By now you have heard of Facebook and it’s massive membership growth over the last couple of years. Even more interesting is the trend for users older than the college generation signing up everyday too. Maybe you need to see the numbers to convince you. Building a fan page is a great way to get started in social media and in building a community of loyal followers.

Facebook Statistics (Source Facebook)

• 200 million active users
• More than two thirds of Facebook users are out of college
• The fastest growing demographic are those 35 years old and older
• Average reach of 120 friends on the site
• More than 8 million users become fans of Pages each day.

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What is a Facebook Page?

According to Facebook, a Page is optimized to share information and create a presence to engage with your fans. Only official representatives of an organization can create a Page, but that is in fact how you gain validity and credibility to your presence on Facebook. This way users will know they are communicating with the real company directly and this will empower them to get involved and engage. Facebook users can add themselves as a fan to your Facebook page which is created for your company, product or brand name.

Learn more about Facebook Pages in the Facebook Help Center

Why should a business want to get involved on Facebook and create their own Page?

1. Low cost (Free to setup)
   Basic setup of a Page can be done free of charge. And now with vanity urls you can even create links such as facebook.com/yourcompany which make them easier to find.
2. Interactivity
   Encourages fans (other Facebook users) to interact and build a community of other people who share the same interests. Providing constant feedback to your business on what customers like and don’t like about your company. Free feedback is very valuable and saves having to survey or conduct focus groups.
3. Promotion
   When you launch a new product or service and give your promotion a little boost by first telling your fans and posting on your Page. Write updates on your “wall”, offer discounts to your loyal fans (followers), and update what you are working on. A lot of small business websites do not have this type of functionality and community building features.
4. Search Engine Marketing
   Facebook is seen as an authority online. Meaning that when search engines find your Facebook Page and notice that Facebook is linking to your business website it will likely rank higher in the search results.

Should a Facebook Page replace my website?

Probably not, since not everyone is using Facebook and some employers are also also blocking access to this site. But if you do not yet have a website a Page is a great place to start building up some community around your new business.

What does a Facebook Page look like?

Example Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Renttropolis/5870033562

Get Started

Facebook has a 5 Step Guide to building your Presence which can you help get you on your way.

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Just last week Microsoft announced thier new search service called Bing. Not only that but they have also announced a massive advertising promotion to promote their new online search service. Microsoft appears so confident with this new search engine offering that they have even gone as far as referring to it as a search “decision” engine. That in itself is quite profound since most people would not associate using a search engine with making decisions beyond which search results look more interesting or relevant then others.

So what is so different about this new search engine?

The Bing site now offers more information right up front, instead of having to click on results to get more information and to find what you are looking for. How many times have you searched for a local business and had to click on the search results to find their contact details and decide on the retailer that specializes in the product you are looking for? Bing is different, searching for a business on Bing will actually display more information right up front. Including reviews, hours of operations, photos, average rating, average dollar amount if the listing is for a restaurant.

Here is an example of what your business might and could look like on Bing:

This new business listing and Bing “decision” engine as Microsoft is calling it; could make or break your business when it comes to local business search. If a prospective customer searches using Bing and sees results that have detailed information about that business they will stand out from their nearby businesses. And the first impression will already have been made in the mind of the buyer. We have already covered how important local business profiles are on search engines for getting found and improving foot traffic, in an earlier post about Searching for your local competition online.

So how do you get in on all the action?

Combined with both the current buzz and media attention being given to Bing, a lot of people will be evaluating the Bing search experience compared with their preferred search engine of choice. It is also important to keep in mind that recent reports are indicating that Bing website searches could very soon surpass Yahoo as the second most popular search engine after Google.

To get exposure and stand out from the rest of the crowd you should setup your business profile early. Head on over to the Bing Local Listing Center to update any business information already listed for your company or to add a new business listing.

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