Advice for putting my small business on Facebook?

[Berry]

I own a very small local business and I want to boost recognition by creating a Facebook account. I need as much advice as I can possibly get though, so any feedback you can give me is so greatly appreciated. I do not want to have to pay for any services -- Facebook is free anyway, right? I'm looking forward to any tips and suggestions you can offer. Thanks!

I know what I want to post and such, but how can I reach out to other Facebook users? How do I gain the recognition?

[MDavis]

Do regular updates, perhaps including tips for your potential clients.
If people check back weekly and nothing is different they will soon lose interest.
I did happen across an article about writing for your business, which I did not read. It might be useful, as it includes information about social media.

Gold luck to you.

[Jake]

From your personal Facebook page you can click the Create Page link (there's one in the footer), then fill in the forms indicating the type of business you have. The unique name you give the page will be included in it's Facebook address URL, (with a billion pages you do have to use something unique) you should have an avatar (logo) image prepared.

You can custom the timeline graphics with a fancy title-cover 800 wide and about 342 high, note the notch taken out by the icon near the lower left of the cover.

You can log into Facebook under the business name, so any posts or comments on other pages link to the business page (your personal identity is effectively hidden)

As far as free, the business page is free, but you might use paid Facebook advertising to send more prospects to the page, some people use paid like campaigns (remember when someone likes your page, posts you make can automatically appear on their timeline) running a giveaway-sweepstake and promoting it with paid ads can get very cheap click costs, since giveaways get a high click rate, after a day or 2 click costs could be under a dime. There are like-gate scripts that require a like to access the sweepstake.

The facebook demographic targeting options is the most unique part of their paid ads, it's quite a bit different than Google's sponsored search Adwords ads where you can catch someone actively searching for a specific solution, on Facebook you have to interupt someone's social meandering with a more friendly message matched to their demographics or interests.

You can for example target only women between 21 and 30, woo are engaged to be married who live in a city within 5 miles of your location.

Having a free Google map (places) page is more important for local businesses, try Google searching your business, perhaps it's Florists, Cleveland, the results with A-G labeled stick pins are local listings, Google gives you a Google+ page (their counterpart of Facebook) after you verify ownership off of a mailed postcard, you can access and customize that page with much the same content as the Facebook page.

Google.com/placesforbusiness/

[rene]

Interact as much as you can...go like other pages and provide POV, questions, suggestions...the key here is to be engaged with folks in the same industry to become part of the online FB community