Take your small business' Facebook account to the next level

Facebook is rapidly approaching the 1 billion follower mark - a milestone its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is reportedly champing at the bit to reach. According to official Facebook figures, the social network had 845 million monthly active users at the end of last year - a total that's steadily rising.

Some of these users are entrepreneurs who set up business accounts to share news and updates with customers who "Like" their page. Facebook allows companies to conduct polls, launch contests and interact with consumers.

Company owners looking to establish a strong presence on the website can start by following nine business marketing tips presented by Mashable.

Some steps are based on common sense, for example buying Facebook ads or setting up a vanity URL that will be a lot easier for consumers to remember than a string of random numbers and letters.

Others involve Facebook features that small business owners may not have even been aware of, such as a tool to ensure the business advertising on your page is tailored to your audience no matter where the page is being accessed from. The "Choose your audience" function allows you to customize business promotions and other content according to geographic location and language.