Before you start promoting the very long and abstract URL that Facebook has assigned to your Page, consider creating a custom username for your Page. A username, or short URL, lets you easily promote your business or organization in a variety of other channels, including TV, radio, and print.
If you don’t have a username, the frustration of having to remember a long URL means you’d lose a lot of potential customers. Your username appears after facebook.com when someone views your Page. The username for the Airbnb Page, for example, is simply airbnb:
facebook.com/airbnb
Also, Facebook allows Page admins to use fb.com as a domain, so the iTunes Facebook Page URL could also be fb.com/itunes. This makes it even easier for your fans to remember and find your Page faster:
fb.com/airbnb
You must register to have a username for your profile before getting one for your business Page. You also have to be an admin of the Page you’d like to create a custom username for.
You can create a custom username easily by following these steps:
Log in to Facebook, and go to the username page.
From the Page Name drop-down menu, choose the Page (if you’re an admin for multiple Pages) for which you want to create a username.
In the text box, enter a username that makes sense for your brand and to your fans.
Choose your name carefully. After you choose a customized username for your Facebook Page, you can’t change it under any circumstances, so make sure that you choose a name that best describes your business or organization. The best option, of course, is the name of your business, but if that’s not available, consider trying an industry-related keyword.
Click the Check Availability button.
Facebook may take a minute or so to check the availability of the name.
If you see a message that your name is available, click the Confirm button to claim that name.
If you get a notification that your Page isn’t eligible, maybe you still need to create a username for your profile or someone else has already taken your selected username.
If you did everything right, you see a Success dialog box. Now you can let the world know about your Facebook Page URL.
