Pete Codella teaches one of PR Daily’s most popular webinar series about social media tools for PR professionals. He features one social media tool every week on PR Daily.

Think of your brand’s Facebook page as a highly tuned sports car.

Now, imagine you take that car out for a spin and never take it out of first gear. The experience would seem pretty lame, wouldn’t it?

Well, if you’re not taking advantage of all the bells and whistles Facebook has to offer, then your page is stuck in first gear. (It might even be idling.)

Let’s take the first steps to rev it up. Here are eight ways to optimize your Facebook page and engage better with your audience.

1. Post and share as a brand page—not an individual. Last month, Facebook made a dramatic change to the way its pages are administered. Now page administrators can interact on Facebook as the page, not as a person. After you log in to Facebook, you can switch to a page profile by clicking on “Use Facebook as Page” in the top right under the Account menu. You can then post, comment, and share as the page and not as an individual.

2. Set a vanity URL. Once you have 25 people who “like” your Facebook page, go to facebook.com/username, select the page for which you want to set the vanity URL, then type in your desired URL. Keep in mind that this is a one-time proposition. Once the vanity URL is created, it can’t be changed—until Facebook changes the rules again.

What’s a vanity URL? It’s facebook.com/prdaily, instead of facebook.com/34lkj0923a_308ls.

This is helpful for branding and search optimization. When people search for you online, you can bet they’ll find the Facebook page that includes your brand’s name.

3. Import an RSS feed. Did you know you can import one RSS feed into the Facebook Notes application? You edit the page, then go to the notes application and import the feed. It can be your blog feed, your online newsroom, or any other pertinent RSS feed you own.

The benefit to importing an RSS feed is that the content you’re publishing elsewhere on the Web is automatically posted in its entirety inside Facebook. This means you not only reach the audience that engages with you on your blog, you also reach the people who “like” your page on Facebook.

4. Add tabs for YouTube and Twitter. Check out the free Facebook applications available through Involver. You can add Twitter, YouTube, even Posterous tabs to your Facebook page by employing the apps developed by Involver. You can import your blog’s content to the News tab on your Facebook page. Again, this takes content from elsewhere and pulls it in to your Facebook page. Once the conduit is established, you don’t have to touch it again.

5. Pay attention to the Info tab. Make sure you’ve completed all the fields for your page’s Info tab. Include all the URLs you can in the website field, and post keyword-rich content on the page for your organization. You should also clearly state the purpose for your Facebook page. For instance, you should indicate whether it will be a tool for customer service.

6. Create custom tabs. The sky’s the limit when it comes to posting customized HTML content inside your Facebook page. You just need a Web designer who understands the parameters. Check out how Southwest Airlines promotes its services using custom tabs—see Rapid Rewards, No Change Fees, Bags Fly Free, and More LUV. (Note: Southwest is still using the old page layout, but the company will be forced to use the new one sometime this month.) And if you don’t have resources to create a custom tab, check out WAFFil’s Facebook page design services.

7. Post upcoming events. Make sure you publicize any and all of your events inside Facebook. It’s a great place to talk about what’s going on and to reach out to people who have already said they “like” you.

8. Have a content strategy. Frequently share useful articles and videos. Not only those you create, but resources that you know your Facebook friends will appreciate. Here’s an idea: Provide information to Facebook fans first! Give them special discounts, deals, coupons, skip-the-line passes, access to secret sales, bring a friend coupons, free consultations, etc. Ask your Facebook friends for their feedback and insight to improve your products or services. You can be as creative as you wish when it comes to your Facebook content strategy. In short, you want to create a place where your friends are comfortable communicating with you—a place where they find value.