For the most part,  lack of knowledge leads many  SMEs to use a Facebook profile to spread their business. This is a big mistake, considering the Fan Page went into existence some time ago. 

One advantage of a Fan Page is that it has a lot of applications that are useful for the company.

Using a personal profile for commercial purposes is against the rules set by Facebook, because profiles represent individuals and must be kept under an individual name, while Pages allow an organization or company to have a professional presence on Facebook. In short, it is not recommended to use a personal profile for commercial purposes.

Having a Fan Page allows the business owner to gather metrics, generate greater visibility and positioning, obtain a landing or welcome page, have greater reach and impact among customers and the ability to develop applications that meet the needs of company. Each of these benefits are defined as follows:

Metrics: Because Fan Pages are specifically designed for businesses and products, the possibility of obtaining statistics used to measure what impact each post or image placed and what scope is marked by this network. Using these data allows marketing campaigns that are very effective.

Visibility: The Fan Page has the characteristic of being immediately visible to those wishing to visit. Unlike a profile, no waiting is required to be accepted as a "friend" or "subscriber" to see data included in by the company on the Fan Page.

Positioning: The Fan Page is very useful for positioning in search engines, using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) . The notes, videos, articles, etc.. when issued are indexed by search engines.

Landing Page: Fan Pages also allow you to create inviting welcome pages that follow the company, in addition to promoting an event, products or services offered.

Impact: With a the Fan Page you can send information to all who follow the brand. A regular profile on Facebokis only allowed to send messages to a maximum of 20 "friends" at a time.

Applications: In the the Fan Page Page you can create applications that are a great contribution to the company. You can also make links with other social networks like Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc, depending on the interests of the business and this has defined objectives.