You made the move to online marketing and activated a business page on Facebook. Now what? Outside of optimizing the page with information and making it visually interesting, what else is important? Utilizing your wall through smart posting. How do you post to encourage page fans to engage with your page, and therefore spread the word? Below are 5 Top Facebook Tips that you should be practicing.

Facebook Tip #1: Don’t Sell

Do not preach or sell to your fans. I know it may be instinctual for many to want to sell their business services. As a small business owner, we’re our own megaphone. If we’re not talking about ourselves, who is? But it can turn others off. Instead engage your fans by offering special deals in a post (promotes the business and gives fans a deal!), discuss a current event, offer an inspirational quote, etc. Also, a good way to sell yourself through a post without being too pushy is to tie it to something on your site. Your fan is both engaged AND on your website. It’s a win-win.

Facebook Tip #2: Post Often

Many Facebook business page owners wonder how often they should post. Most experts agree 3-5 times per day is optimal. That may seem excessive, but if you develop a content calendar (a schedule that serves as a roadmap of posting options such as photos, questions, blogs, promos, etc.), it can be done. Set aside 5 minutes a few times daily (set a timer on your phone to remind you) to log on and post. The more your message appears on other Facebook walls, the better!

Facebook Tip #3: Have a Call To Action

In other words, don’t make a statement. Ask a question. Tell people to click the Like button. Ask for comments on your post. Tell them to watch a video you’ve posted or direct them to your website and request feedback.

Facebook Tip #4: Highlight Your Business

What you do is great. You’re talented. You have a lot to offer. You enjoy your business and want to keep doing it so you need to promote your services to gain more customers. So, yes, it’s ok to highlight yourself now and then. A good rule of thumb: If you are posting 5 times per week, make 4 of the posts helpful or fun information for your fans and allow 1 to be a self-promotion post. Remember, self-promotion is good when in limited amounts.

Facebook Tip #5: Make It Fun!

With 850 million people on Facebook (and climbing), there is a heck of a lot of posting going on. Most Facebook users are only on sporadically each day. Make their time online enjoyable. If most of your fans are clients, offer free tips and advice that they can use. Post entertaining information, pictures, video, links. Make your fans look forward to a new post from your business!

Remember, Facebook is all about conversation. For business owners, it’s an extension of your brand and another opportunity to market your business to an audience. Put your personality into your wall posts and consider these tips when posting on your page. You’ll find you’ll gain a lot more Friends along the way. Good luck!

Facebook has an incredible reach for small business when it comes to viral marketing. With approximately 1 in every 7 people in the world on Facebook, your marketing strategy needs to include fully utilizing the offerings of Facebook to market your business. One of these offerings is the ability to host an Event.

To create an Event on Facebook, you must be logged in to your personal profile (Pages can’t invite people to an Event.) Click on ‘Events’ on the left side bar. A page will open up listing any upcoming Events associated with your account. To create your own, click +Create an Event. Very important. When creating an Event, many hosts skip the part about being able to upload  a photo to replace the default calendar graphic that Facebook gives us. Using a photo related to the Event will help promote it. Something that just takes a second can make a big difference.

OK. Now that you have the Event started and a cool photo up, next be sure to accurately describe the Event. You can make it a public event by checking “Anyone can view and RSVP” or keep it only to those you choose by unchecking this box. You can also choose to show the guest list or hide it. Depending on the Event, your needs may vary. Once all the Event details have been included, it’s time to promote the Event.

• Shoot out an email blast. This will also link people to your Facebook Page and possibly help you gain Likes.
• Log in to Twitter and tweet about it. Encourage followers to retweet and even invite friends.
• Link the Event to your website.
• Cross-promotion is an incredibly useful tool in social media. Link the Event to other accounts you have.

Now the Event is out there. You’re getting some responses. What do you do next? Be sure to interact with the attendees. Answer any questions they may have about the upcoming Event. Continue to promote it by referring to it in a status update and sending out tweets. Ask others to help you promote the Event through their own status updates and on their Twitter page. There’s no better way to drive up attendance than through constant promotion. Get the word out.

Once the Event has passed and proved to be a huge success, it’s no time to rest. Follow up. Post photos and video from the Event on your Page. Ask attendees to tag themselves in the photos and make comments about the Event. This spreads word of the Event by posting the photo or comment on their Walls. And be sure to thank attendees. Though we’re all online, the old school rules of politeness still exist. As long as everyone had a positive experience, they’ll keep coming back.

Attempt to include Events, whether live or virtual, in your marketing plan at least 4 times per year. You’ll see your exposure grow, both online and out in the real world where it counts.