Let’s be real, Facebook is blowing up. And by blowing up I mean it’s the bee’s knees, the cat’s pajamas, the…well…you get the idea. Facebook is the place to be if you want to meet thousands, potentially millions of customers real fast and real cheap. Starting an account is free and super easy. What more could you ask for?

But, it’s not just about starting an account and slapping your logo in the ‘profile picture,’ it’s about knowing how to play the Facebook game to your business advantage. Here’s the skinny: when you boil it down Facebook, and other social media outlets like Twitter and LinkedIn, are all opportunities to provide an extension of superb customer relationship management. It’s like the person who answers your office phone – but online. Your interactions on Facebook are just as important - and quite frankly, maybe even more important – than some of your other client touch points. Facebook is viral; one good review could very easily lead to thousands of good reviews.

Here are some key pointers to keep your business’ Facebook page a-rockin:’

Create Discussion Topics – Keep your Fans coming back by creating discussion topics. Hint: choosing a topic that causes people to take sides is a fast way to get a great discussion going. Just be careful here because you’ll want to keep it light and enjoyable for all those engaged in the discussion.

Ask Questions – Similar to discussion topics, posting questions to your wall is a great way to get people talking. I suggest keeping questions relevant to your brand, products, or services. In some cases you can pull questions out of interesting articles. Here’s a great example of a question that is directly related to the products that Herbivore Clothing Company carries. Asking for Fan’s input is a great idea (so far, there are a total of 78 responses to this question):

Talk Back – As I mentioned earlier, treat your Facebook account as an extension of your customer service capabilities. Your business will be judged on this platform so don’t sit around and wait for things to happen – or worse, for people to get angry. When your Fans post comments or questions to your wall, to your discussion topics, or to your photos, be sure to talk back. Answer their questions and create dialogue. That’s why Facebook exists in the first place. Well, for that and stalking, of course. Don’t lie; you know we all do it.

Post Relevant Articles – There might be some days where you’re just plum out of ideas for discussion topics or questions. But don’t worry, there is a wealth of veg-related information on the Internet today. Veg blogs alone make up a huge portion of veg information that hits it big with online communities. If you’ve got a few favorite blogs and they’re up your business’ alley, feel free to share their posts with your Fans every now and then. It’s not only a good way to keep your fans in the loop on what you dig, it’s also a great way to show support for your favorite bloggers and other businesses. Think of this as a networking method built into your everyday social media management.

Host Contests/Giveaways – Everyone really does love free stuff and a great way to generate engagement while nurturing a happy Fan base is to host contests and giveaways. These can be directly from your business – or perhaps you’re helping another business or friend promote their contest. All-in-all, you can never go wrong here – unless of course you’re hosting a contest more than twice a month. That might be seen as spammy and you’ll overwhelm your Fans to the point where they just might ignore you after a while. So don’t do that.

ModCloth constantly wows and inspires me with their creative contests. Check out this super cool Blast from the Past! ModYearbook Contest:

Encourage Interaction – Aren’t all of the above pointers ways of creating interaction, you ask? Why yes, as a matter of fact they are. But there are even more ways that you can encourage your Fans to interact with your page; like customizing your page with widgets, newsletter sign ups, adding unique ‘tabs’ at the top of your page, and – my favorite – posting pictures. People want to know what’s up, especially with places that they give money to or support for any reason. Be a bit more transparent by posting pictures of company outings, team events, or everyday nonsense – all things that make your business unique.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has a very nice customized tab for their annual Taking Action for Animals event:

Set Expectations – It’s understandable that you, or whomever you have managing your Facebook account, might not be able to post 24/7. Therefore it’s important to set expectations as to the frequency of posts (Monday-Friday, every other day, or only evenings or weekends), as well as how you’ll respond (to every single comment made or only to specific questions). By setting these expectations you’re making it easier for your Fans to interact with your page. It’s a definite no-no to post and comment infrequently and without warrant. Again, Facebook is another form of customer service. Use it in a smart way to let your Fans know how often and when they can rely on you for information and answers.

And as a quick note, please know that you don’t actually have to state on your Facebook page what your availability is. Simply by being consistent with your posts and answers, you’ll be setting the stage.

Monitor Your Stats – All of the above suggestions are great but relatively meaningless unless you know how much of an impact they’re having on your Fan base. Thankfully, Facebook makes monitoring your stats pretty easy. They will send weekly updates to the email address that the account is linked to. They also provide you with an ‘insights page’ showing the types of Fans that you have. It’s pretty great!

I know this all seems like a lot to remember but trust me, after a few weeks of managing the account it becomes easy peasy. It’s also a real fun way learn more about your Fans and like-minded businesses that are also on Facebook.

This statement from techipidia wraps it up nicely: “Good customer service is good social media marketing.”

I found techipidia an excellent resource for learning how to use Facebook and social media in general to a business advantage; here are some other super useful posts from them:

How to Create The Perfect Facebook Fan Page
How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing

Kristin Lajeunesse is the Social Media Manager for Vegan Mainstream. Catch up with her on Twitter @veganmainstream today!