If you’re a car guy (or gal), you already know what that particular hobby—sorry, lifestyle—entails. Your “baby” could be a nostalgic ride from your early days or a new beauty that just rolled off the assembly line. Either way, cars need a lot of lovin’—regular maintenance, continuous cleaning, and the occasional parts upgrade or replacement.

Establishing and owning a brand nowadays is a lot like taking care of a much-loved vehicle. To be as successful as possible, it requires constant upkeep and a lot of detail work. Nowhere is this more crucial than Facebook, which is still the king of social media, and a can be a powerful branding machine.

The reason why Facebook is such a powerful branding tool is that it can do a great many things. Primarily, it’s a great communicator: you can establish your voice, share content in the form of both text and images, and have meaningful interactions with your followers.

Also, with Facebook’s cover photo and profile photo, there’s ample room to establish your brand’s visual identity. The profile photo, also known elsewhere as an “avatar,” is essentially the face of your brand—it’s often the element that people see first and most often.

For this reason, the profile photo should always be your logo, as that is the simplest, most descriptive, and most eye-catching piece of your brand. I often see Facebook pages with profile images that are photos of a company’s building or other nonessential, convoluted pieces of collateral; images that aren’t descriptive and/or don’t read well at small sizes should never be used. Remember, simplicity and recognition are the goals here.

To further display the prowess of your brand beyond the logo, use the cover photo to its fullest potential. Display your products or services, show off your colors, or otherwise use the area to extend your brand image. Our own Facebook page does a little bit of everything. And if you’re looking for some inspiration, check out some of these creative ways that people have integrated their profile photo with their cover photo.

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to communicate! Your voice is just as much a part of your brand as anything else, so it’s important both what you say, and how you say it. Engage and interact often and to your fullest potential for the best benefit.

Remember, Facebook is nothing more than an elaborate machine for delivering your brand to the masses. If you take care of it, it can do wonders for you. If you don’t, it’s nothing more than a rusted pile of parts.