When making your group:

• Find people that are similar but not competition to invite.
• Set clear and simple instructions on the rules and how the group works.
• Have fun!

Here’s the instructions for How to Make a Facebook Fanpage.

Link exchanges are mutually beneficial in that both of you get a link out there for potential visitors to find you, as well as those search engines.  If you tend the relationships of those you have exchanged links with I would suggest contacting them about posting each others links via twitter and facebook maybe, once or maybe on a regular basis.

You can also start what I like to refer to as a link club.  This is when many bloggers get together on a similar topic.  All the bloggers get to exchange links without even having to personally contact each other.  Here is a great example of how this works.

I’m always happy to hear from you please feel free to post your questions or comments.

So here is a step by step of how to make a Facebook fan page and how to get people to join it.

Go to www.facebook.com If you are logged in log out.  On the homepage you’ll see under the sign up area Create a Page do NOT fill in the sign up area just click the create a page.

Once you click Create a Page you’ll be prompted to answer several questions and give the page a name.   If you are already a Facebook user at the end you will choose the option I already have an account and log in.   You will then be taken to your new fan page.  Be sure to click that button at the top of the page that says Become a Fan.

Now let’s fancy up your page a bit.

Add a picture by mousing over the picture area and clicking the pencil.

Add a short description of your website or blog, in the box provided below the picture area, remember to include your URL and don’t forget the http:// so that it will automatically be made into a clickable link for anyone visiting the page.

At this time you might want to complete filling out some information on your info page.  Do this by clicking on the info tab at the top of the wall.

It’s time to start to invite people to your new space!  Under the main picture for your fan page it will say suggest to friends.  Click that to begin to invite your friends.

Easy enough!

Posting to your fan page

You’ll want to post updates on your fan page as to what your business and/or blog is doing.  This will be seen by all of your fans on their home page wall.

Posting links is important too.  This will remind them not just about your fan page, it will remind them of your site. Posting links here will also help the search engines find your website.

Finally you’ll need to get people outside of your circle of Facebook friends.  Add a Facebook banner on your blog or website and link it to your new fan page.

*A question I’ve received in the past is how do I find my fan page?

Good question because after you close out it would seem it would be lost.  You can either bookmark your fan page or go to your main profile page go to the info tab and scroll all the way to the bottom where it shows your fan pages.

I hoped this helped you.  For some this is easy stuff and for others not so much so if you have questions leave a comment and I will try to answer asap.

Keep a small notebook for email address when you are out and about in the world.  Keeping in contact is the best way for someone to remember you.  With the flood of businesses and websites you need to keep yourself out there and the best way to do that is to send out emails whenever you have news about your business.

*Tip – Don’t send emails out more than twice a week.  Too many emails make your seem pesty.  Remember a persons time is valuable.  Also, keep it professional, business only!

So, you join a board and put your signature in your profile so, it will show up on every one of your posts.  Sounds easy enough right?  There is a catch though.  You will not be welcomed if all you do there is “spam” the group.  You can’t just go onto a message board and start yapping all about your business.  The people there will not like it and you’ll find that out really fast.

You want to add to the discussions on the forum.  By being a good member of the board, you meet others with helpful info and have fun.  Let you signature do all the work, if people want info they’ll ask for it.  There is one exception to the rule and that is, several message boards have a folder just for “ads” this is where you get to brag all about your business and no one is going to give you grief about it.

Message boards serve a two folder purpose.  You are meeting others and the link to your site on your signature allows other members to find you and for search engines to index your site.  Search engines “like” message boards because they are ever changing with new information.  Your signature on a message board can be one of the fastest ways a search engine finds your new site and indexes it.

Have fun, network and the rest will fall into place.

Your new social networking pages not only helps with another “free” place to put the link to your website.  It helps you build relationships.  The more people see you the more they will remember you.  The lastest info I read about marketing says that it takes 28 touches, for a person to even remember you.  That is because we are exposed to more businesses and sites than ever before. 

More social networking can come from message board or forums.  I’ll discuss that topic further in my next post.