Do you own a company? If this is the case, you should think about creating a Facebook fan page. What exactly is a fan page, you may ask? Some people call fan pages “like” pages or “business” pages; the names are entirely interchangeable. Originally, the goal of Facebook fan pages was to connect “famous” people or large corporations with the general public. A personal profile page on Facebook has a friend limit of 5000, and many people demanded a larger “fan” option; therefore, the “Fan Page” was born. You could be thinking…well, I am not a celebrity OR a huge company, so why do I need a Fan Page? You can profit from having a fan page presence on Facebook regardless of the sort of business you run, and here’s why:

Massive Marketplace

Facebook has 600 million members (almost double the population of the United States); 50% of users login every day; Every day, the average Facebook user spends 55 minutes on the site. 70% of Facebook users are located outside of the United States. Facebook is also available in over 70 different languages.

Analytics

Insights on Facebook allows you to track your fan base demographics by gender, age, location, and even language. You can also track which comments receive the most interaction, allowing you to continue offering information that engages your target audience.

Branding

Fan pages are a different breed, and because they are, they bring value that your personal profile does not. Fan pages let you brand your business, use your logo, and customize your “look” exactly like a website. With this highly useful tool at your disposal, you can maintain your “brand” consistently throughout all parts of your online presence. The other advantage to fan pages is that you may keep the personal “you” separate from the business “you.” This is an excellent approach to maintain relationships with family and friends while still having a distinct business presence on Facebook.

Unlimited Fans

Facebook has set a 5000-friend limit on your personal profile page. While most of us do not have 5000 personal friends, when you combine your personal friends with business contacts or prospects, this number could be quite limiting. A fan page, on the other hand, allows you to have an infinite number of “fans.” Some celebrity fan sites have hundreds, if not millions, of followers. Another significant advantage of a fan page over a personal profile is that a fan page allows you to send updates to all of your fans at once. You can only send messages to 20 people at a time through your personal profile page. However, I would advise you not to engage your fan following more than a couple of times per week. You should be mindful of their time, and you certainly don’t want to overload their inbox with things that might just as well be shared on the fan page wall. Sending too much information will annoy your fans and drive them to unfollow your fan page.

Google and SEO

This is a HUGE DEAL! Google has fully indexed fan pages, which means that whatever you put on your fan page can be accessed by anybody who does a Google search. This advantage does not apply to content from your own profile page or a group. Your company’s or service’s exposure will grow since your social media content will now be accessible by everyone (not just Facebook users) who searches on Google. Furthermore, Facebook is the second most visited website, after only Google. Any links from your fan page to your website will improve your chances of ranking better in Google.

Instant Admission

Personal profiles and groups are semi-private environments, depending on your privacy settings or the choice to join a specific group. Your fan page, on the other hand, is fully available to everyone who stumbles upon it. If someone is looking for anything through Google and your fan page turns up, that person can browse the complete fan page without “liking” or “joining.” Obviously, you’re hoping they’ll “like” the page. You can offer incentives to entice people to join your fan page, but they don’t have to join to access the content.

Communicate with Your Target Market (Fans)

Your Facebook fan page allows you to communicate with your fans in a more personal way than your website does. Obviously, you could set up forums or other forms of communication, but most small business owners do not go down this path. Adding services like these can be expensive, and many small businesses simply do not plan for this sort of client contact. This is why having a Facebook fan page is so beneficial. All of the collaboration tools accessible on Facebook are completely free! You can contribute content, videos, photos, organize contests, and ask questions, among other things. This engagement will help you establish relationships with your target market (fans). Encouraging interaction and creating a feeling of community will keep them coming back.

Increase Traffic to Your Website

Another significant advantage of Facebook fan pages is that you can design them to seem like a mini-version of your website. You can include an opt-in option, show videos, and even allow clients to buy right from your fan page. Remember that Facebook has about 350 million active members, and if you can get into even a small portion of that market, you’re in the money! You can dramatically increase your capacity to promote your products and services to your fan base by engaging and building relationships!

Conclusion

I believe in the power of Facebook Fan Pages because I’ve seen them function, not because it offers me something to write about. Overall, they are less expensive and easier to deploy than many online strategies. So, the message here is to avoid getting in your own way and looking for excuses not to do something and having a Facebook fan page.