If you own a small business that you promote with a website and/or blog, you might also be using social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook to build your online presence as well as your network. If you are using Facebook for your business, they usually recommend you create a Group or “fan” Page instead of a personal profile. However, one strategy that might be more effective for network building is to first create a profile for yourself, then create either a group or a fan page, possibly both.

Why? Well if you have a personal profile and want to build your network, one way is to create a Note that reveals something about yourself, and then tag some Facebook friends. The idea is to get them to repeat the process by revealing themselves in their own copy of the note (on their personal Facebook profile) and in turn tag some of their friends. If your initial note is interesting enough, it could spread around and result in additional friend requests for you personally. The more people that are in your personal Facebook network, the more people there are who will likely see your Group or Fan Page’s status updates on your Wall (and their stream). If you apply this strategy regularly, it can boost members to your Group or Page.

Nick O’Neill at All Facebook describes a process for creating such notes for Facebook, and how this applies to a small business’ web presence. Just keep in mind that if you push your business facet on your personal Facebook profile notes, it could backfire. There’s a balance of personal and brand aspects that may take time to achieve.