If you already have a personal Facebook page, you can create a Facebook Fan Page to promote your business. Below are step by step instructions for how to create a Fan Page on Facebook.
1)
Go to create a Facebook Fan Page and:Choose a category. Choose from Local, Brand, Product or Organization, or Artist, Band or Public Figure. There is a drop-down menu under each for you to make a more specific choice.
Give your page an appropriate name. This is the title that will show at the top of your page so simple is good. People need to know what your page is about at a glance. For instance, I've named my page About Small Business Canada rather than something such as Susan's Musings.
Hit the Create Page button.
You're done!
It looks pretty bland though, doesn't it? Best to populate it with some material that will interest people.
2)
Add a picture. Worth a thousand words or not, people will want to see one. Maybe of you, if you provide personal services. Maybe of something that shows your business in action. A business logo would also work. Click Edit Page on the left side of the page.
3)
Edit your Information section. In the box on the left hand side under the Suggest to Friends feature, write something welcoming. You'll notice my Facebook Fan Page acknowledges visitors and welcomes their participation: "Feel free to post a hello, a question, or a comment."
Include your other contact information, such as a link to your website and/or Twitter account.
4)
Edit your Info tab.Click on the Info tab and edit the page to add information about your Website, Company Overview and Mission. (This is a great place for your mission statement of course!)
5)
The next step to create a Facebook Fan Page is to add content to your Wall. You can add comments by typing directly into the "What's on your mind?" box and then clicking the Share button. (Your fans will be able to do this too if you leave the Facebook Fan Page settings for the Wall on default.)
Directly underneath this box, you'll see the word Attach and icons representing different applications that you can use to add content to your Facebook Fan Page (Links, Photos, Events or Videos). You can find out what each of these applications does by clicking on the Edit Page link directly under the photo box.
(This page also allows you to adjust your application settings. You can also adjust application settings by going to the top right hand corner of your Facebook Fan Page and using the drop down menu to select Application Settings.)
Find other applications that you might want to use on your Facebook Fan Page by scrolling down to the bottom of the list; you'll see a More Applications section that you can browse. One thing you will definitely want to do if you already have a blog is to import your blog directly to your Facebook Fan Page. So:
6)
Import your blog.Go to Edit Page on your Facebook Fan Page and scroll down to the Applications section. From the list of Applications, choose Notes and click on Edit. A page will appear that shows Note Settings. At the moment there will be a message saying, "You are not importing notes from an external blog". Click on Import an External Blog.
On the dialog box that appears, enter your Blog's URL/RSS feed and check the box to accept the agreement. A preview of your blog will appear. Click on the Confirm Import box and voila! Your blog will now publish on your Facebook Fan Page when you write a new blog post without you doing anything!
You can also import your blog to your Facebook Fan Page by adding an application such as Networked Blogs.
To use Networked Blogs to do this, first go to the NetworkedBlogs.com application and add your blog by clicking the Register a new Blog button in the top right corner of the application. (Once all the information is complete, be sure you take a second to bookmark your blog page to make it easier to find again.)
During this process, you need to be sure you allow the application access. Once you do, it will appear in your applications which you access through the bottom left hand corner of your Facebook Fan Page.
Once you see it there, go back to your blog page in the Networked Blogs application. On the right hand side, under the Thumbnail Coming Soon box, is a menu. Choose Feed Settings which will bring up a page where you can configure the application so it will "auto-publish blog posts to your page wall" . (You can also set the application to auto-publish your blog to your personal profile as well.)
7)
Promote your Facebook Fan Page.You're ready to share your Fan Page with the world.
Click on the Suggest to Friends link on the top left of your Facebook Fan Page. A box will pop up that lets you select friends and send them invitations to become fans of your page.
In the same location on your Facebook Fan Page is a link that you can follow to promote your site with a Facebook ad. You can purchase Facebook ads on a per-click (CPC) or per-impression (CPM) basis. Ads for Facebook Fan Pages include a "Become a fan" link.
You might also want to add a button to your website so your website visitors can easily share your site with their friends on Facebook.
Or use Facebook Connect to increase the activity on your site.
And of course, you'll want to visit other pages and become their fans and post on their walls to build up your Facebook presence.
8)
Give your Facebook Fan Page a user-friendly name.One more handy tip on how to create a fan page on Facebook. When your Facebook Fan Page has gotten at least 25 fans, you'll be able to create a user-friendly URL for it. Go to the Facebook Username page. Choose your Facebook Fan Page and give it the username you want it to have. Having a user-friendly URL makes it easier to promote your Facebook Fan Page.
9)
Keeping up your Facebook Fan Page.That's it. How to create a Fan Page on Facebook in eight easy steps. The ninth step is perhaps harder; keeping your Facebook Fan Page fresh and appealing by continuing to add interesting content so when people visit they see why they might want to become a fan of your page. The more interaction and opportunities for involvement your Facebook Fan Page offers, the better – and the more useful for promoting your business your Facebook Fan Page will be.
