Based on the top 50 brands on Facebook, these are my personal notes of what ive observed. Please comment. Please do so all the more if you disagree

1. 15 learnings from the top 50 brands in Facebook

2. #1. More warmth. Less Spam Users hate their walls being filled up by repeated posts from the page. Theres a clear line between Updates and Spam

3. #2. Fans like free stuff Ok you don’t have to be Santa Claus. But maybe the one push it takes for someone to be your fan over your competitor is to give him or her a tshirt. His 20 friends see him wearing that t-shirt. Think about it.

4. #3. Its another website The sooner you realize it, the sooner you’ll find out that the long tail isnt so long

5. #4. Invite them to your world Stream live, post pictures of events and the office, free invites.. However you want to do it, invite them to your world with exclusive content. Imagine yourself to be Willy Wonka, and your fans with golden tickets.

6. #5. You maybe your fans superstar. Make him yours You know why fans carry cameras and autograph books? They want to make their stars life part of theirs. Showcase such fans on your fan page and you’ll be loved for it. If youre a Beatle, they might even scream and go unconscious

7. #6. Show you care. Your fan will too If your intention is noble, there's nothing wrong in letting your fans think so as well. Giving back through CSR using your fan page is not blowing your own trumpet. Its letting the fans blow it along …you get my drift.

8. #7. Facebook ads are always ugly, So you wont be hated for it Facebook ads arent intrusive, They're pushed to an obscure corner and they look just plain bad no matter how big ass your brand is. So it doesn’t hurt taking them out to promote your page within Facebook

9. #8. Fan pages shouldn’t be controlled. Fans are allowed to go crazy Your fans are more responsible as a collective group about your brand than you may be. So its ok to let them run it. Theres nothing more cool than letting a fan be a part of the maintenance of your fan page

10. #9. Don’t shut down replicates Actually you should since its better having just one page which all fans could be a part of. But don’t ‘shut them down’ Invite their admins to run your page instead. They were nice enough to have built one for you, so you better be nice.

11. #10. If they complain, don’t hug them a month later See that’s just weird. IF they have a gripe, talk to them instantly. You want a fan pissed off for over a week or just a day?

12. #11. Your fans are the best research team you have They know your brand inside out. At least some of them would, so take their word for it and get it out of them. Build the fan page together, better your products or even discuss your next ad.

13. #12. Your fans wont buy. Not unless you make them feel special They took the effort of being your fan and seeing your updates and you still sell them a 2 buck burger for 2 bucks? For shame..

14. #13. Your fans are your army. Fight wars with them No not lawsuits. But there's nothing wrong in having a bit of fun with your competition or even better when they're not your competition. If you don’t believe me ask CNN or Youtube

15. #14. A good app a day is better than advertising any other day An app designed that leads people to your fan page has better CPM, CPC and LIL BO BEEP than a banner

16. #15. Always have learnings that number to a multiple of 5 Cos it sounds better than 14 learnings or 16 learnings.

17. #16. Thank you This is not a learning Axon Alex [email_address]