It’s no surprise that one of the best ways to market your business is to post exceptional content on your Facebook page.  So exceptional, that all of your fans share it with their Facebook friends.  What is exceptional content anyway? 

Here are a few proven ways to find out.

1. Pay attention to the posts on your wall that your fans comment on.  Rely on their “Likes” to regularly post the kind of content they want to read.  Remember, the more your fans engage with your posts, the higher chance your business page remains popular in their news feed.

2. Keep your custom tabs “fresh” with new and exciting content, photos, and videos.  Changing out some or all of the content on your tabs regularly will entice your fans to visit your page.  A good new content guideline to follow is to make changes no less than every 3 months.  Once you have hundreds of fans visiting your page regularly, it is recommended to refresh content monthly.

3. Don’t keep the same profile picture forever!  Use your profile photo to your advantage by marketing current happenings.  You don’t have to change the entire 200 x 600 pixel area.  Simply rotate out part of it with new images and content every now and then.

4. Watch what other pages in your line of business are posting on Facebook.  Borrow their ideas, especially the ones that seem to be working well for them.  Become fans of their pages and if you like what they are doing, let them know.  Networking is a well-known successful marketing tool!

5.  Stay informed of new content ideas by following Facebook marketing blogs like this one.  The computer techie network is definitely blogging about it.  Blogging A LOT about it!

Facebook Marketing is Free – Part 1 showed us the importance of great profile pictures, custom landing pages, website connections, detailed business information, and ways potential fans can find your business page.  We are on our way to having an ongoing business relationship with a potential 500,000 million Facebook users!

To market your business in a way that your fans want more, follow these tips to create exceptional content your fans will love.

1.  Offer your Facebook fans exclusive content they can find no where else.  Examples are coupons and discounts.  Facebook apps are available to help you create enticing offers your fans will engage in and share with their Facebook friends.

2.  Ask your fans interesting questions occassionally in your posts that tempts them to comment.  Interaction with your fans keeps your posts in their news feeds.  Remember to monitor your page for comments and post pertinent replies in a timely fashion.

3.  Post a variety of exciting content and do it regularly.  Don’t posts so much though that your fans drop out.  As a general rule, aim for posting once a day or every other day and no less than twice a week.  Change your themes to encourage fans to like the content.

4.  Post videos, photos, and slide shows from time to time.  Imagery is very popular and eye-catching especially when entertaining.  Keep videos and slide shows short.  Less than 3 minutes is reported as the most watched content.

5.  Keep your page fun by sharing content from other pages.  Sharing is what Facebook is all about.  Provide your fans with links, blog posts, videos, and photos you find on the web.  Stick to content that portrays what your business is all about though.  Don’t be tempted to post a video with animals doing funny things as an example, if your business has nothing to do with animals.

The first steps are to create an attractive page that shouts “WOW!”.

1.  Don’t cut your business short by uploading only your logo as your business profile picture.  Create a profile image that takes advantage of the entire allowed pixel space. currently 200 x 600.  Use your logo, important company info, a picture of you, current features and other images that speak for your business.

2.  Use a landing page also known as a Welcome Tab that contains exciting information to entice potential fans to click the Like button.  Statistics show that when Facebook users land on the Wall of a business, in many cases they leave without liking the page.  Flashy Welcome Pages grab their attention, encourage them to stay on your page longer, and LIKE it.

3.  Bring your website to Facebook. Having a connection to your business website is a must in Facebook.  Create a tab that portrays the images, videos, and content a potential client will find when they visit your website.

4.  Give your potential fans as much information about you and your business as you can in the about section of the info tab.  Make the content keyword rich text so that your Facebook page shows up in search engine results.

5.  Tell your clients and potential customers where to find you on Facebook and encourage them to follow you.  Include your Facebook page address in all correspondence and advertising.  Every new fan your business gains can become ten, one hundred, and one thousand before you know it simply from your fans sharing your news.

It is important to keep your Fans engaged with you regularly. Here are 6 tips on how to best use Facebook posts to start a two-way conversation with your Fans.

1. Post regularly. Letting your Facebook page go dormant will drop your posts out of your Fans’ Top News Feed. Share quailty content relevant to what is going on with your Small Business. Once you are receiving good responses from your Fans, increase the frequency of your posts.

2. Keep your content fresh. Post a mix of content like useful tips, events, breaking news, your thoughts, fun trivia, product updates, and links to other resources. Remember to keep your content focused on the topics that suit your Business and Fans. Make your posts so interesting that your Fans share them with their Facebook Friends who could in turn become new Fans for you and potential clients.

3. Ask your Fans interesting questions. Using questions that prompt responses from your Fans is a great research tool for marketing your product or services. Find out what your Fans like and keep them coming back.

4. Establish your style and stick with it. Branding comes to life on Facebook when you personalize your image with open, friendly, and inviting posts. Create a warm sense of community with your Fans and they will stay a part of that community for a very long time.

5. Make your posts attractive. Adding video and photos to your posts will grab your Fans attention while making you more personable. Your Fans are not interested in seeing just your logo all of the time. Tell your story with visual aids that show them who you are.

6. Post contests and promotions. The most popular Facebook pages create fun contests that keep their Fans wanting more. Have your Fans upload their photos, tell their stories or participate in a poll for a chance to be featured or win something fun. The possibilities are endless.

1. Create a customized Welcome page. Also known as the non-fan landing page, the welcome page has become increasingly popular. Create a page that is an attractive representation of your brand. Promote new products, display great deals, and direct users to your website.

2. Offer promotions to Fans only. Great campaign for enticing Fans to regularly visit your page. Some ideas are coupons, contests and gifts.

3. Place the famous Facebook Like button on your Website. Place it at the top of your website where it is well seen and you are sure to gain new Fans. Both your Facebook page and Website will be introduced to the Facebook Friends of your Fans!

4. Engage your Fans with frequent posts that include questions and contests. Encouraging your Fans to interact with you publishes your Facebook presence on the Wall of your Fans and, in turn, on the news feed of their Facebook Friends.

5. Connect your Facebook page with other media. Bring your YouTube channel, Blog, Twitter, Flickr, etc. to your page. Facebook Apps are available that connect your page and some are free to use!

1.  Make the most out of your Business Profile Picture by using the entire 180 x 540 pixel space that Facebook currently allows.  If your picture is nothing more than a standard square, you are wasting valuable marketing space.

2.  Since so much profile picture space is available, use it to grab the attention of potential fans.  Use a “catchy” image in addition to your business logo.  This image can be an area of your profile picture that could change out occassionally to keep it fresh and appealing.

3.  Highlight a current business feature in your profile picture.  Adding a special product, new service, or discount to your profile picture easily places that feature in front of both current and potential fans no matter which tab of your page they are on.

4.  Include a picture of yourself.  Today’s market, no matter what business we are in, demands to see who we are along with wanting to know a little something about us.  Don’t hide behind a business logo and miss out on an opportunity for new fans to see your face before walking through your door.

5.  Include important business information.  Having all contact information in our profile picture that is easy to see along with what service or products our business provides is a must!

6.  Interested in taking advantage of the new extended profile photo section at the top of the page.  Here are some creative examples that have me thinking…..

http://mashable.com/2010/12/14/new-facebook-profile-hacks/#view_as_one_page-gallery_box497

We all know the importance of first impressions, especially in business.  So, why have potential fans landing on a wall when they first visit your page rather than direct them to a page filled with visual images and compelling reasons to like your page.  Statistics show that visitors become fans of pages with customized landings at a rate of 47% while pages where first-time visitors land on the wall gain 23% as fans.

Here are a few proven tips on how to make a difference with a custom landing page:

1.  Offer deals!  The key to successful marketing on Facebook is to keep content fresh and visual.  Presenting exclusive and changing offers for fans only on the non-fan landing page will entice many visitors to Click Like.

2.  Highlight Your Business.  The content on your landing page should be rich in keywords that describe what your business is all about.  Use current events and keep the content concise and easy to read.  Let visitors know why they should like your page.

3.  Highlight Your Current Fans.  Encourage fans to upload photos and stories of themselves to win something.  Place the winning fan center stage on your landing page.

4.  Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!  Everyone loves them.  Add WOW to your landing page with the best of your best.

5.  Got Videos?  Embedded videos on landing pages are almost always viewed.  Use only one that is brief and to the point, ideally less than two minutes.

6.  Bring them to your website.  A connection from your landing page to your website is a must and vice versa.  Use an image from your website home page, provide the web address and list a brief reason why to visit it.  Make sure the click opens your website in a different window so your visitor does not leave your Facebook page.

Here are recent examples of brilliant Facebook landing pages that present some great ideas we all can use.  Of course, they have paid a lot to visually display their landing pages, but many of their campaigns can be created in a more cost effective way.  http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/6438-25-brilliant-examples-of-facebook-brand-pages

Not surprising since Facebook has more than 500 million active users with 50% logging on every day and 200 million doing so on mobile devices.  Currently, 2.5 million business websites are integrated with Facebook and roughly 10,000 new sites connect daily. 

With these amazing statistics, if your business does not have an active Facebook presence, the popular question for you is, “Why?” 

Here are a few reasons for marketing your business on Facebook.

1.  Facebook is a free marketing tool you can use to stay in touch with current clients, gain new clients, and promote your business’ products and services.

2.  A Facebook business page strengthens your brand with potential customers having the ability to become fans of your page and follow your business happenings.

3.  When your page gains a new fan, all of their Facebook friends see in their news feed that a friend has “liked” your page, creating a buzz that attracts other fans and potential customers.

4.  You can connect your Facebook page to your business website and your website to Facebook.  Popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo will “see” the business connection, grab the content from both, and place your business higher in search results.

5.  Use your Facebook page to share everything important about your business including contact information, business description, past happenings, what is going on now, and what is to come.  When done effectively, Facebook can be used to keep your current clients thinking about your business while enticing potential customers to become clients.