With a Facebook page setup to promote your brand, you might have managed to gain a few "Likes" and thus build that following you're looking to utilize in Facebook.  The big fear at this point would be those same fans "Unliking" you as fast as you gained them.  So how do you keep those fans?

This third and final part of my series on promoting your brand with Facebook is going to dive into the key idea of social media: engagement.  What you do here not only will keep your current fans, but also help in the efforts you make to gain new ones.  People want to follow ideas and brands they not only believe, but feel they can gain some kind of benefit from.  You must build your brand to be a benefit.

In part one of this series, we explored whether or not you as a business entity should even bother with Facebook or not. Some businesses can benefit greatly from a strong presence on Facebook while others might not see any change in their bottom line. For those who made the decision to make Facebook a priority, I then explained why you should use a Page and not a Profile in displaying your brand.

OK, you have your page set up and branded. Now what? How do you get people to like you and thus follow you? How can we go from zero to 100, 1000, or 10,000? This part will hopefully set your brain motion on possible avenues you can try to build your following. I won't say they're full proof, but they again are proven practices that give results.

Facebook has been around since 2003, but what started simply as a MySpace alternative solely for students has become the epicenter of the online lives of millions of people. Like any online system, companies want to utilize the gathering of people to market and promote their brands. Thankfully Facebook has built a rather robust means for brands to set themselves up, gather followers, and drive their message home.

Unfortunately, while some large players can afford to hire highly-paid "experts" to utilize the site, most businesses are flying blind on how to really use Facebook. This article is the start of a three-part guide on how you might be able to effectively use Facebook to promote your brand and/or business. I do not claim to be the ultimate expert, but I'm sharing proven practices that anyone can try.

Last week, Groupon.com took their company public and made yet another billionaire story in the tech world. It could make a big statement on how daily deal sites are a new gold mine and the push for bigger players like Facebook and Google to try their hand in it speaks volumes.

Unfortunately, there has been a darker side of the daily deal sites that's starting to pop up on blogs like TechCrunch. While consumers are lavishing in a large choice of discounted meals, fitness classes, and merchandise, more stories about the businesses not faring well in these daily deals are making some speculate if the daily deal will die as fast as it started.

I was originally going to basically state my findings and concerns, but solutions are a better ideology. I still think daily deal sites can be a boost to businesses if done correctly, and thus I've come up with some ideas on how to make the most of that daily deal, so you get more bang for your buck.

With every economic downturn comes an abundance of labor for the few jobs available, and some employers utilize the work scarcity to find ways to save on payroll. In my own searches for freelance side work, I encounter loads of openings that are either labeled "internships" or "ideal for students".

I've seen enough unemployed folk complain to know that something isn't always right when a typical full-time spot is now being pushed as an internship or student work, but it is a buyer's market. I more want to push the idea of why cheaper isn't always better when it comes to website labor.

When I and many other designers were shown this now infamous comic from TheOatmeal.com, we all more or less rolled our eyes and affirmed at how much truth was depicted.  Like it or not, literally every designer has fallen into this scenario.  What starts off as a simple gig with a good pay can and will turn into a royal drama where we as professionals end up having to protect the client from himself.

How much creative control should you have as a client?  At what point should you step back and contemplate on if your suggestions are helping or hurting the bottom line?  The goal here today isn't to insult you or make you feel small, but to build a real understanding on giving and taking creative direction.  On how to become a team player with your hired designer as opposed to their worst nightmare.