Yesterday, we discussed the 5 steps to using twitter more effectively. Today, we are going to discuss the 5 steps to make facebook more effective.

Create a business page people actually care about.

If all your business page does is ramble on about who you are and why you’re so cool, people are not going to want to get involved. However, if you ask questions, start conversations and provide new and interesting information, it will be much easier to keep an audience interested. Participation is the key to the success of a facebook page.

Provide them an offer they can’t refuse

Not to go all godfather on you, but really, people like offers…they like feeling special. Put together something just for your facebook fans and give them a reason to come ‘like’ you! It doesn’t have to be big, but make sure it is about them not about you. Gift cards, special invites…not sales pitches disguised as a free offer.

Keep your information consistent

With so many social platforms, life can be confusing. But, if you use the same headshot/logo and explaination of who you are and what you do in all places, it can make it easier. People want to know they have found the right person or company – and that can be difficult when the pages are not filled out properly. Don’t forget to put your email and contact information there too!

Connect your blog

Networked Blogs is one of the easiest to use and most aesthetically pleasing blog connection applications for facebook. It will pull the post in as soon as it is published, allow people to subscribe and even shows images embedded into the content. Set it up once, and your blog content will publish to your page automatically, providing easier access to your intelligence for your facebook fans.

Don’t give up

One of the biggest pitfalls that companies fall into is not seeing results fast enough and giving up on different tools. Today, remind yourself that social media is about conversations, discussions and building awareness…not selling your stuff. Then remind yourself tomorrow, and the day after that, and on until you understand the reason that we are using these tools. Once you understand the why, the how becomes much easier to comprehend.