Facebook has many out-of-the-way features and profile options. The Impressum is one of these options.
If you’ve been exploring your page’s About information, you may have come across this section. To find out what it’s for, keep reading.
What is Facebook Impressum?
An Impressum is a statement of authorship along with contact information for that author. On a Facebook page, this would include who manages the page and forms of contact for that person. While many businesses utilize this section, it is most commonly used by those in Germanic countries, where an Impressum is required.
For example, information to include, and who needs an Impressum, keep reading.
What is an Example of an Impressum?
Simply put, an Impressum is a section on a business About page that displays legal information. Many businesses also put their official contact information in this section, should a user need it.
If you have a larger business, your legal department will typically create an Impressum if you need one. Not everyone needs an Impressum, as these aren’t important in all countries.
For the most part, the Impressum traditionally contains all the information needed about the author of the page.
You’ll need to include your name, address, contact information, trade registry number, VAT number, and other information depending on your business type.
Simply put, this page should include all the information people may need to contact you or look up your business.
You can simply list this information in the Impressum section. If there are any license numbers or registration numbers you need for your business, include these.
Who Needs an Impressum on Facebook?
Impressums are typically only heavily used in Germanic countries. In these areas, it is typically against the law to leave out an Impressum on a website.
An impressum simply contains a statement on who the owner of the page is, including their contact information and any important numbers.
Typically, it is recommended to include your contact information at the very least if you’re not in a Germanic country.
However, those who live in areas where Impressums are a legal imperative will need to be more careful in constructing one.
In Germany, lawyers can be quite aggressive at sending cease-and-desist notices to websites and pages that do not include the legally required Impressum. It’s largely for this reason that Facebook includes a section for this information.
However, in the USA, Canada, and many European countries, this information isn’t needed in the least.
What Should Be Included in an Impressum?
Impressums will vary a bit depending on the type of business you have. Typically, all Impressums will include the business’s name, contact information, and address.
Usually, any contact information should be included, though you aren’t required to include everything.
However, if there are any identifying numbers associated with your business or licenses, then you should include those, too.
The name of the business owner or the manager of the page should also be included.
This document is meant to provide legal proof of the author of the page, so that author should be included – whoever it may be inside the business.
If you have any official legal websites, then you may want to include links to those, as well.
Typically, having more information is better than having too little. In areas where there isn’t a law surrounding this information, it likely isn’t all that important.
However, in Germany, you may want to consult legal advice on throwing one of these together.
How Do I Create an Impressum on Facebook?
Creating an Impressum on Facebook is pretty straightforward. Not every business needs to make one of these.
However, in germanic countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, it is sometimes legally required to make a statement about the ownership of the page.
To create one of these sections, select the Pages option from the left menu. It should have a small orange flag next to it.
Next, go to the page you’d like to add the information into. Click “Edit Page Info” on the left menu. Scroll down a bit and find the Impressum section. Add all your information there. Your changes are saved automatically.
Is an Impressum Mandatory?
In most areas of the world, an Impressum is not mandatory. However, in Germanic countries, it is sometimes required to have an Impressum. Therefore, you’ll want to check your local laws to see if you are under a legal obligation to have one of these.
While this information is required, it isn’t necessarily required to use the term “Impressum” to contain this information.
However, in many places, it is the best practice to include everything under the Impressum to make it easier to find.
It’s hard for a lawyer to argue that you don’t have an Impressum if all the information is there and labeled “Impressum”, after all.
Exactly what is required in this Impressum varies, as well. Usually, this is only required to include contact information and who authored the website.
However, it is usually better to include more information to avoid potential legal ramifications. For instance, any license numbers and identifying information for the business may need to be included.
For those living where it is required to have this information, you may want to speak with a local lawyer who can ensure that you’re including all the necessary information.
To know more, you can also read our posts on Facebook Engagement Rating, Facebook Timeline, and Facebook Pay.
Conclusion
A Facebook Impressum is a section on your About page where you can add “Impressum” information. While this sort of information is not common in many countries, it is legally required in some Germanic areas.
Even if you don’t live in one of these countries, it may be best practice to include contact information in this section.
Usually, an Impressum contains information about who authored the website (which can be a company or particular person) and contact information for that person. The contact information can be anything from a phone number to a physical address.
However, most companies include multiple contact options.
