There are quite a few different things that you can do to build your business online and using Facebook is just one of them. It won't matter what type of business you are running--as long as you are trying to get noticed more and need a new approach for your marketing, Facebook is your best option. But how do you actually use Facebook to grow your company?

Create a Fan Page: It’s surprising how many businesses are Facebook are struggling to grow their connections, without even creating a fan page! It’s really important that you understand the significance of having your own page on Facebook, because it offers much more than what you get from a regular profile. Fan pages have no limits in terms of numbers; they offer up statistics for the activity of the people who fan you and they show you whether you are getting a fair return for the investment of your time. It's important to put forth a real effort to build your fan page after you've created it. It is going to take some time for people to start "fanning" you but that time will pay off in the end.

Facebook is Not a Place to Sell -Social networks are not good places to do direct selling to your contacts. Instead, you use the social network to drive targeted traffic to your website or blog. You don't want to send your prospects to a hype filled sales page; it's better to have a landing page that warms them up to your offer. Remember, the people in your network are your "friends", and friends don't like being sold - they want to be recommended. So if you really want Facebook to work for your business then don't sell, but recommend. You can inform people about your website or products, but you have to be subtle about it.

Facebook gives you the opportunity to create a custom or vanity url for your page, and you can use your primary keyword for this purpose. This makes your page better optimized, as an url with your keyword in it will tend to rank more highly. Your Facebook page will also be easier to promote this way, as the url will tell people right away what its topic is. So make effective use of the vanity url to get the best results as it helps you create your own brand. Don't Send Out a Huge Number of Friend Requests: You have to be careful when requesting friends on Facebook, as you could be considered a spammer otherwise. While you're trying to expand your list of contacts, you should do so in a gradual, natural looking manner. You don't want to risk losing your Facebook account because of violating their policies.

In summary, Facebook grows every day and if you want your business to reach its full potential, you need to use the social network to help you with your goals. If you haven’t used Facebook for your business before, now’s the time, because the Internet is no longer in the infancy stage and Facebook is the new mantra.