Maybe someone mentioned it: “You should be using Facebook to promote your business.” OK, what, exactly, does that mean? A new book explains it.

The book is called “The Facebook Era,” by Clara Shih, who runs Hearsay Labs, a company that makes marketing software. The good news is that Shih actually provides some ideas and doesn’t try to sell you her software.

Some tips from the book:

• Start with a single goal in mind. Sure, most people will say “increase sales,” and that’s always a goal, but your Facebook presence may have a more immediate, different goal — such as a place for customer support or a gateway to your Web site. Decide on that one goal and stick with it, at least in the beginning.
• “Seed” your support. Get friends and family to become fans of your pages to give the appearance that you have a respectable number of followers and begin growth. That’ll also give you a word-of-mouth boost, since the average user has 130 “friends.”
• Don’t overdo “Buy! Buy! Buy!” Facebook’s best feature is the ability to interact with people and let them know about your business. If you hammer those people with the buying message, you’ll probably lose them. This is one time you’ll want to forget the salesperson’s ABC mantra: Always Be Closing. Not.
• Let your pages reflect the “personality” of your business. Let’s put it this way: Someone who’s selling tuxedos will want to have a different look and feel from someone who’s selling blue jeans. Make sure your pages fit with your product or service.
• Use Facebook’s demographics. Facebook users fill out profiles detailing interests, jobs and the like. Use that info to your advantage. An example: The New York Times described the Facebook success of a wedding photographer who was able to target users who identified themselves as under 30 and engaged. Almost immediately, the photographer scooped up $60,000 in new business.