Creating a Vanity URL

Back into Facebook page territory we go! The first thing to touch on is how to make your Facebook page address more simple to share. This is called a vanity URL (meaning you customized it). For example, when I set up the salon page initially the address you would have to type in to find it was: www.facebook.com/pages/FingerNailFixer-at-Hairport/155902754457127

That would look pretty odd on a business card as well as being difficult for someone to remember if I told it to them in passing. After creating a vanity URL my salon page address now reads: www.facebook.com/FNFhairport

To change the URL for your page the first thing you need to do is log into the salon Facebook base account. This is where your FB page is based whether it is your personal page, or the separate page that you set up. Then type www.facebook.com/username in the address bar and hit enter.

The page you end up at should look like this with a drop down box that says page name. *You must have 25 “fans” or “likes” to create a vanity URL so be sure to check before you attempt it. In the drop down box select the name of the page — this will be the salon page. Then a box will pop up for you to put the address you want to use in it. FingerNailFixer at Hairport is quite a mouthful so I chose FNFhairport. If you are setting up a page for Sarah’s Super Styling Service Salon, maybe 5xS or five x S would be good or just Sarahssalon. You cannot change this later so if you’re not sure think about it and come back another time to set it up. Once you have your mind made up, click check availability.

A window pops up if your name is available, read it carefully and be really sure this is the name you want. Once you confirm, it lets you know the URL has been created and you can now add it to your e-mail signature, put it on your business cards, and tell people about it!

Linking to Your FB Page From Your Website

A request was sent in for info on how to link to your Facebook page from your website so that someone could just click on “Like”. The “Find Us on Facebook” badge provides your business a way to promote your page on your own website and helps direct your customers to your presence on Facebook.

To get started go to www.facebook.com/badges/page.php

You should see your page and out to the right an option to “edit this badge”.

Now you can customize the badge for the look you want, select the layout and what information you want to appear, go ahead and select the choices (it will change instantly for you to preview). When it looks the way you want it to, click save.

The screen will let you know the changes have been made and now you can get the code. If it is for a webpage, click on other then left click once in the box that appears with the code. This will highlight everything in the box. Next hover over the highlighted text with your mouse, right click and choose copy. Now paste the code where you want it to appear on your salon website.

Hope your Facebook pages are hoppin! If you are interested in knowing how to use Facebook ads or anything else, just let me know.

(Editor’s Note: The April 2011 issue of NAILS will have a story on buying Facebook ads to market your salon. Check back in mid-March for more on that topic.)

— Holly