Facebook is hard to escape. At this point, it may take more effort to stay off Facebook than it does to just sign up and give it a whirl. Its growing influence and reach means, not only is it difficult to avoid, it’s increasingly misguided to even try. By which we mean, it’s the website Americans spend most of their online time visiting and, therefore, businesses should be eager to get in front of Facebook’s continually expanding membership. Why not? Setting up a fan page is a relatively painless process and will instantly give you access to a database of local people, professionals, businesses and organizations with whom you can share your content, contact info, and connections. To help make it easier to get on board and begin taking advantage of the social-media giant, here are some of our past tips, hints, and suggestions carefully compiled in one place with links to source materials and further resources …
Give It A Proper Name: Sure, it seems easy enough but choosing a smart name might mean something entirely different to you than it does to a search engine. The best name to use, if you’d like to be found more often in searches, is the exact name of your business. Using clever phrases or your web domain may seem like a good way to separate yourself from Facebook’s 500 million active users, but more often than not it’ll make you less likely to be found by the very people you’re trying to attract.
Invite Your Friends, Contacts, And Clients: You can’t attract people to your page without first letting them know it’s there. Invite everyone on your contact list to become a fan of your page. Then add a “Become a Fan” button to your website or blog and watch your visibility grow.
Use Apps: Though you may think your job is done once you’ve got your contact and business info up, you’re not. Facebook offers a multitude of resources and applications that can make your page, not only more dynamic, but more functional and interesting to visitors. Have a glance through the available applications and choose those that seem to fit your business and audience. For example, there are many options to link your fan page to your other social-media sites and blog. If you’re keeping a business blog, kill two birds with one update and have your blog post automatically sent to your Facebook page.
Encourage Participation: Try to view your fan page the way a potential client or curious web browser would. Having a page that is interactive, updated regularly, and offers interesting info and ideas will keep people visiting and once they are, more accepting of any directly promotional materials you post. If you set up a fan page and only update it with messages urging visitors to buy, buy, buy, you’ll likely have, not only bored them, but assured that they won’t return. As always, communication and relationships are the key to a successful social-media campaign. Restrain your urge to advertise and, in time, you’ll reap the benefits of your efforts.
Advertise: Facebook offers an advertising platform that allows you to buy a simple ad that you can target by location, age, or interests. That means, your ad appears before exactly the audience you want to attract. It’s not free, but if you’re serious about building your fan page, it’s a good way to start adding fans outside of your regular everyday reach.
Wikipedia: Advertising is a form of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience to continue or take some new action. →