by Jessica Tanner

Created on: November 12, 2009

Social networking sites are rapidly growing and are an excellent way to market your business, band or career. Facebook, the most popular social networking site, offers a 'Fan Page' which can help you in promoting, advertising and connecting with people. Here are the simple steps to joining Facebook and creating a Fan Page.

1. Go to www.facebook.com. On the homepage, click on 'Create a Page' for a celebrity, band or business. Fill in the requested information then click 'Create Page'. If you have a Facebook account click 'I already have a Facebook account'. If you do not have a Facebook account you can now create one. Fill in the required information and click 'Sign up now'. You will be asked to go to your email and click on the confirmation link in the email to complete your sign up.

2. Now you have a fresh page to begin building your image on Facebook. Take time to think about how you want your business, band or career to be represented on Facebook. A great place to start is by filling out the 'Info'. Add the information that you want people to view when visiting your Fan Page, such as website, email, phone numbers, hours of operation or anything else that applies.

3. There is an option for you to select your security settings. Click on 'Security Settings' and read through each one selecting which preferences work best for you. You will want to do this for your 'Account', 'Privacy' and 'Application Settings'.

3. Upload photos. Start with your profile picture then add some albums. If you had a recent concert or event, add some photos to showcase what your fan page is all about. You may add captions under each photo to describe it and this will help to engage your fans. You can 'tag' photos of your friends in Facebook. This makes the photo then visible on the page of the person that was tagged. To tag someone, click 'Tag this photo', then click on the person in the photo, then select their name from your list of friends. Be careful when tagging someone, do not use a photo that may be harmful to the person. Tagging photos is great though because it allows you to promote on someone else's page, then giving their friends and fans a chance to view your page.

4. Start networking. Send emails to your friends and ask them to become a fan of your page. Once they have done this ask them to send an email to five of their friends asking to become a fan as well. Facebook is great for spreading the word.

5. If you have a website, add a link to your Facebook Page telling people to click the link to become a Fan of your page.

6. You will want to keep your Facebook Page updated. Post new Status Updates and links to your website, blogs or news articles frequently. Keeping people engaged and inviting and encouraging new people to join is essential.

If you are looking for a great new tool for marketing, creating a Facebook Page is the best place to start.

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