Discover how you can begin getting social networking results immediately with this list of the 6 best methods for profiting on Facebook.

With half of the U.S. population expected to be on Facebook by 2011, there’s no doubt that companies must use the popular social networking site as part of their marketing efforts. But just being on Facebook isn’t enough unless you are actively using it to grow your profits.

To learn how businesses make money on Facebook, we asked some of our clients how their Facebook pages have benefited their company. We then took their answers, and after enjoying their amazing success stories, created this list of the top 6 ways to profit on Facebook.

1. Sell Things – Facebook is the perfect place to promote your special offers, provide Facebook fan only coupons, post links to your website, and even sell things right from the Facebook Marketplace.

1. Cut Service Costs – Cut down on service calls and long email help requests by providing excellent customer service through Facebook. By providing answers to commonly asked questions, offering links to help sections on your website, and allowing your fans to interact with each other, you can significantly reduce your service costs.

1. Advertise Cheaply – Facebook’s highly targeted advertising platform lets you reach your exact audience at a price that’s about 10 times less than other ad networks. This makes Facebook one of the best ways to get more customers at a price any business can afford.

1. Increase Business Development – Reach exactly the people you need to reach to drive your business forward. Using Facebook’s highly specific groups you can interact with hobbyists, major organizations, professional groups, and even specific ages, occupations, locations, and interests that you want to target.

1. Conduct Market Research – Get instant feedback on product ideas, customer needs/wants, and anything else you want to know. Polling your Facebook fans lets you avoid major blunders and focus on what’s important to your business.

1. Improve Networking – Facebook takes your networking opportunities to a whole new level of effectiveness. You can develop strong business relationships with major influencers, authors, and executives from all over the world without ever leaving your office.

There’s plenty more ways to profit on Facebook and new and innovative methods are being thought up each day. If you think you have a great way to profit using Facebook or just want to share your success story, leave a comment below.

If you haven’t already done so, make sure to follow us on Facebook to get exclusive fan only content, special offers, and learn about excellent educational opportunities to help your business succeed before anyone else.