Never consider Facebook to be "just a social networking site". It’s not just for people looking for friends or relationships- it’s also a powerful tool for businesses. Business advertisement may seem like it would cost money but the secret is that you can use Facebook to advertise for free! Although Facebook does include paid advertising applications, you can also utilize the free features by making your business accessible to people through it.

Saving for a marketing investment is always a good idea. This is particularly true now since Facebook has such a massive user base. Facebook is a low cost but highly effective way to promote your business. Advertising with Facebook "fan pages" is completely free of charge.. Facebook’s CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per permission) features are also extremely powerful tools for attracting customers and building your business. CPC and CPM do cost a bit of money but they are well worth their weight given the return you can expect.

Another free method of advertising through Facebook is to create a group for your business. This allows millions of people to publically "like" your business and keep up to date with your offers, messages, and public information. This may take some time and getting used to but it will be well worth the effort to set up and, given that it’s free, it has already paid for itself.

There are many applications designed for use by small businesses. NetworkedBlogs, Contests, Promotions, SlideShare, ShopTab and Surveys are tools designed to help you make the most of your marketing investment. Making use of these applications is almost certainly in your best interest and should be given the utmost consideration. If you are able, try all of the above. You can do a lot of things with Facebook, such as showing off your blog. Making your blog accessible on Facebook gives people an easy way to find it and access it. As for the contests, utilizing the "fan page" to launch branded contests can entice people visit your business site and put them in a position to advertise for you.

Enjoy Facebook and make use of its applications to make the most of your business!