In today's society, we use the internet in a number of ways. You use it to find love, friends, jobs and now to promote your business. Keeping up with marketing trends is at the top of every business owner's list. The classic fliers and business cards aren't going anywhere, but using the Internet as a marketing strategy gets the word out about your business faster and allows you to reach a larger crowd of potential clients. If you haven't caught on to the virtual social network phenomenon known as Facebook, read on to learn what it can do for your business.

Connect Your Business to the World

Whether you have been in business for years or are a new business owner, Facebook promoting can benefit you. It allows you to constantly keep clients connected with your business via instant posts, viewable to all of your fans and friends on your business's Facebook page. Having a sale or special promotion? Posting it to your Facebook page will get the message out there quickly and to a number of individuals from all over the world. It's much easier than sending out emails or posting fliers.

Social networking works because it allows you to build a customer base on a whole new level. It makes it more personal and your business more reachable. Are you ready to set up a Facebook account and upgrade your business? It just takes a few simple steps:

• Visit the Facebook website home page
• Find the page for business accounts and click "create a page"
• Pick a category for your business based on the type of business it is or the products you sell
• Fill out the template with all of your business's information and click "Publish this page"

All done! Welcome to the world of Facebook and social networking.

Manage your Facebook Business Page

The key to successfully promoting your business is to continue doing so. The same holds true in the world of social networking. It takes time and dedication to build up a fan base. Respond to customer's messages, and if you wish, allow them to post feedback for your business directly on your Facebook page. Always keep your page fresh by updating it at least once a week. Enlist help with this if necessary; assign someone from your business to Facebook promotion duty. Others can't be interested in your business if you don't seem to be. So once you hop on the social networking wagon don't fall off!

Don't Abuse your Facebook Business Page

Your Facebook business page is a great tool, but like most, it can be abused. A few things to never do with your account are:

• Get too social; remain professional and never let family or non-business friends befriend you on your business account (create a separate, personal account for that)
• Post pictures that are irrelevant to your business
• Spam; no one likes getting spam; let people interested in your business come to you. If their profile suggests they are someone who may be interested in your business's product or services, send them a friend request

Have fun as you promote your business and others will get interested. Much success in your social networking!