Facebook Brand Pages: Top Picks Resource Center 

Likes: 2.9 million+; People talking about: 38,400+

Fanta uses its brand page as a fan forum with a regular stream of status updates that either promote the soft drink or speak to interests that would appeal to its younger, international audience.

Upon logging in to your FB account, you'll see games, such as a "time warp" trip through Fanta's official Timeline, and branded applications, such as the "Fundisc" disc golf app.

Another point worth copying: Fanta's official Facebook brand page shows you how effective the cover photo needs to be in order to grab attention and promote your brand without actually selling anything.

Fanta uses artwork at the top of the page that incorporates the smaller profile picture with the larger cover photo. Although the cover photo changes regularly, it consistently uses this integrated approach for a more visually arresting look than most cover photos provide.

Likes: 1.5 million+; People talking about: 15,700+

Ford Motor Company's official corporate brand page has fewer Likes than the Ford Mustang page (4.1 million+). But it has four notable features that make it stand out more:

• Unlike many other brands, Ford has filled out its Timeline, which is like a clickable visual history of the company, all the way back to the day it was founded. If you're logged in, you can easily find a picture of the first car Ford ever sold as well as the buyer's name. That's juice for auto-history junkies.
• A "Worldwide Fans" odometer tracks Like clicks in real time on all 77 of Ford's brand pages, the way a car odometer rolls up the miles. Ford also ranks all of its pages by fan Like popularity. That's a rare display of transparency among corporate pages.
• A rich mix of pictures and stories, pulled from Ford's other brand pages, capitalizes on fan interest in corporate history as well as sneak peeks at top models like the Mustang and the F-150 pickup truck. Few other brand pages manage this multiple-personality approach to its content without looking messy or schizophrenic.
• Oh yeah. Ford sells cars, too. Click the "Home" icon under the cover photo, and you'll find applications that you can use to design your own Ford model and get a price quote, as well as find a local dealer and request product brochures.

Likes: 5.7 million+; People talking about: 114,600+

Macy's brand page capitalizes on research that shows most people "like" a Facebook page in order to get discounts and advance notice of promotions, but the page doesn't just replicate its ad inserts or email promotions as some other retail giants do.

Macy's status updates deliver on these expectations with hard-sell promotional posts (such as $20 off a $100 purchase from a wedding registry). However, it also billboards its many corporate sponsorships, such as events like the Fourth of July Fireworks Display, TV and radio shows and the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Macy's page gets a lot of traffic (Likes, people posting about the company and Facebook check-ins). Serving up enough fresh content several times a day can be a content-marketing nightmare, but Macy's does it.

Updates are a mix of sales-driven posts, comment-seeking posts on fashion colors and new collections, and many that feature Macy's customers, such as a recent group of cosmetic makeover recipients.

Likes: 2 million+; People talking about: 26,100+

Just as the iconic TV series about Madison Avenue ad people has become more complex over the years, so has its Facebook companion page evolved to offer more ways for its fans to connect with the show during and between show seasons.

In its early years, the page relied heavily on stills from the show. Today's content on the main page is a more varied mix that reflects its audience obsessions with not just the show itself but the fashions and cocktails that give the show its authentic look and feel.

The page also shows how to incorporate games and applications to extend the user experience out from and back to the page. Icons lead the viewer to the popular "Mad Men Yourself" and "Job Interview" branded apps.

Episode-related posts on the main page encourage viewers to check in to the show with the GetGlue social TV-watching app (like Foursquare for TV) and snag limited-edition "Mad Men" badges.

The "Mad Men" page also keeps viewers in the loop during the long hiatus between seasons with regular Timeline postings. Many posts put a fresh coat of paint on older material, especially episodes from earlier seasons.

Likes: 21,800+; People talking about: 700+

One of the first things you'll notice about Marketo's Facebook brand page is the collection of custom-designed apps pinned beneath its cover photo.

Many brand pages do little to make the icons stand out for their applications such as photos or an email newsletter subscription form. Marketo not only uses its own images but also changes the icons' generic names to make them even more attention-getting.

The rest of the page shows a similar attention to detail with fresh content, posted almost every day, which mixes straight commentary with whimsy and humor to drive action:

• Using popular Internet memes to promote product downloads, such as a "Lord of the Rings" movie photo to advertise its lead-nurturing workbook.
• Photos of Marketo employees and customers from various company-sponsored events, since people like looking at other people.
• A diverse blend of other faces and voices from third-party blogs to add variety.

Marketo also makes liberal use of different photo sizes and highlights. This changes up the page appearance and makes it more visually interesting.

Likes: 2.1 million+; People talking about: 68,800+

Never let it be said that Old Spice takes itself too seriously, especially on its Facebook page, which parodies every brand-page cliche with wicked but spot-on humor that still manages to promote the brand effectively.

It starts with the cover photo, which (at time of writing) urges men to "Believe In Your Smellf" and continues with mock-serious polls ("How many intergalactic championships do you plan on winning?") and send-ups of smarmy daily-affirmation posts ("Never give up on smelling like you didn't").

The parodies keep on coming after that with a collection of photos that insert sticks of Old Spice deodorant into hackneyed PR photos. One gives a soccer team a pep talk; another runs a corporate board meeting.

If you want to use humor to engage your Facebook audience, Old Spice shows you how to keep the jokes going day after day.

Likes: 2.6 million+; People talking about: 53,400+

Yes, Verizon Wireless' brand page wants to sell you a new phone, tablet or calling plan. It also has creative applications that let fans submit camera-phone photos for the page's cover photo or write "words of wisdom" for real-life Verizon billboards.

What sets the page apart from other brand pages is a strong customer-support focus. Maybe Verizon Wireless is taking note of research that casts doubt on Facebook's "f-commerce" ability but shows positive results for customer interaction.

Instead of just posting a beef about phone service on a wall post, Verizon Wireless customers can also click the "Customer Support" icon under the cover photo and be taken to an interior portal page full of contact information for billing, devices, calling plans and accounts.

The pages link out to Verizon's website, but the Facebook page helps customers find what they need more efficiently.