Facebook marketing: how do strangers know your business uses facebook?

[who WAS #1?]

Suppose I start a Facebook page. How to bring it out of obscurity and get people to notice it exists?
(I don't actually have a business yet.)
I have not used Facebook for my personal life due to privacy concerns, so don't know much about it.
@Bekindtoanimals: My son could build a killer website. I assume to get that high on search results one has to pay for google "optimization". I wonder what other ways there are to get some synergy going between the two.

[Graham]

Put it on your adds, or create a QSB code and link it to the facebook page, or you could put a painting on your window saying "Like us on Facebook". If all else fails you can always say it verally.

[Jake]

To clarify, a business Facebook page is free, but their separate paid ads cost, similar to Google ads.

A search within Facebook might find matching content on your page.

There's an option to log in to Facebook under your company page name, any comments you post on others pages, groups etc. will be the company name NicksNacks, if someone clicks they are sent to the company page rather than your personal page.

Getting like votes for your page and followers can boost it's visibility in search results, etc. some companies use paid advertising to promote a sweepstake which requires them to follow your page before they can enter. Facebook ads are a bit cheaper when they direct people to a Facebook page rather than off site, contest ads tend to get a high click rate which makes the clicks cheaper, perhaps a nickel each instead of the 50 cents a click you might first pay.

[BekindtoAnimals22]

Usually a business has a regular web site and on the web site it says "follow us on Facebook" and there would be a link to it. If you don't have a web site, I wouldn't know how anyone would go to it under a business name unless it was already well known.

[Kevin]

There are a lot of ways you can get noticed:

1) First, put it on your website, business cards, advertising, and any other outbound marketing tools you are using.
2) Make sure it is included in your email signature.
3) To increase exposure on Facebook, run a contest/poll through Facebook ads. You can generate interest and target your demographic directly.
4) Make a contest with your existing customer base/new clients. Get them to participate and encourage them to get their friends involved.

If you do something to generate interest, people with come to your Facebook page with the right level of promotion. The nice part about Facebook ads is you can target your demographic and build the marketing program for them specifically.