It’s no secret that MySpace is no longer the top marketing tool with regards to social networks.  It’s safe to say that it’s been trumped by Twitter and Facebook. Twitter has a fairly simple and self explanatory user interface and features. Facebook on the other hand is slightly more complex and a lot of people have yet to figure out how to effectively use the social network as a marketing vehicle. One popular method is the Fan Page.  The following is an article by Rory Stanton of HubSpot explaining why fan pages are actually better for business than groups or profiles:

Smaller Businesses are now looking to join the world’s largest social networking site, Facebook, to access and attract new customers. But what should they do when they arrive? Should these businesses set up a profile, a group or a fan page to establish their brand?

How are Facebook Fan Pages different than personal profiles and groups?

Facebook Fan Pages are interactive pages that enable users to share your business and products with other Facebook users. They typically include a wall, photos, a discussion board, an information tab and Facebook applications. These pages should be set up using a personal profile to receive full functionality but can be managed by multiple administrators, who remain anonymous to fans that join the page.

Facebook Profiles are used to represent an individual and are held under an individual’s name. According to Facebook’s Term of Service, each profile on the site can only be used by one individual. Users can receive and write wall posts, post bios, videos, and photos, and install applications.

Facebook Groups are similar to Fan Pages but are geared more toward informal communities of people that share a common interest. The members of these groups are not necessarily looking to learn more about the business or new products. Due to size and security limitations, interaction with group members has constraints. Only groups with fewer than 5,000 members can send email blasts; thus, its members are not updated as regularly as Fan Pages. Additionally, group members are more difficult to access because mutual acceptance is necessary to participate in a Facebook Group.

Why are Fan Pages the best for businesses?

Creating a fan page is the optimal way to represent your business on Facebook because it is the most viral of the three. When someone becomes a fan of your business, that information is posted on their wall, exposing your business to their friends too. Moreover, when fans interact with the Fan Page, stories that are linked to your page are passed on to their friends via News Feed. One of the most valuable features is that businesses can send “updates” about new products and content to fans and the brand becomes even more visible.

Fan Pages also pass along more SEO credit because the pages are public. Since logins are not required to view Fan Pages, search engines can index the page. The page can receive facebook.com link credit. When social networking platforms, like Facebook, are linked to a company’s web page, the Fan Pages can channel more prospects throughout the network.

Lastly, Facebook Fan Pages are easy to set up and manage. Facebook Fan Pages also give you access to data that can be used to target and monitor your prospects online. This information is extremely valuable in courting potential customers.

5 Tips for Interacting on Fan Pages:

1. Be Authentic: Don’t always try to push your products and services on people. Start a relationship with visitors.

2. Provide interesting content: Frequently update content so updates constantly appear on walls of members.

3. Tell your story: Share how the business came about and what is going on now.

4. Control your page: Clearly state your policies somewhere on the page so your site does not get spammed.

5. Get a vanity URL: help with branding by putting the business  name right in the web address.

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