Your Business Needs a Facebook Fan Page – Not A Profile

Why does a business need to be on a Facebook fan page? Facebook has two options: you can have a Profile which represents individuals or you can operate under organizations and businesses and have Pages. You have to have a Facebook Profile to have a Facebook Fan Page for Business.


1. FACEBOOK'S TERMS OF SERVICE


Profiles represent individuals and must be held under an individual name, while Pages allow an organization, business, celebrity, or band to maintain a professional presence on Facebook.


If Facebook discovers you are violating their terms by having an organisation’s page up on Facebook as a Profile they can delete your account and you would lose all your friends, postings etc.


2. PRIVACY FOR YOUR FANS


With a business profile, some people will choose not to add you as a friend since they would be giving you access to their profile page with areas that are private to them. Most people will not go this route with connection.


But if you have a Page for your business, allowing fans to ‘like’ you, then they are not giving you access to the activity on their profile page.

3. PAGES OFFER ANALYTICS


Unlike Profiles, Pages offer analytics, allowing you to see how many likes and comments you received each day, as well as demographic breakdowns.


This data will allow you to better understand your fan base and therefore post wall posts which will get the best reaction.


4. UNLIMITED FANS


Profiles have a limit of 5,000 friends. Pages have no upper limit.


5. SEO CREDIT


With Pages you can embed a Like button on any webpage you maintain. When you post an article on your company blog. The Facebook Like buitton can b e embedded.


Likes are now being taken into account by search engines in a way that links are, so by having fans like your Page and your content, you are allowing SEO credit to be passed onto your website from Facebook. This will improve your rankings in the search engines.


6. MULTIPLE ADMINISTRATORS


By setting up a Page you can have multiple administrators maintain the Page.


Pages are not separate Facebook accounts and do not have separate logins, but those with personal Facebook pages can administer them from their own account.


Those who choose to connect to your Page won’t be able to see that you are the Page administrator or have any access to your personal account.


7. FACEBOOK IS A HUGE SEARCH ENGINE!


• There are 600 million users on Facebook (nearly twice the population of the US);


• 50% of users login every day;


• The average user spends 55 minutes on Facebook every day;


• 70% of Facebook users are located outside the US; and


• Facebook is available in 70 different languages.


It is therefore highly unlikely that none of your target demographic or customers are using Facebook. So by clinging to the excuse that your “customers aren’t on Facebook” and not having a company page, you are missing out on an opportunity to reach both your


8. ENGAGE & POST


Facebook offers an way to engage with your fans on a platform of their choosing.


It allows you to communicate on a less formal level. You can discuss news items relevant to your industry or upcoming events. It will answering direct queries or highlight particular products or services.


Facebook is a completely different platform to Twitte.You do not want to set up your tweets to auto publish to Facebook. A high frequency of tweets is important to get yourself seen in the Twitter news feed. However on Facebook you should keep the posts to once or twice a day, enough to allow yourself show up in your fans’ news feed but without annoying them.


9. SEE WHAT KIND OF FANS YOU HAVE


Facebook allows you insight into your fans in a way a website just isn’t able to. Through Facebook pages you can see your fans broken down by gender, age, location and languages.


You can track your fans interactions with your page to see likes, comments and daily active users. This helps you analyze your posts to taylor future posts that are more effective and create interaction with your visitors.


10. TARGET MARKETING


You can target certain markets by running advertisements. These are more searchable than on other platforms. Facebook advertisements allow you to target specific people based on gender, age, location, education and interests.


Advertisements can be used for anything from simply announcing your page and inviting people to like you, to drawing attention to a special offer or inviting people to an upcoming event.


11. SEARCH RANKING


One of the most important reasons to be on a facebook fan page for your business is the impact on SEO (search engine optimization).


As Facebook pages are public they are indexed by the search engines. Search engines have now advised that they are treating ‘social signals’ such as comments, fan numbers, likes etc. as indicators of importance. The more active you are on these social platforms, the better your chance of ranking above your competitors in the search results, meaning more web traffic and more potential customers.


Conclusion: Get you business on Facebook!

Save Time & Money with Online Forms

This seems like a no brainer but let's break it down...

Do you have forms that customers, vendors or other associates need to complete?

If you answered "yes" then you could start saving time and money by offering these forms on your website.

How do I make the form available?
You don't need to get fancy here. The easiest way to put a form on your website is to scan it and upload it as a pdf or jpeg file (pdf is a portable document file that most people have the ability to open. You can download the software for free from Adobe if you don't have the software). Then make a link to the file and in a click - a visitor can download the form.

If you need a more comprehensive option you can always use an online form builder like JotForm which is fairly simple to use and is free.

How do I use it to save money?
Now of course most businesses provide these paper forms for completion in their office or by mail but when you offer an online version - customers can go on your website, download and print the form themselves. They can complete it on their own time and bring it in ready to go. Many businesses who require completed client profiles, release waivers and other documents find that they spend less time waiting for a client to complete the form and more time engaging with them for the sale or appointment. It's called efficiency!

Plus you just saved on paper cost! Now, you might already email the forms as part of your daily routine but remember - that takes your time, which is valuable. Imagine if you had to email 50 people their release forms - what if all you had to say was - "Go to our site to download our new customer form"? Can you imagine what you can get accomplished with that amount of time saved?

Will my client like this option?
Everyone is different. You might have older clients who are not as internet savvy who still like their paper form and pencil. Others will like that they don't have to worry about losing the form or spilling something on it because they know where they can go get another one. The fact is that most people use the internet in their daily life and find it conveinant to have resources at their fingertips. Being able to get what they need from you 24/7 makes you look professional.

Before we go - make sure you remember to keep your forms small in file size for fast downloads and stay away from programs that not everyone might have like MS Word or Excel. Stick with PDF or JPEG files that anyone can open - but not alter. AND MAKE SURE YOUR NAME AND LOGO ARE ON IT so they know who the form belongs to.

Why Should I Link to Others on My Website?

There can be quite a bit of disagreement on this subject so we will cover both sides of the issue: Should you put links to outside websites on your website?

Cons - Let's hit the bad news first

• People will leave my page - it's true that when a visitor clicks on a link they might leave your page however nowadays most links can be made to open in a new window allowing the visitor to see the new page while still maintaining a connection with your page.
• It gives away my search ranking - it's possible but there are algorithmic changes taking place right now that may change this and actually give you a higher ranking for having external links.
• It could hurt my reputation - if you are not careful who you are linking to, it could be damaging to your internet reputation. Make sure any website that you connect with distributes accurate content and practices safe browsing (ie: cookies, spamming, viruses etc.) When in doubt - don't link.
• Too many links doesn't look good to search engine spiders - we've all stumbled on those sites that promise to deliver information on something only to find that the page is full of links to other places. Search engines work hard to downplay these types of sites so if you use external links too often - you could get caught in that group. It does take an abundance of links to draw this kind of attention.

Pros - now for the good stuff

• Establish yourself as a resource center - if people see that they can get to the places they want to go from your site (usually relevant to your industry and their interest) they will remember that you are the go-to website to visit.
• Double Sided Linking - You can swap links with affiliates and associated vendors. Back links from other websites does help search engine ranking and so when you link to someone they should be willing to link back to you. Linking can be a two-way street!
• It could help your reputation - yes just as linking to bad sites can hurt you, linking to good, trusted sites can help you. If you are a member of an organization, ask if they have a member badge that can link to your listing on their site or their home page. People will see that you are affiliated with that group and the organization will have gotten a back link to their site.
• It encourages participation and cooperation - There are a lot of very smart, very dedicated, talented people on the web that can either contribute to making your efforts more successful or inhibit your growth. When you link out, especially in a consistent, opportunity-driven way, you build incentives for the bloggers, social media sophisticates, online journalists, website builders & forum participants to engage with your site. Granted, when you're small and just starting out, the incentive is small, but don't underestimate the power of rewarding your community - it's built some of the most amazing brands on (and off) the web.

Okay we admit it - we might be a little biased but it really is up to you!

Building a Mission Statement for Your Business

Every business needs a mission statement. Sometimes, companies, both new and existing, struggle to compose a mission statement. A mission statement can be a very strong motivational statement for staff and employees as well as a strong marketing and branding tool for customers. Some great examples of mission statements that hit the mark completely are:



Disney – "To make people happy"


Would anybody argue that this is not accomplished by Disney? Does it set the tone and atmosphere for Disney employees? Would Disney customers agree? The answer is a resounding yes!


Boeing – "To push the leading edge of aviation, taking huge challenges doing what others cannot do"


If you do any kind of research about the development of Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, you would see this mission in action. Do you think that Boeing's employees or customers doubt this statement? I doubt it.


3M – "To solve unsolved problems innovatively"


How many of you use Post-It Notes? Do you know how they were invented? NASA was looking for a product that would stick to surfaces indefinitely and still be easy to peel off. One 3M engineer spent quite a bit of time getting 3M to market this product commercially. Do you think his motivation was partly driven by this mission statement?


A business’s mission statement can be something that is totally ignored by both its employees and its customers, or it can be something that drives the organization, attracts customers, and brands its products. The latter is the best course of action.


Companies that have created dynamic and compelling mission statements get feedback from the highest and lowest ranking employees as well as their customers. They brainstormed, reviewed and rewrote their mission statement until everyone was satisfied. The employees and management agreed that the mission statement correctly identified what they hoped to accomplish, and the customers agreed that the mission statement defined what they wanted and needed.



Creating A Mission Statement


First of all, you should get everyone involved in a productive manner and do the following:


1. Pick One Central Theme. The theme should be easy to understand, non-controversial, and translate into behavior that can gain support. Take Disney, for example. They wanted people to have fun. They wanted their employees to have fun. They wanted people to be able to escape, for just a moment, the grind and stresses of their day-to-day environment.


So what is your theme? Does it deal with a product, service or both? Can it be easily understood and interpreted by both your employees and customers? In some cases, it may have to be mildly controversial to provoke thought and discussion.


2. Communicate With Action. This will not be something that you type up in 12pt font and lose somewhere. Once you have picked your mission statement, commit to it repeatedly. Review it often – at the beginning and end of every day. Share it actively with your employees and customers. You should be proud of your mission.


3. Focus On A Few Key Attributes Of Your Service Or Product. Take the example of Boeing. Do you want to push the leading edge of your technology? Do you want to accept challenges that others won't or can't? Do you want to solve problems that are difficult and challenging to solve? Does this key attribute bring value to your customers? What makes you stand out from everyone else in your industry? If you have a niche or strong specialty – maybe it needs to be mentioned. Companies have made billions of dollars by focusing on their strengths and incorporating what they do best into their marketing in every way.


4. Don't Rush The Process. Brainstorming and creativity take time. If you think that developing a mission statement in five minutes is the best way to go – you might find yourself revising over and over again. Or not buying into it in the first place. True, your mission statement can be as simple as “To make people happy” but you can bet that a company like Disney has several steps in play to make sure they meet that mission statement – it isn’t just for looks. The main point – this is not a race!

Finally….look at what other businesses have in place already. Get inspired & Get Focused!

Creating Content for your Social Media Marketing Strategy

Quality, focused, fun and relevant content should be at the heart of any social media strategy. Relatable and useful content should reflect your brand and give people a reason to stay engaged.

That’s why it’s imperative to create a content strategy for your social media campaign. Without a guideline for what you will send out and a plan for how and when you say it, you risk leaving your audiences, at best, confused. At worst, they’ll ignore you. No business wants customers to ignore them.


Here are five social media content strategy techniques that will help strengthen relationships and earn your business quality results on the social web.

 1. Identify Your Voice


Everything you say on the social media sites should “sound” like your business. It’s something companies like Skittles do well. Some of their status messages achieve more than 1,000 comments, and many exceed 10,000 “Likes” on Facebook.


Why are these little quips of content so successful? The writing is just like the candy: colorful, playful and imaginative. The pithy, daily, flavor-packed observations are reliably surprising. You can relish today’s post and look forward to tomorrow’s. Skittles want people to think of them and in turn buy their candy and what better way than making a lasting impression through social venues?


Think about your brand in the same manner. What are three words that describe the voice of your business? Now make sure that everything you write and post embodies those three words. This will create a consistent voice in your social media presence.


2. Time Your Content


Create a calendar or timeline that spells out what will be relevant in your business or industry and pay attention to what else is happening….like holidays or local and national events. Now think about what you’re going to say and when you’re going to say. Make sure it’s relevant to where people are in their lives and the season. Nobody cares about Santa Claus in January, but a whole lot of people care about sales after Christmas. A quick look at Google Trends or other social media sites for what is trending can help keep your information up to speed.



3. Know Your Audience


Why would somebody follow you? Why would they like your business? It’s because your content offers them something? Make sure you deliver! For example, a company like SKYY Vodka on Twitter has posted messages in response to what other people are talking about. It shows they are listening and engaging in the conversation. A competitor, Grey Goose hasn’t tweeted in four months and their posts on Facebook are repeats. They aren’t to their followers, Grey Goose is talking at their followers. Their lack of engagement leads people to believe they are just in it for image sake. If a follower doesn’t stick around just because someone posts daily – it’s what the business is saying that makes the impression.

 4. Solve Problems


Humans have survived for so long because we solve problems. And when we don’t know the answer – we look for someone who does and offers it freely.


Give your audience tools to help themselves, and establish yourself as the go-to expert. By making things easier for others, we build trust. Trust strengthens our relationship and people do business and buy from people and businesses they trust.

 5. Be True



Good content isn’t phony. It doesn’t make promises that it can’t keep. It’s human and honest. It has a personality and a point of view. It’s social! That’s why it engages us and makes us want to plug into it on a regular basis. That’s why we follow or like your business.


Your audiences will sniff it out if you’re pretending. But if you’re fun, honest and relevant, they’re going to recommend you to their friends. That is what social media’s all about!