More and more businesses are seeing the importance of creating profiles on social networking sites these days. It's no longer just about having a great website; huge companies are now directing people to their facebook pages- rather than their websites- because they realize the high ROI associated with social networking sites.

In this article, I'll give you step by step instructions on how to create a facebook fan page for your business.

1. Come up with a great page name

The facebook page name that you choose is one of the most important parts in this process. Here's why:

• It's the first thing people will see when they arrive at your page.

• It's how people will find you when searching. (It's best to use either the company name, great keywords, or a mixture of both)

• It can't be changed. Once you create your fan page, facebook does not allow page name changes so make sure it's good- because you'll be stuck with it. =)

2. Upload a profile picture

This is the first thing facebook users will see, so make sure it's a photo that will make a lasting impression. For business fan pages, try incorporating a logo into the profile picture, posting an employee of the month photo, or uploading a picture that relates to your industry. Choose wisely because your profile picture truly says a lot about you (as noted in my article ‘What your profile picture says about you').

• The thumbnail is also a significant aspect, especially if you have included your logo as part of your facebook picture. Once you have uploaded a profile photo, scroll over it and click the little pencil to the right of ‘change picture'. Choose ‘edit thumbnail' from the drop down menu to position your thumbnail exactly how you want it to appear.

3. Fill out your profile info

Update your company address, hours, bio, website, etc. This is a vital part of setting up your facebook fan page because this is how users will learn about your company.

4. Fill out the ‘Write something about yourself' section

This is a step that a lot of people forget; this section is located to the left and underneath your profile photo. It's best to include a short description about what your company does and always include your website address in that box. Make sure to use www. or http:// in front of your web address so that it become a clickable link, making it easy for users to be directed to your site. (See an example of this on Hudson Horizons' fan page)

5. Suggest the page to all of your friends

Once you fill out your profile, suggest the page to all of your friends to begin growing your fan base. (The ‘suggest to friends' button can be found underneath the profile photo.)

6. Set up a custom URL

Once your fan base reaches 25, congratulations, you can now set up your custom Facebook URL. In this step you must also choose carefully because this cannot be changed once it's created.

7. Create a photo gallery

Upload employee photos, industry event photos, product photos, etc. The type of photos you post will depend on the type of business you run, but creating photo galleries is a great way to show people who you are, what you do, and anything else you want the facebook world to know about your company.

I hope this facebook fan page tutorial gets you off to a good start in the facebook community.