Are you a fan of Facebook? Or, more likely, are you a fan on Facebook?

The social networking site has had what it calls “fan pages” for years, but its use for public relations and promotion, according to marketing sources such as The Business Insider, has really taken off in the slumping economy.

The PR Meets Marketing blog was one of many public relations trade publications that started looking into this advertising format last year. In August 2008, PR Meets Marketing ran a feature called “Brave New World of Media Pitching: Facebook.”

The item documents the pros and cons of starting fan pages or group pages online (it also noted LinkedIn and Twitter as conduits) and how it all works from a business perspective.

“As long as it’s relevant to your Facebook audience, is easy to use and understand and is relevant to your business, (applications) can be one way to get your business to your target audience,” said author Cece Salomon-Lee.

But what are the benefits of Facebook fan pages for that target audience, i.e., consumers?

Fortunately for us, many businesses offer information, discounts and even giveaways to entice people to their pages.

Some of these promotions are for a short time, like when Spaghetti Warehouse offered its Facebook fans free lasagna on July 29 (National Lasagna Day), or when Pizza Hut gave out coupon codes for free food for fans of both Facebook and Twitter in June.

There also are offers that are ongoing. For example, Sears offers the deal where you get a $10 gift certificate for becoming a fan, Apple iTunes offers 20 free songs of your choice, and Victoria’s Secret PINK promises its fans a free gift and exclusive offers.

These offers do come amid advertisements and other promotions, but if you like these products, it is good to know where, when and how to get them for less money than you would traditionally pay.

It also gives you some control over what advertisements you view.

And, for those of you who love a product enough to want to talk to others about it, there is that option as well. Fan pages also offer discussion boards, photos and everything else a traditional Facebook page includes.

But these business- and consumer-oriented pages are just a portion of the Facebook fan base. There are pages for fans of TV shows to sports teams to ideas (like the popular “I need a vacation!!!”)

They all are out there for your consumption — how you use them is up to you.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDaily News.com.