Okay, so you’ve seen the jaw-dropping statistics: Facebook now has more than 400 million users, and it’s still growing. If it were a country, it would be the third largest. Half of all users log in on any given day. The average user spend nearly an hour per day on the site. It’s either the first or second-most visited site on the web (swapping places with Google, depending on the day). So despite the site’s questionable value for business, particularly in the b2b realm, marketers can’t afford to ignore it. If your company wants to be where the action is in social media, you need a presence on Facebook.

Here in some of the best blog posts and articles about using Facebook for marketing from the past year, get tips on creating a compelling page for your company, attracting fans (or “likes”), and learning from the experience of successful brands on Facebook.

4 Reasons Why Marketers Should Choose Facebook Pages Over Facebook Groups by Inside Facebook

Jessica Lee explains the advantages of Facebook Pages for businesses, including rich analytics and increased links for SEO benefit.

The Super Simple Guide to Setting Up Your First Company Facebook Page Without Blowing a Gasket – Part One by Search Engine Guide

***** 5 Stars
With a title like that, you know it’s got to be a great post. In her own entertaining and inimitable style, Jennifer Laycock walks through the process of setting up a basic company page on Facebook, plus links to posts covering more advanced next steps.

5 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Marketing by iMedia Connection

Frequent best-of contributor Daniel Flamberg advises Facebook marketers on strategy, style and tactics for success, such as how to craft effective content: “huge numbers of users come to Facebook to fill time gaps, relieve boredom or catch up on friends and family. Your content has to fit into that mindset to be successful.”

10 Successful Facebook Business Pages by Penn Olson

Willis Wee showcases 10 examples of Facebook brand success, from Ben & Jerry’s and Starbucks to FML and Red Bull.

10 practical tips for Facebook fan pages by iMedia Connection

Carnet Williams provides valuable tips for Facebook marketing success, such as establishing your strategy in advance, providing a stream of fresh content, and giving your audience a reason to become fans.

Learn Facebook Page SEO Mastery In 7 Easy Steps by All Facebook

Nick O’Neill offers SEO tips for increasing the prominence of your company’s Facebook page and website in search.

Tips To Get People To Join Your Facebook Fan Page by Small Business Trends

The brilliant Lisa Barone outlines a strategy to convert your Facebook fans from “passive observers to a full-blown brand evangelists.”

The Big Money Facebook 50 by Slate

Brief summaries of the 50 most popular brands on Facebook, and their approaches for achieving that success.

Alert! Facebook Pages Are Changing: Are You Ready? by MediaPost Online Media Daily

Michael Lazerow walks through the details and implications for marketers of several design changes implemented by Facebook late last year and early this year, such as the increasing importance of applications.