Unless you are living in the dark ages, you are most likely aware that Facebook is the fastest growing social community online. With more than 500 million active users it is no wonder that businesses have been trying to tap into all of that traffic to promote their products and services. Learning to do it effectively, however, is not always easy. One good example is making your Facebook Fan Page set up.

Setting up a Facebook Fan Page for your business is important. Setting it up correctly so it will get noticed and generate leads and sales can be a daunting task. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

What to post on your Facebook Fan Page:

• Company overview and bio

• Website address and contact information

• Press releases and media coverage

• Promotional videos or mission statement video

• Your blog RSS feed

• Company Twitter updates

• Company and industry news

• Customer interaction

Once you have mapped out the info you are going to include on the page, it is time to put it all together into a page your business can be proud of.

How to customize your Facebook Fan Page:

You do not want your fan page to look generic. You want it to reflect your business identity and personality. You can use an application called Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) that will allow you to apply HTML to the page. This will give you the ability to make your Facebook Fan Page match the style of your website which helps you to strengthen your brand.

Don't forget your sidebar and tabs. The tabs are similar to site navigation and you can add things like your newsletter, your products page, donations, etc. Your sidebar is an excellent place to put your email opt-in form since gathering leads is important to your business. You may also want to place a featured product or even an affiliate product in your sidebar. Facebook FBML will allow you to have a wide variety of options to customize your fan page.

Using Facebook Applications on your fan page:

Facebook Applications, or Facebook Apps as they are commonly referred to, can make your fan page a fun and interactive experience for your visitors. Apps are small bits of software that are developed specifically for use on the site. By engaging your customers, you will give them a reason to come back time and again or to share the experience with their friends. This is one way to make your page go viral.

There are some free Apps available as well as premium Apps and if you have the budget for it, you can even have your own customized application developed. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to developing creative ways to interact with and engage your customers.

Remember the reasoning behind your Facebook Fan Page set up . You want more customers. Keep this in mind when you are setting up the page and make it as individual as your business is. Set yourself apart from the competition by making the fan page one that customers will want to visit and participate in.