Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform in the world! And, its popularity doesn’t stop with consumers. In fact, Facebook fan pages have emerged as ‘the lifeline’ to a business’s consumers and prospects. Therefore, businesses seeking to cultivate qualified B2B leads must not only establish a Facebook presence, but learn how to cultivate their communities.

Here are a few tips that will guide you as you build or expand your Facebook community:

• Read Facebook’s Official Rules and Guidelines– While this seems a bit basic, it is critical that your organization understand how not only to best utilize the platform’s functionality, but which actions may not be acceptable under their guidelines (i.e. contests that reward fans for liking pictures or products).
• Clearly Define your Business’s Purpose– State your organization’s purpose, including your vision and mission in a manner that is easily understood by your page visitors. In addition, outline any guidelines for posting on your Wall or commenting on corporate postings to set parameters for online communication.
• Provide Contact Information– Be sure to provide updated corporate contact information for various departments of interest on your Facebook group or fan page. Provide your mailing address, telephone numbers and email addresses for key contact professionals.
• Provide Helpful Information– Post original content as well as aggregated content that offers answers to common industry questions, news updates and stories, product reviews and information and anything other you deem of value to your ideal B2B leads.
• Interact with your Audience– Post relevant content on a regular basis. Comment on postings, respond to your follower’s commentary or questions and be sure not to only post promotional material, as this is a quick way to turn qualified leads in the other direction. Leading organizations post at least 3-5 times per week initially, with the goal to post several times per day once enough content becomes available and a routine becomes established. When you stay in front of your target audience, you are more likely to convert leads into customers.

In addition to focusing on building value for your followers, there are a few things to avoid, including:

• Profanity or offensive language
• Direct attacks on business competitors
• Discriminatory comments
• Aggressive personal promotion (It is completely acceptable to offer discounts, coupons and incentives on an occasional basis, but this shouldn’t be the only thing your organization posts)
• Content that violates any copyright or intellectual property rights

Establishing a Facebook community for your business will not only help your organization upsell to your current customers, but can help cultivate additional qualified B2B leads that will become clients over time.