Last month, Denise and I had the opportunity to spend the day in Austin, Texas in a small group setting at the headquarters of our friends and marketing gurus MaryEllen Tribby and Ryan Deiss. The day was packed full of activities and excitement as we shared with them what we have been doing at Thriving Business.

Denise and I talked about how engaged our newsletter subscribers are, the feedback we receive on a weekly basis, and how we strive to continue to add value for business owners and entrepreneurs who want a thriving business and life.

Of course, MaryEllen and Ryan traded insights as to what they currently see working both online and offline. We discussed everything from how to write the best sales copy, how to attract more eyeballs to your web site, how to advertise on a limited budget to increase your sales, and how to effectively use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to grow your business.

Needless to say, the day flew by, and we got a lot of new ideas. But this got me thinking again about the social networking giant Facebook.

As I shared with you in earlier issues, there are five different strategies you can use to turn your social networking efforts with Facebook into a revenue-generating machine.

One strategy that I talked about was how your business can benefit from creating a fan page.  I discussed how your fan page can help you drive more traffic to your web site, impress your clients with video, build your email list, and sell products on Facebook.

So, let’s look closer at three simple steps you can take to make sure that your Facebook fan page is working effectively for you.

Step 1: Include All Basic Information In The “Information Section”

One of the most often overlooked parts when setting up a fan page is the “Information Section.” This section contains vital information about your business from general contact information, your company overview and description, your mission and products you offer.

So, take the time to complete this entire section with details that you want others to know about your business. A great way to do this is to include content that is keyword rich.

For example, in your corporate description, make sure and include specific keywords that you want to rank for in Google and the search engines. This not only helps the search engines find you and know what you are about, it also helps customers know more about your business.

Once you have completed the “Information Section,” the next step is to use the “About Section” as a teaser.

Step 2: Use The “About Section” As A Teaser

The “About Section” is one of the most simple, short, and concise sections of your Fan Page profile. The “About Section” is the text box on the left column of your fan page.

This “teaser” box, as I call it, is the section where you want to peak someone’s interest to learn more about you. A great way to do this is to include a link to your corporate web site or other social media sites, like Twitter.

For example, on Thriving Business Fan Page under our “About” section, you can see links to our corporate web site at http://www.thrivingbusiness.com or our Twitter page at http://twitter.com/thrivingbiznews.

After you have finished the “About Section,” make sure to upload a picture to your profile.

Step 3: Include A Picture In Your Profile

Just like dating sites, you will get more clicks when you include a picture in your profile. People want to see who you are and what you are about. So, make sure their first impression is the right impression you are trying to convey.

For example, use a high-resolution photograph so that it is easy read. You definitely do not want a blurry picture popping up on your fan page as the first thing the viewer sees. If so, the viewer may perceive your business as not being professional or that you simply did not care enough to take the extra time to make them want to learn more about you.

For branding purposes, also always try to include a logo of some kind in your profile picture, even if it is just a basic text name of your company. This allows people to recognize your brand.

For example, on our Thriving Business Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/thrivingbiz, Denise and I included our Thriving Business logo. We also included our corporate name, our personal names and a picture of ourselves in our profile, which you can see from the image we have included here. This continues to reinforce our brand.

By following these three simple steps, you will be able to leverage the power of Facebook for your business needs.

And if you want more info in the meantime, check out this special package that Ryan Deiss put together (that includes a report called Partnering with Facebook).

*Originally published as Issue # 58 – January 6, 2012