If you’re a businessperson looking to create some type of online presence to take advantage of the quickly growing (and already massive!) Internet market, then perhaps your first step should be to create a Facebook brand page. Now, a lot of people still like to pretend that Facebook isn’t number-one in every category that matters. They still preach about Twitter and LinkedIn and other networks.

Okay. So, you can create other pages, too; nothing’s there to stop you. In fact, it’s recommended that you build up a social network if you plan on participating in social networking. It’s a great thing for your brand. But just remember that Facebook shouldn’t be neglected. It’s the biggest social media site in existence, and it’s at the top of the heap for quite a few good reasons.

So, before you build a page and start developing posts and ads for Facebook, take a few minutes to understand exactly why you should be creating a brand page. Then you’ll understand the importance of social networking by understanding just how massive, connected and appealing a site like Facebook is.

5 Reasons to Create a Facebook Brand Page

1: Facebook Connects to Everything/Everything Connects to Facebook

Well, for sticklers out there, “everything” may not be a literal truth. But in terms of things social-minded people do online, Facebook shares a connection with them all. From blogging and using YouTube to checking-in with Foursquare or pinning a Pinterest, Facebook can interlink everything. That also goes for your Google, Twitter, etc, etc. Essentially, Facebook can act as your marketing hub, driving traffic effectively to and from any destination. It’s a very innovative, well connected site.

2: People Spend Huge Chunks of Time on Facebook

As of 2012, the average Facebook user was spending six hours and thirty-three minutes on the site every month, according to ComScore. The next closest social networking competitor? Tumblr., coming in at a meager (in comparison) one hour thirty-eight minutes per month. And the people who are browsing Facebook aren’t just flippantly clicking through memes and ex-girlfriends’ statuses. They’re sharing material, liking posts, commenting, following people and brands, and engaging with multiple aspects of the site.

3: The Audience is Tremendous, and Still Growing

This is a statistic that’s impossible to ignore. Facebook has around one billion users. That’s a 1, followed by 9 zeroes. And that is an amazing amount of people; roughly 14% of the entire planet’s population. Just imagine how Facebook is going to look in 2023, a quick ten years down the road. Then think of how the Internet used to look 2003, ten years previous. Yeah… wow. A brand wishing to be successful and to reach a mobile, active audience needs a Facebook presence to compete.

4: On Facebook, Sharing is Caring

One of the most appealing aspects for a Facebook user, the ability to share, is also one of the best things that could happen for a brand using the site. People love to use Facebook in order to share interesting material with their friends. Some also love to search specifically for sharable material or specifically for helpful material. For a brand offering high-quality, relevant material to your niche, your material is far more likely to be shared. This is free advertising, increased exposure, and potentially a much higher total ROI all from playing into the social context of the site.

5: Facebook is a Tool of Emotional Provocation

As a brand, you’re undoubtedly searching for the right audience for your Facebook ad. As basic social users, however, most of Facebook’s audience is looking for something else. They’re emotionally drawn to Facebook in a lot of cases, taking seriously the opportunities to post status updates, to air grievances, to interact with friends, etc. This works out well for you if you can only put your brand in their face in such a way that you cater to their needs. The audience isn’t going to seek you out, but if you can seek it out, the click-happy, engaging nature of the Facebook user will take over.

Time and again statistics show that Facebook is the biggest thing in social media, yet a lot of brands don’t quite understand how to harness the power of the site. It all starts with understanding why people use Facebook and what you can offer to someone using the site. Figure that out, you can build a thorough audience that remains highly engaged.