If you’re one of the many Facebook users using your personal profile instead of a Facebook page to promote your small business, you’re actually violating one of Facebook’s terms of service: “You will not use your personal timeline primarily for your own commercial gain, and will use a Facebook Page for such purposes.” Even if it wasn’t in violation of Facebook’s terms of service, you still wouldn’t want to do this. That’s because a Facebook page offers a number of advantages over a personal profile.

Facebook pages allow administrators of the page to see how people are interacting with the page to gain valuable insight into how they can make their page more effective. Facebook pages also provide administrators with various tools to help potential customers connect with them. Now that you’re convinced that you actually need a dedicated Facebook page for your small business, here are some tips for making it better.

Stay active

If you aren’t regularly creating new posts or responding to people who comment on posts or write on the page’s wall, it’s not going to show up in people’s newsfeeds. If you don’t regularly check in your page can eventually be made invisible to Facebook users. People who “like” your page won’t see activity in their newsfeeds regarding your page and they may forget all about it. If you can’t dedicate the time, you may want to consider someone part- or full-time to manage the Facebook page and other social media accounts.

Provide good content

Content marketing is inextricably connected to social media marketing. People “like” and “follow” your business’s page because they get value or enjoyment out of the things you’re posting. To gain and keep a good following for your Facebook page, it’s not enough to regularly post stuff, it has to be good stuff that offers real value to your target audience.

Provide varied content

You can use your Facebook page for more than just text and photos. Try experimenting with producing and sharing video content to your Facebook page. You can also use your page to share polls, gather feedback or insight into your customers, and hold contests or giveaways.

Pay attention to metrics

The number of “likes,” shares, and comments you’re getting on the things you post are good indicators of how well-received your posts are. But there are other metrics as well. You can use various tools that are included with having a Facebook page to see user activity on your page. Use this in combination with the previous suggestion of sharing various kinds of content to see which kinds of posts create the best reaction.

Use the profile photo, cover photo, and “about” section to your advantage

Using generic, boring photos for the profile or cover and neglecting your “about” section are big mistakes. These are often the first things people look at when they stumble upon your page. Your profile picture can be your company logo or a picture of a popular product you sell. Your cover photo can include text such as a call to action. Your “about” section is a great place to introduce potential customers to your business in a memorable way.

Help people find your Facebook page

Use existing marketing channels to build a following. SMS (or text message) marketing is an especially effective channel since the majority of the time people spend on Facebook is via mobile app and not desktop computer. You can occasionally send out a text to your customers that links them to your Facebook page. You might consider offering some kind of incentive for people who “like” your page.