Facebook Fans

Getting Facebook friends is simple. You add people you know, they accept you, and you go about your life with no one really being affected . Getting Facebook fans however is a whole different story. It is almost like fishing. You need to hook, line, and sink. You need to target who exactly you want your audience to be. Depending on the business, it will vary. Then once you have decided upon your target audience you need to reel them in, like a fish. Sell your product. Get the reason out there as to why your business would interest them and why it is the best for them. 
Your Facebook business page needs to be entertaining. Nobody likes going to a Facebook page that's more plain that vanilla ice cream. You need to accessorize. Throw some rainbow sprinkles on it! Add pictures, updates, facts, give a ways, contests, jokes, etc. Whatever it takes to attract your audience and have them keep coming back for more. The more times your Facebook page is clicked, the more likely your consumers will want to use your business.
Businessinsider.com gives 6 helpful tips on how to get people to "Like" your business page. They are:
1) Make people want to click the "Like" button. 
2) Increasing the number of posts doesn't necessarily correlate to the amount of interaction on your page.
3) Promote your page but not TOO much
4) Use EdgeRank to your advantage
5) Be authentic
6) Don't sell, compel
What is meant by all this? To get people to actually hit the "Like" button, you need to talk to your customers rather than at them. Make them feel like they are being directly spoken to and are not just another face in the Facebook crowd. Also, don't just post something for the sake of posting something. It has to be relevant and relate to the business. Timing is also key. You do not want to post important information at 10pm at night. No one is going to see it nor be interested. Do not push your customers by constantly shoving your product down their throat. Throw it out there, and let them come to you.Give them a reason to want to use your business or buy your product. EdgeRank is also a good tool to have when using a Facebook business page. "EdgeRank is Facebook's own algorithm which determines which posts are viewed most frequently and at a higher priority. "If a user understands how EdgeRank works, he or she will be able benefit greatly from the algorithm. A brand can see how often its target demographic visits a page, and which times are better for posting, in order to achieve the highest response rate. With EdgeRank, a business can see which content is most engaging and which content they need to improve on." (www.businessinsider.com) And lastly, be yourself. Use one voice, and make it your own. This will make customers feel comfortable with you and create a trusted bond between business and consumer. 
Most importantly I think is to have fun with it! A serious Facebook page is never one that people visit a lot. Just because something is fun doesn't make it unprofessional. You are more likely to create more fans by being outgoing and spontaneous than boring and "business like". Facebook is about creating relationships, and to create relationships you have to be outgoing!

Sites:

• http://www.businessinsider.com/five-tips-on-optimizing-likeability-on-your-facebook-business-page-2012-6 
• https://blackboard.unh.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_19_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_137925_1%26url%3D