A Facebook Fan Page is one of three things considered essential if you want to develop a successful online presence. But many people assume that just creating a fan page is all they need to do. Life any successful component to online networking, a fan page takes diligence and work.

A Landing Page is the first thing you need. This page acts as a call to action to anyone who visits your page. You should never assume that someone who visits your page will automatically like it. You do need to understand that this page will only come up automatically when someone isn’t a fan of your page. That is a Facebook requirement.

A Memorable Avatar should be next on your list. If your fan page is for a specific book, the avatar should be your book cover. If it’s your author page, you’ll want to provide an up-to-date picture of yourself.

A Well Thought-out Description of your fan page is also essential to your page’s success. You do this by editing your page’s basic information.

Invite Your Friends. This may sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at the number of people who skip this step.

A Facebook Gadget on Your Primary Website. It’s important for people to be able to find your page and like your page from your website or blog. You can create a Facebook button for your website easily and quickly by clicking on the edit page button on your Facebook fan page. Then choose resources from the menu on the left side of the page and click social plug-ins.

Add Updates to Twitter Automatically. This will also increase your page’s visibility. To do this you again click on the edit page button on your Facebook fan page, choose resources and then link your page to Twitter.

Update Your Page Frequently. Take a few minutes each day to update your page and be sure you answer any comments you get.

All of these seven things will help build your Facebook fan base, but with anything it does take a little time. One way to speed up the process is to join groups that promote members and encourage reciprocal relationships.

Edie Melson is a freelance writer and editor with over 16 years experience in the publishing industry. She’s a prolific writer, publishing over 700 articles in 2010. She also has a popular writing blog, The Write Conversation and is a frequent contributor to many others. In keeping up with the leading edge of all things digital Edie has become known as one of the go-to experts on Twitter, Facebook, and social media for writers wanting to learn how to plug in. Her bestselling eBook on this subject, Social Media Marketing for Writers, is available on Kindle and Nook.

As a sought after writing instructor, her heart to help others define and reach their dreams has connected her with writers all over the country. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and Southwest Christian Writers Studio, as well as a popular faculty member at numerous others. Edie is also the Assistant Acquisitions Editor for ChristianDevotions.us.

Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home, is Edie’s latest project. This devotional book for those with family members in the military will debut on Veterans Day, 2011.

She’s a member of numerous professional writing organizations, including the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, The Christian Pen, The Christian Writer’s View I and American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s also an assistant copy editor for the Voices E-zine, a publication of My Book Therapy and a part of the My Book Therapy Special Teams Blog and The Social Media Coach for the My Book Therapy Core Team www.mybooktherapy.com.

Married 30 years to her high school sweetheart, Kirk, they have raised three sons.