Facebook’s U.S. Politics page offers advice that all types of page administrators can benefit from, not just those that are working the social networking platform during the 2012 election cycle.

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Facebook’s subscribe button can really help a social marketer get ahead. Here’s how to use it to your advantage.
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Installing Facebook’s comments plugin on your website or blog can boost traffic and make it easier to moderate discussions.

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People continue to debate when is the best time of day and day of week to post on Facebook, but I usually take findings on this with a grain of salt.

I tell people not to get to bogged down with timing as they would be much better served focusing on creating engaging content that is likely to elicit likes, comments, and shares.

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Coverage of the 2012 Republican primaries is relying on Facebook to improve stories about the issues, the candidates and the voters.

Political scribes, voters, news junkies and activists are using social media to seamlessly interact with the campaigns and the candidates, share behind-the scenes flavor with readers and gauge how voters are reacting to events in the news cycle.

It’s not unlike what major brands and commerce sites on Facebook are doing to encourage engagement with fans.

The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank,  has a few Facebook tips that political reporters can use as they cover the 2012 elections.

But really, these are general tips that anyone with a Facebook presence can employ to maximize their exposure and boost interaction with their key audiences.

Review Facebook Ads

A look at a candidate’s Facebook ads is a lesson in how the campaign is targeting local voters.

Republican presidential candidates are using multiple Facebook advertising tools to micro-target specific demographic groups.

Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty used sponsored stories. Romney and Rick Perry have developed applications that supporters can download.

Use Facebook Search

Use Facebook’s search tool to quickly gauge what voters, activists or campaigns are saying about developing news and events.

Read Facebook Fan Pages

Members of Congress are using Facebook and Facebook fan pages in myriad ways to share their views on specific legislation, engage with constituents in their district, or even document their votes on bills.

Reviewing the information shared on Facebook is one way to determine how transparent and accessible a candidate is.

Identify Sources

Review a candidate’s Facebook page, as well as the pages of political groups and causes, to find engaged supporters who may be willing to speak with you.

Facebook has become a great way for candidates to identify highly enthusiastic supporters.

For example, Jon Huntsman, developed a top supporters program on Facebook, that ranks and rewards his most ardent fans.

Notice Facebook Updates

Buzz for major campaign announcements is often created on sites such as Facebook.

Tim Pawlenty used a Facebook town hall to announce his exploratory committee.

And Poynter notes that, days before Rick Perry announced his presidency, he began updating his Facebook bio and interests.

Engage With News Hounds

Journalists and their employers ought to enable the subscribe feature and post links to stories.

Consider live streaming your election night coverage or other political programming, as CBS News and NBC News have done.

Our Election Tracker

Of course, journalists should remember our Election Tracker 2012, which offers a constantly updated look at the Facebook status of the presidential contenders, members of Congress and state government leaders.

Can you think of any other Facebook tips that  can improve 2012 election coverage?

Facebook’s newest opportunity for viral marketing: Once users grant an Open Graph app or website persistent publishing permission, their activity is published to the tickers of friends and the user’s own timeline.
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The Facebook page Jesus Daily generates an incredible amount of engagement, especially compared to pages with much higher fan counts.

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The people who complain the most about privacy on Facebook tend to know the least about the ever-growing array of security options available on the site.

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Are you or your employer new to social media or relationship marketing? Here’s your chance to get up to speed, with the following excerpt from the first chapter of Mari Smith’s new book The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web.

To help you get started with social media marketing, let’s use the acronym P.O.S.T., a concept developed by Forrester Research.

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One of the reasons luxury brands are, well, luxurious, has to do with the fact that they are exclusive. As a result, some worry that Facebook deomocratizes things to the point of sacrificing exclusivity. However, that doesn’t have to be the case if you do your marketing right.

1. Make It Elegant And Creative

Because you are a luxury brand, you need to maintain that image throughout your marketing campaign. Even the affluent are on Facebook, and you need to make sure that you engage them there.

However, you don’t want to have your image associated with second-rate digital marketing. Because you are exclusive, that means you have higher standards.

The design of your Facebook page, the videos you post on Facebook, and the Facebook ads you create must all be of highest quality. What you do digitally must be imbued with as much elegance and creativity as you would use for an ad in a high-end glossy.

Remember: You only maintain your luxurious and exclusive image if you can keep it online as well. Think of Facebook as the new high-end glossy.

2. Interact With Aspirational Consumers

One of the great ways to grow your brand, while maintaining your exclusivity, is to focus on the people who want to buy your products, but can’t.

You can create Facebook ads that appear on the accounts of those who are likely to be interested.

Even if they can’t purchase your products, there are a number of people who will like your ad or your product — just to be associated with the cachet afforded by your brand.

Encourage these types of interactions, and your brand will spread. However, you will still only available to a small group of consumers.

3. Control Your Image

Even as you encourage more people to associate with your brand, you need to maintain some measure of control. Ask consumers to submit their own stories, photos and videos — then select which ones to display on the page.

Encourage high quality submissions by being choosy. You can further develop your reputation for exclusivity by making it known that you will only feature submissions of good quality.

This reinforces the fact that you are luxury brand, and allows you to vet interactions with aspirational consumers.

Digital marketing can be a great thing, but you don’t want it to get away from you to the point where you lose control of your brand image.

4. Keep it Fresh

One of the cardinal rules of any digital marketing is that you have to keep it fresh. As a luxury brand using Facebook, it’s especially important that you keep your content fresh. Update at least two or three times a week so that consumers have a reason to keep coming back.

Employ creativity to spark interest. You can interview the high-end models that appear in ads, or you can shoot a behind-the-scenes video to share with members of your community. Remember, too, that keeping it freshmeans creating content just for a digital audience. No slapping your latest TV spot up on the Facebook page and calling it exclusive content.

If you are going to generate interest in your luxury brand by using digital marketing, you will need to make sure that the content is truly fresh, and created just for your online community.

Create the feeling that they are a specific kind of exclusive, and they’ll keep coming back.

5. Evaluate Your Own Digital Marketing Needs

Finally, don’t just do what someone else does. What works for one luxury brand may not work for yours. Evaluate your own digital marketing needs, and think about how Facebook might work for you.

Before you build your Facebook page, have a vision for your digital community, and a plan for building your brand.

Guest writer Lior Levin is a marketing consultant.