How to Set Up a Facebook & Instagram Business Page for Your Business (South Africa)

Why a Page, not a personal profile

It's common for a new South African business to start by posting updates from the owner's personal Facebook profile — it's free, it's already set up, and it works, at first. The problem shows up later: a personal profile can't show business hours, location, or a "Message" button the way a Page can, it caps out at 5,000 friends instead of unlimited followers, and it ties your entire public presence to one person's account. We cover that ownership risk in more depth here if you want the full picture — this guide is the practical setup.

Step 1: Create your Facebook Page

From your Facebook account, go to Pages → Create New Page. You'll need a Page name (your business name, ideally exactly as it appears elsewhere — on your website, your branding, your Google listing) and a Page category.

Step 2: Choose a category and fill in your details

Pick the category that best matches what you actually do — "Local Business," "Retail Company," "Professional Service," and so on. This affects which fields Facebook shows you (address and hours for a local business, booking links for a service) and how you show up in category-based searches.

Fill in:

• Business description (short, plain language — what you do and who it's for)
• Contact details: phone, email, website
• Address and hours, if relevant
• Business category tags

Step 3: Add your profile and cover images

Use your logo as the profile image — it's the small, square image that shows up next to every post and comment, so it needs to be recognizable at a small size. The cover image is wider and more visual; a product photo, a team photo, or your branding in context all work better here than a second logo.

Step 4: Set up your Instagram professional account

If you don't already have a business Instagram account, create one and switch it to a Professional account (Settings → Account type) rather than leaving it as Personal. This unlocks business features — contact buttons, insights/analytics, and the ability to link it to your Facebook Page, which is the next step.

Step 5: Link Instagram to your Facebook Page

In your Facebook Page settings, go to Linked Accounts → Instagram and connect your professional Instagram account. Once linked, you can manage both from Meta Business Suite, cross-post content, and — when you're ready — run ads across both platforms from one place.

This is also the point where, if advertising is part of the plan, it connects directly to setting up a proper ad account rather than a personal one.

Step 6: Assign Page roles

Under Page Settings → Page Roles, add anyone else who needs access — a staff member, a marketer, an agency — and set their role (Admin, Editor, Moderator, or Analyst). This is the same principle as ad account access: the Page belongs to the business, and people are added or removed from it, rather than the business depending on one person's login.

Before you go live

Quick check before you start posting and inviting followers:

• Business name, category, and contact details are all filled in and accurate
• Profile and cover images are uploaded and sized correctly
• Instagram is linked and set to Professional
• At least one other trusted person has Admin or Editor access

FAQ