You don’t have a Facebook Fan Page for your business?  YOWAZ!!!  You’re missing out on one of the best ways to promote your service or products.  Facebook Fan Pages are distinctly different than your regular Facebook Profile that you get when you log in. Your Profile is your personal space on Facebook where you decide who gets to see the items you have on your page and how much you want to see of theirs. While you can have up to 5,000 ‘friends’ it is quite limiting and is not designed to be used for business purposes. Honestly the primary reason for having a Profile is to keep in touch with people and to follow what is happening in their lives.

You might be wondering why not start a Group Page?  There are several reasons why Fan Pages are better for business, but let me touch on the most important one.  Unlike Groups, Fan Pages are indexed by search engines.  This means the content on them is visible to unregistered people (non Facebook users).  Fan Pages will increase your visibility to more potential fans and customers online.

A Facebook Fan Page is completely public.  When you’re in business, public is a good thing!  Fan Pages have the advantage and I believe anyone serious about their business should have one. Here are ten reasons why:

1. FAN PAGES ARE FREE ~ There is no better value for your time or money than creating a Facebook Fan Page. Go to any Fan Page, and on the bottom left is a link for “Create a Fan Page for Your Business.” Click that link and follow the instructions. A basic Fan Page can be created in under 10 minutes.
2. FAN PAGES ARE EASILY MANAGED ~ Once you’ve added your basic information to the page, it is simple to go back and edit or add to the content you want offered to the visiting public.  There are now consultants you can hire if you desire help setting up the page for your business.
3. TODAYS ADVERTISING WORLD ~ Social media marketing is essential in this new era of advertising…  without it businesses are not able to capitalize on the growing Facebook population which currently boasts more then 600 million active users that spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook!
4. PEOPLE WHO “LIKE” FAN PAGES ARE OPTING IN ~ It is automatic; the customer does not need to wait for acknowledgement as with a Profile to hear about your business. They are taking an active step to participate in conversations with you as a business person, to hear your message – they want to hear from you!
5. FAN PAGES GET INDEXED BY SEARCH ENGINES ~ Google and Yahoo index them because they are public. Profiles are not because they are private. Basically, your Page acts as a website, another avenue into your business that the entire world could have access to with a few clicks. Use of keywords that people are searching for is important.  You are quickly establishing an online presence.
6. FAN PAGES KEEP STATISTICS ~ When you manage a Fan Page, Facebook installs “Insights” which are statistics about your Page. For example, you can see how many times your posts received comments or “likes.” In addition you can view the number of fans that visited and see where they came from. It will chart your statistics the last month showing interesting facts about the success of your Page.  You can easily monitor and adjust your activities.
7. FAN PAGES ARE HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE ~ Profiles are not. With the Static FBML application, you can create custom welcome pages, product pages, a page about your Why story, or about the benefits your business has to offer!  Events, links, discussions and many other applications can be added as needed.  This cannot be done on a Profile page.
8. FAN PAGES CAN BE PERSONALIZED ~ If you do not have your own website or blog, this is a fantastic feature… Even if you do, this is a wonderful addition to your other sites.  With company sites, options for expressing ourselves are limited – sometimes the only thing we can edit is our contact information. Through your Fan Page, you can share stories, give advice, offer helpful information or articles about related topics.
9. FAN PAGES ALLOW FOR DIALOG ~ As you share information with customers or potential customers, they can comment or “like” your posts.  You are able to respond and have two-way or even group communication about the topic. This leads to rich interaction which builds trust and rapport with your visitors. On a Fan Page you all share something in common to start with – the love of your product or business opportunity.
10. FAN PAGES BREED ADVOCATES FOR YOUR BUSINESS ~ When you post a video, a link or a photo, fans can click the Share link for people on their pages to see! This will expose your business to even more people.  On a profile page friends can share as well, but the only way for their friends to learn more about you would be to send you a friendship request.  It is so much easier for Fans to share your information and send other Fans to your page to click ‘LIKE’ and get involved.

Take advantage of the opportunity we have within Facebook. Facebook is not only the planet’s largest social network, it’s changing the way that people market their businesses.  If you would like to see my Fan Page, click on this ink so we can also connect there as well…  Heidi Hurd Fan Page! I would love to hear your thoughts on Facebook Fan Pages and how they are helping you to grow your businesses!

To Your Success,