Despite the privacy backlash Facebook is receiving many businesses still believe that the popular social networking website is still prime location for promotion. But why are businesses relying on Facebook—and what can they actually get from Mark Zuckerberg’s creation?

Instant connections

For one thing, Facebook allows big brands to have an instant connection with their market. Nike, for instance, has over two million pages as part of its Facebook fan page. Forever 21, a retail clothing store, is also straddling within that figure. These numbers are hard to ignore despite the privacy rap Facebook has had of late.

Facebook has over 100 million users based in North America, almost one-third of its 350 million overall members, according to Socialmediaexaminer.com. That’s a lot of engagement especially when you factor in the how members share information with each other with a click of a button. This makes Facebook a prime venue for social marketing.

The key to developing a successful Facebook marketing strategy is to inspire a connection. Hard sell never works, especially on the internet. “Facebook is a place to make connections, not to buy products and services,” wrote CNN.com. Facebook should be used to inform, not to sell. It is all about engagement marketing.

Facebook Fan Pages

A Facebook marketing campaign requires a lot of hard work. As the CNN reporter wrote, a Facebook fan page for a business is not like a billboard or a poster as it doesn’t work unless the business tries to engage the network. This is true for smaller businesses that also need to engage to create brand awareness.

When Facebook pages are used like ads, they lose their charm. They also fail to attract users. Again, according to an article in the Socialmediaexaminer.com, a Facebook user only “fans” around two pages per month. This puts responsibility on the business to work at engaging fans.

An effective Facebook marketing strategy is for a business to offer something to their Facebook fans in order to attract engagement. According to Adage.com, the official Facebook page of Starbucks (which boasts over five million fans)  allows for user interaction as well as engagement with other Starbucks social media venues.

Privacy concerns

Should businesses be concerned over the privacy issues? While they do exist, PCWorld says entrepreneurs and business owners have nothing to worry about. There is only a small fraction of users who are leaving the networking website. Overall membership continues to rise.

“Facebook is not sinking–its going full steam ahead with or without you,” PCWorld.com reported.