Facebook has become an invaluable marketing tool for many businesses. You’ve probably noticed that many businesses no longer promote their URL on commercials. Instead, certain brands just ask interested consumers to follow them on Facebook. The power of Facebook is reaching new heights. A recent face-lift to the site has given businesses an even more user-friendly platform, but there are a few things to avoid if you’re using Facebook for business marketing purposes.

Some businesses on Facebook prevent users from posting comments on the wall page. Although it might seem sensible to stop some users from posting negative comments, it defeats the fundamental purpose of Facebook and will alienate many visitors to your page. Let users feel a part of your community by featuring their comments prominently. It may require more management, but give the fans the credit they deserve if they leave valuable feedback on your page.

Don’t ignore your fans. If you are confident about your business and the quality of your products or services, you shouldn’t worry about the comments some people may leave. Make sure you regularly respond to comments and answer any questions posted. As long as you regularly monitor your page, you can respond accordingly to anything that needs to be dealt with. Try not to censor opinions, simply tackle the problem head on. Every time you interact with a user, you’ll gain more respect from the community and also feature on more Facebook pages.

Some people using Facebook for business make the mistake of setting up a profile account, or using their personal page as their business page. If you’re serious about promoting your business, you must create a brand page. These pages are specifically designed for businesses with extra features that can attract more users, improve accessibility, and strengthen your brand. Business pages also come with Facebook analytics tools to help you monitor the effectiveness of your marketing.

Using Facebook for business purposes doesn’t mean you have to appear serious. Yes, your content must be sincere, but don’t be too impersonal. You need to engage with your users on a more personal level and show the more human side to your company. The way we interact with consumers has changed. Consumers expect you to understand their needs and not talk down to them. Try not to disappoint them.

As well as responding to comments by users, remember to update your page regularly. Try to post at least two new things every week. If possible, you should check your page every day and post something new on each occasion. As a regular user of Facebook for business, you’ll begin to appreciate how often you should post new information, when your page is most active, and what people respond to the most.

To attract new users and keep them as fans of your business page, you need to keep people interested. It sounds obvious, but avoid being boring. Many business pages fail to update their page with interesting content, and fresh company news. Use Facebook to your advantage by polling your audience, offering deals, posting links, uploading photos and videos, and posting questions. Failing to engage your audience will only damage your reputation. And remember that your activity is constantly being ranked by Facebook. The more posts you get, the more likely you are to appear on other pages.

Facebook groups can be used to spread the word about your business, but avoid them if you’re serious about building a following. They don’t support Facebook Markup Language (FBML) or Facebook applications. The latest business pages, however, support applications and they are free to use. For example, you could add a useful product review application, a promotional application or a YouTube application. There are many to investigate. Choose the right ones for your business and they could add real value to your page and encourage user interactivity.

It takes time to build up a following on your Facebook business page. Nevertheless, as long as you treat your users with respect, respond honestly and regularly to their comments and questions, and spend enough time updating your page, you should notice the results. If you can’t commit to these responsibilities, you might not be ready for Facebook. Just be aware that some of your competitors could get the upper hand.