If you work for a library system with multiple branches, there’s a good chance you have multiple Facebook Pages to manage. You might have a setup like my library, with one main library Page and separate Pages for individual branches.
Maybe those Pages were created years apart by different employees. Or maybe you’ve inherited a setup that nobody completely understands.
If you manage all those Pages through Meta Business Suite, you might assume they’re all organized under one account and connected.
And recently, I learned your assumption may be wrong.
A reader contacted me after one of their branch Pages disappeared. She had multiple conversations with Meta support and even went so far as to submit documentation.
It was then that she discovered that the Page was actually classified as a child Page under Meta’s Store Locations structure.
I’ll be honest: I hadn’t heard of Facebook Store Locations. And both the reader and I had some questions about this structure that I decided to research, including:
- What’s the difference between managing multiple Pages in Meta Business Suite and using Store Locations?
- How do you know whether your library’s Pages are part of this structure?
- Can a Page become a child Page without you even realizing it?
- Will libraries eventually have to pay to manage multiple Pages?
Here’s what I learned from my research and how it could impact your library. Please note: I’ve listed my sources at the bottom of this post. This is perhaps the most complicated subject I’ve ever researched!
What are Facebook Store Locations?
Meta’s Store Locations feature is designed for organizations with multiple physical locations like retail stores, banks, restaurants, and other businesses with multiple storefronts. It allows an organization to establish a hierarchy of Facebook Pages.
Here’s how it works:
The main Page (also called the parent or brand Page) represents the overall organization.
The location Pages (also called child Pages or Store Pages) represent individual physical locations. Each location Page is connected to the main Page.
For a public library system, the structure might look like this:
- Main Library Page
- Child Pages:
- Downtown Branch
- Madisonville Branch
- Anderson Branch
- Symmes Township Branch
Each branch can have its own address, contact information, posts, and local identity while being connected to the overall library system. The goal is to create a more organized structure for organizations that have multiple locations.
Meta Business Suite and Store Locations are NOT the same thing
Meta Business Suite allows organizations to manage multiple business assets, including Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts. A business portfolio can bring those assets together and allow administrators to assign permissions to employees.
Store Locations do something different. They establish a formal relationship between a main Page and individual location Pages.
Here’s a comparison:
| Meta Business Suite / Business Portfolio | Store Locations |
| Organizes business assets and access. | Organizes Pages into a parent-child structure. |
| Allows employees to manage multiple Pages. | Connects individual location Pages to a main Page. |
| Pages can remain independent. | Location Pages are associated with a parent Page. |
| Controls permissions and asset access. | Controls how the main and location Pages relate to one another. |
This distinction matters because you can have eight library Facebook Pages in your Meta Business Portfolio without having those eight Pages organized into a Store Locations structure.
You can also have access to a Page through Business Suite without having full control of the business portfolio that owns it!
Meta has different permission levels for individual Pages and business portfolios. Having full control of a Page doesn’t automatically mean you have full control of the business portfolio associated with it.
And that is why libraries can find themselves in complicated situations when employees leave.
How does a Facebook Page become a child Page?
Organizations can take existing, independent Facebook Pages and migrate them into a Store Locations structure.
Imagine a library system with eight Facebook Pages. Each branch has its own Page, and the main library has a separate Page. The organization could establish one of those Pages as the main Page and migrate the other seven Pages into the structure as location Pages.
And for libraries who love structure (!), this sounds like a great way to organize their Facebook pages. But before you change your structure, there are some things you’ll want to consider:
- Facebook requires location Pages within a structure to share the main Page’s name. They can have location descriptors to distinguish individual branches.
- When an existing Page becomes the main Page, its physical address is removed because the main Page represents the overall organization rather than an individual location.
- Facebook may limit the number of Pages that can be migrated. You might end up needing to contact Facebook support for help completing the process
One final note: A Page doesn’t necessarily have to be migrated by the person currently managing your library’s social media. If your library has a long history of different employees creating, claiming, and managing Pages, you may have inherited a structure that you don’t fully understand.
What does Store Locations mean for libraries with multiple branches?
Even if Meta isn’t requiring every library to adopt this structure, there are several reasons library marketers should understand it.
1. You may not have complete control of all your Pages.
This is a problem that existed long before Store Locations.
Think about how many people might have been involved in creating your library’s Facebook presence. Maybe a branch manager created a Page more than a decade ago. A marketing coordinator claimed another Page. A former employee still has administrative access to a third Page.
You might be able to publish to all these Pages through Business Suite, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your organization has full control of every asset.
I recommend checking both individual Page access and business portfolio ownership.
Make sure your organization has appropriate administrative control, and don’t assume that having access to publish posts is enough.
2. Your main Page posts might automatically appear on branch Pages.
Depending on the settings, posts published on the main Page can also appear on location Pages!
You’ll need to make sure you choose the best setting for your page. Your options will be:
- Always show main Page posts on location Pages.
- Show them only on location Pages that don’t publish their own posts.
- Never show main Page posts on location Pages.
Think about what this means for a library system. You might want every branch to share an important systemwide announcement about holiday hours or a major library initiative. But you might NOT want every branch automatically publishing every systemwide post.
3. Changing your Page structure could have consequences.
Converting an existing location Page into a main Page can result in the loss of location-specific reviews.
You also need to consider Page names, addresses, existing followers, permissions, and integrations with social media management tools.
How to audit your library’s Facebook Pages
I think every library system with multiple Facebook Pages should conduct this audit, whether or not it currently uses Store Locations.
Here’s where I’d start.
Step 1: Make a list of every official Facebook Page.
- Include your main library Page and every branch Page.
- Record the Page name, URL, number of followers, and the person or department responsible for managing it.
Step 2: Check your Meta Business Suite account.
- Look at the business portfolio and identify which Pages are listed as assets.
- Remember: Seeing a Page in Business Suite doesn’t automatically mean your organization owns it or that it’s part of a Store Locations structure.
Step 3: Check Page access and business portfolio permissions.
- Identify who has full control of each Page and who has full control of the business portfolio.
- Look for former employees or current employees who have transitioned to another role that does not involve managing social media.
Step 4: Check whether any Pages are part of Store Locations.
- In Meta Business Suite or Business Manager, look under All Tools for Store Locations.
- If your account has access to this feature, you may be able to see the main Page and associated location Pages there.
- Don’t assume that every Page visible in Business Suite is a location Page.
Step 5: Document the relationships.
- For every Page, identify whether it’s independent or a child Page under a main Page.
- If it’s a child Page, identify the parent.
Step 6: Review your posting settings.
- If your library uses Store Locations, check whether posts from the main Page automatically appear on branch Pages.
- Make sure those settings reflect your library’s communication strategy.
Step 7: Resolve ownership and access problems.
- If you discover that your library doesn’t have full control of a Page or business portfolio, work through Meta’s support process before making structural changes.
- Don’t delete Pages, merge them, or migrate them without understanding the consequences.
Is Meta pushing libraries toward Store Locations?
This was a concern brought up by the reader who emailed me. And I totally understand her suspicions. We’ve seen enough changes from Meta to be concerned about being pushed toward a paid feature.
However, I want to distinguish between what’s documented and what’s speculation.
Here’s what I could verify:
- Meta supports the Store Locations structure.
- Existing independent Pages can be migrated into a parent-child structure.
- Third-party social media management platforms continue to support Store Locations.
- Some migration situations require assistance from Meta support.
What I could NOT verify:
- Meta is requiring all organizations with multiple Facebook Pages to migrate to Store Locations.
- Meta is eliminating independent Facebook Pages for organizations with multiple locations.
- Every organization must work with a dedicated Meta representative.
- Meta charges a universal subscription fee for using Store Locations.
My advice
I don’t think library marketers need to panic about Facebook Store Locations. I also don’t think we should assume Meta will force every library system into this structure or charge us to use it.
But I do think this is a good reminder that social media is rented land. The rules change without warning and without our input. Don’t rely on social media as your main strategic promotional channel.
Where can you find more information?
Meta’s documentation on this subject isn’t always easy to navigate. Much of the practical information I found comes from companies that integrate with Facebook and help businesses manage multiple locations.
Here are the resources I found most useful:
- Uberall: How to Create a Facebook Brand Structure From Existing Pages – A step-by-step explanation of migrating existing Pages into a parent-child structure.
- Agorapulse: Do You Support Facebook Store Locations? – Explains how Store Locations work with social media management tools and how main Page posts can appear on branch Pages.
- Uberall: Facebook Stores Tab and Store Locator – Explains the difference between the discontinued Stores tab and the continuing parent-child Page structure.
- Uberall: How to Download Facebook Stores/Location Pages – Instructions for downloading a list of existing location Pages.
- Meta: Business Portfolio and Business Asset Permissions – Information about the different levels of access and control within Meta’s business tools.
Want more help?
Facebook Is Limiting Links: Here Are 7 Tips To Help Your Library Navigate This Change
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