it’s found. This helps Google and other search engines to associate your various listings with your brand and provides you with better opportunities for ranking well in the search engines. So make sure your Facebook page name is consistent with your business name on Google, Yelp, Bing, and your other online listings. \nYou had a business/brand name change. It isn’t uncommon for a business to change their name as their brand evolves and expands down new avenues. If you change the name of your business or brand, you can change your name on your Facebook page too. You may need a little extra verification if the name is significantly different from what it was before, but it’s not impossible to do so. \nHow to change your business name on Facebook (instructions for desktop)\nAlright, let’s get down to it. Follow these steps to change your business name on Facebook. \nStep 1: Log into your Facebook account and go to your page. \nTo get to your Facebook page, go to the left menu on your screen and click “Pages” and then click on the Facebook page that you wish to change. It may also be available in the “Shortcuts” section if you update you actively manage your page.\nImportant note: You must have admin access to your Facebook page in order to change your business name. \n(Image)\n\nStep 2: Go to “Edit Page Info”\nIn the left menu, scroll down until you see “Edit Page Info”. Click on that to get into the settings for your contact information and business name. \n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Update your page name\nIn the “Name” field, you can change your page name. \n(Image)\n\nStep 4: Confirm your page name request\nOnce you’ve typed in your new page name and click out of that box, you’ll get a popup notice to confirm the change. If everything looks good, click “Request Change.” It may take up to three days for Facebook to approve the name change, so be patient until that has gone through. \nSee below for reasons your name change may not be accepted or what to do if it isn’t approved. \n(Image)\n\nQuick instructions to change your Facebook business name on a mobile device\nIf you’re on the go and don’t have time to hop on a computer to change your business name, then try doing it from your phone. Note that the mobile app isn’t perfect and doesn’t always work for this though (so you may end up needing to use the computer anyway). \nFollow these steps to update your Facebook page name on a mobile device:\nOpen the Facebook app\nTap your profile icon in the top right corner\nTap the “pages” option\nGo to the page you want to update\nSelect the gear icon in the top right\nSelect “Page Info”\nTap on the field with your business name and tap “Continue”\nTap “Request Change”\nReasons you might not be able to change your business name on Facebook\nFacebook doesn’t give you the ability to just change your business name whenever you’d like. There are certain policies to follow and limitations to changing your name. Here are some of the reasons you may not be able to change your name or that it might not get approved:\nYou don’t have the right page role to edit your page name (typically, you must be an admin of the page for around 14 days before getting the ability to change your page name)\nIf you’ve tried changing your business name in the last 7 days or change it too frequently\nYour page may have limits on it. See Facebook’s reasons for limits \nhere\nThe page goes against Facebook’s page name policy\nUses abusive terms or phrases or violates someone’s rights\nUses the word “official” without being the official page of a brand or public figure\nImproper capitalization (example: tHe BEsT pAgE)\nUses symbols or unnecessary punctuation (even trademark and registered symbols are not allowed)\nDescriptions and slogans can’t be in the name\nAny variation of the word “Facebook” cannot be used in your name\nPage names also can’t consist only of generic words or general geographic locations (example: Pizza or New York)\nWhat happens if Facebook doesn’t approve my name change?\nIf Facebook doesn’t approve your page name change, I’d first look to see if your name is following all of Facebook’s guidelines. You won’t be able to change your name if it doesn’t. \nBarring any policy mishaps, there’s really only one option if you should be able to change your Facebook name but Facebook won’t allow you to or won’t approve the change: report a problem. \nTo report a problem with your page:\nClick on the dropdown arrow on the top right of your screen.\nClick “Help & Support”\nClick “Report a Problem”\nThen choose “Something went wrong” or “Help us improve the new Facebook” (either is fine) and follow the prompts to enter in the details of the issues you are having with your page\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nStay on top of your online reviews to encourage new and repeat business\nOutside of making sure all of your Facebook page information is accurate, another important aspect of social media marketing is getting reviews and recommendations on all your online business pages and review site profiles. This helps provide social proof that other people have used and enjoyed your products or services. 

How to change business name on facebook (walkthrough for desktop and mobile)

In this article:\nHow Alignable helps your small business\nHow to create and claim your Alignable account\nWhat should you do next?\nAlignable is the ultimate business-to-business (B2B) network for local, small businesses. By creating an account on Alignable, you can connect with other businesses, ask and answer questions, and learn more about what your competitors are doing. We created a step-by-step tutorial for adding your business to Alignable.\nAdding your business to Alignable’s directory will also help drive more customers to your business in general, whether you primarily sell to other businesses or direct to consumers. \nHow can Alignable help my small business?\nFirst, we want to emphasize how important online business listings are, even for small, brick-and-mortar shops. Any reputable listing site can help your business whether you utilize its full capabilities or not. Adding your business to multiple online directories, commonly called citation building, is a huge step toward improving your local SEO (search engine optimization). \nGo deeper: \n15 free tips for better local search rankings\nBeyond that, here are a few awesome perks that Alignable can offer your business:\nOpportunities to connect and collaborate with other businesses in your industry\nGet (and provide) valuable insights on Alignable’s Q&A forums\nCreate promotions for products and services\nIf that all sounds good, continue on to create your free business account on Alignable!\nHow to create and claim your Alignable business profile\nLet’s get to it. \nStep 1: Sign up for an Alignable account \nFirst, go to \nalignable.com\n and click “Sign up.” Enter your email on the next screen and click “Sign Up, It’s Free.”\nStep 2: Add your business to Alignable\nOn the next screen, be sure to enter your first and last name and the name of your business. If your business is already in Alignable’s directory, it will generate a dropdown item for you to click your business. If your business isn’t there, then you can just type the name of your business here. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nThen, add your business address. If your business was already in Alignable’s directory, this information will generate for you. Double-check that your business name and address are correct, make any necessary changes, and click “Complete Profile.”\nNote: There are two options you can check if applicable. \n“Don’t make my address public.” Only check this option if your business is a service area business and the address you listed is not a place where customers can visit you. \n“I have multiple business locations.” If you have more than one location, take advantage of this option. Alignable will allow you to add multiple locations into one account, rather than having to create a new account for each location.\n(Image)\n\nStep 3: Verify your Alignable business listing\nAfter clicking “Complete Profile” you will be taken to a page to verify your business listing. Click “Verify with SMS.” \n(Image)\n\nIn the next window, enter a good cell phone number for yourself or your business (it won’t keep this number recorded on the listing). Click “Text me now,” and you should receive a verification code within a few seconds. \n(Image)\n\nEnter the 6-digit code you received. Click “Verify my account.”\nStep 4: Complete your Alignable business profile\nThe next steps will walk you through some additional information you can add to your profile. It’s always a good idea to fill these out as completely as possible for any customers that may find your business here. \nFirst, search for and select the most relevant category for your business. Click “Next.”\n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nAre your customers primarily businesses or consumers? Select the best option on the next screen. \n(Image)\n\nThen select where your customers are primarily found: locally, regionally, or nationally. \n(Image)\n\nOptional: Next, you can import your address book from your email account to connect with your contacts who are already on Alignable. This just helps you build up your Alignable network. Click “Continue” to import your contacts or “Skip” to pass this option over for now.\n(Image)\n\nAfter that, you’re in! You can technically stop here, but to get the maximum benefits from your Alignable profile, complete the following recommendations in Step 5. \n(Image)\n\nStep 5: Add even more information to your Alignable profile\nOnce your profile is complete, you can visit your page and add a few more items to really round out your profile. Click the “My Business” dropdown arrow at the top right of your screen under your profile icon and then click “Visit My Business Profile.”\n(Image)\n\nWhen you get to your page, there will be several prompts at the top of the page. Follow these and fill them out. \n(Image)\n\n1. Introduce yourself by adding a company description and uploading your logo. Click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n2. Add a product or service by clicking “Add a service.” Enter the name of your product or service, a photo, and a description. Click “Create” to add it to your page. \n(Image)\n\n3. Upload a banner graphic. Click “Save.”\n(Image)\n\n4. Update your phone number and website. You can find these on the right side of your profile. Just click “Edit” on each item to update them. \n(Image)\n\n5. Link to your Facebook account. This option is on the right side of your profile page as well. \n(Image)\n\nNow you’ve created and claimed your Alignable profile. What’s next?\nAlignable is only one small piece of the ever-changing puzzle that we call local SEO. So, what are the other pieces?\nLike Alignable, there are tons of online directories out there that can help drive customers toward your business and help you rank better in the search engines. \nWe have a great guide that can help you get listed on more free directories: check out \n25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on\n.


127 articles found in “Online presence”

20 free advertising ideas for restaurants

10 free online resources for restaurant owners

Yelp advertising: an intro for small business owners

How to set up a Talkwalker account for your small business

How to change business name on facebook (walkthrough for desktop and mobile)

How to create and claim your Alignable business listing

Recommended

How to spot fake online reviews

25 free business listing websites every small or local business should be on (Updated for 2022!)

How much does it cost to rent space for a small business?

The 6 elements of an effective customer loyalty program

Important market research questions to ask before starting a new business