Virtual Assistance Business Briefs » Social Networking

Five Facebook Fan Page Success Strategies

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:59:14 +0000

In recent years, having an Internet presence for your business meant putting up a website. While still an important feature for promoting your business, a website is no longer enough. Web 2.0, or the social web, is an essential feature of a successful marketing plan to reach your clientele.

Facebook is considered one of the leaders of social media. Its growth has continued to increase and Facebook has become an essential and innovative idea for business marketing.

Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends and family, but you don’t necessarily want your clients to see the more personal side of your life. Businesses should take care to present a well defined and controlled image of their products and services. Facebook fan pages are an excellent choice for business.

Business Facebook fan pages have many of the same features as personal pages. You can still share articles, photos, videos, and applications, but all of the fan page content is related to your business. Here are five strategies for making your Fan page a success:

Make your Fan page a resource

Consider the information your customers need. Post articles and links to useful information on your wall and showcase yourself as an expert and your customers will return again and again.

Connect

Interact with customers by making use of Facebook’s tools. Respond to comments. Discuss the benefits of your product line and lead new customers to your website for more. Target your offers without being spammy to increase customer loyalty.

Be human

Pictures and personal information put a face on a company. As long as you present an image that enhances your business, personalizing your Fan page is a great way to get followers.

Be present

Keep your profile, articles, photos and video content up-to-date and current. It’s not enough to throw up a page and ignore it. Make sure to respond to customers who become fans. Create a group for your business and participate in groups related to your business.

Be Innovative

Facebook moves fast. Don’t be afraid to try the latest thing. Explore webinars, and other interactive media as options to improve business relationships.

Creating a Facebook fan page is great first step toward integrating social media into your marketing plan. Don’t forget to provide links from your website and/or blog to your Fan page. Connect to your Facebook fan page through other social media to continue to grow your network. In no time your Fan page will be the central hub of your successful online marketing campaign.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or herFREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com. Find out more at www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Five Facebook Fan Page Success Strategies is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Generate Free Blog Traffic with Blogger Forums

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:39:30 +0000

Blog forums are a great place to start generating free traffic for your blog. Because of the obvious shared interest in the topic, blog forums create new interest and grow your following.

Some of the better known blog forum sites are: Blogger Forum, Bloggeries and Blogst Forum. A basic Google search will yield vast numbers of forum sites; it’s worth checking to see how active any forum is prior to registration, so you are joining the busiest, most popular groups.

Be certain to carefully read any forum rules prior to posting and abide by them. Also, don’t alienate potential visitors by submitting multiple posts just containing the link to your blog.

You are not limited to advertising your blog link or accumulating traffic on these forums; you can ask others to point out its positive and negative aspects; ask people to critique the style, layout and content.

Bear in mind opinions may widely differ, but it doesn’t mean something is bad if one or two people don’t like a particular aspect – it could be a matter of personal taste. However, if you consistently get negative comments about certain parts of your blog, take the time to think about what changes you can make to improve them.

Return the favor and critique other blogs. Not only are people more likely to help you if they see you are willing to reciprocate, by viewing lots of blogs you get an idea of what works and what doesn’t and you’ll learn to more objectively view your own.

Reading forum posts allows you to pick helpful tips and tricks from other blog owners on topics like content, advertising and affiliate marketing. Absorb as much information as possible and make notes on anything of interest; then implement them to make your own blog more successful.

Don’t expect to post your link on a few forums and quickly gain hordes of traffic – you will only get out as much as you are prepared to put in. Advertise your blog on as many forums as you can to gain maximum exposure and you will be rewarded with a steady increase in traffic.

Generate Free Blog Traffic with Blogger Forums is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: blog, blogger, blogging, blogging tips, Internet Marketing, social media, social media marketing, social media marketing tips, social media tips

Article Marketing Advantages For Business (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:50:42 +0000

To continue our discussion of the advantages of article marketing to promote your business, we look at some immediate benefits.

Carrying your name across the Internet can also give you some excellent reputational benefits. To build your reputation, focus the resource box more on you and less on a target website that you want people to visit. Writing quality articles will help you build your own reputation as someone who knows their subject and through time, helps you establish yourself as an authority on the subject.

When writing your articles be sure to provide information and resources, not an ad for you or your website. No one will be interested in using this type of article. Many unsuccessful article marketers make the mistake of using sub-standard articles and expecting good results.

Your article should always be of good quality. If it isn’t, then you are telling prospective visitors, or customers, that quality is not important to you and that they can expect poor quality information on the target website. Equally, because others will not wish to reprint your article, the reproduction of backlinks that you so badly want, will not happen.

Don’t get carried away with website promotion and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Remember that your article needs to be of interest to people, not for search engines to browse. You’re looking to have your article picked up and reprinted by real readers so that you can promote yourself, your subject or whatever you’ve included in your resource box.

In short, to make article marketing work for you, you must:

· Make sure your article is related to your target website/market and is relevant.

· Use good quality, well written original articles.

· Make it readable and interesting.

· Be patient. Traffic and backlinks won’t appear overnight.

Article Marketing Advantages For Business (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: article marketing, Internet Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips, Virtual Assistance, Virtual Assistant

Tips For Developing a Popular Business Blog

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:41:52 +0000

A blog is a great marketing tool to connect with a specific audience. Blogs allow you to build a relationship, and establish a level of trust, a critical piece in establishing your expertise and creating the desire to connect to you, and your products or services. It is important to establish good practices on your business blog, being certain never to lie or exaggerate your income, popularity, stats, readers, subscriptions, etc on your blog.

There is such a thing as being too honest about your lack of experience as a blog writer, or the fact that your site is new and therefore does not yet have a big following. This can happen by either having a lack of professionalism in the way your blog site is presented, or by your own posts telling your readers that no one ever visits.

Keep low visitor count frustrations to yourself, and treat every blog post like a sales presentation. (This doesn’t mean using a sales pitch. Today’s blog reader is way too sharp for that and will quickly transition away from your blog. What I mean is always put your best, most professional face forward.) Never, ever comment on low blog reader turnout on the blog itself. No one wants to hang out someplace that tells them up front that it is unpopular! Instead, find out why visitor count is low, and fix it!

Take a look at other blogs in your niche, and take note of the ones you find professional. Compare this to your site, focusing on the differences in graphics, presentation, layout, and how they handle business promotion. Also notice if they have a professional theme for their blog. There are many wonderful, professional-looking free themes out there, but you will need to dig around and choose carefully.

When you find a site you like, don’t clone it, but do learn from it. Conversely, when you spot a blog that you don’t like, ask yourself why. Is it a lack of professional design? Does the site have too many advertisements? Does it use flashing or gaudy graphics? These observations will be valuable when analyzing what your blog should look like. Visiting the competition is critical, because it also shows you immediately what your own readers will be reading. Your blog has to stack up, and exceed expectations.

Whether you use a free or fee-based theme, don’t use it straight out of the box. Most themes make it easy to incorporate a new header or logo to help expand your branding efforts, and familiarize readers of who you are. Minimally, consider changing the color scheme so your site won’t look exactly like thousands of others out there. This is most critical if you use a free blog platform like Blogger.com or WordPress.com. These sites have a very small selection of standard themes, and your blog will virtually disappear in your reader’s minds if you don’t customize them!

Do you have a free or low-cost theme resource to share? Don’t be shy, leave a comment or question below. Let’s connect.

Tips For Developing a Popular Business Blog is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: blog, blogger, blogging, Business Tips, social media, social media marketing, Social Networking

Promote Your Online Business Through Social Media Platforms

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:09:54 +0000

There are many Internet marketing strategies to promote an online business. Using popular options like article marketing, pay-per-click advertising, forum marketing and email marketing can increase your success. The business owner will need to track click-throughs and conversion rates to achieve more success by converting people into paying customers.

Today, social media sites are very popular among Internet users. This has allowed them to become attractive platforms for Internet marketers. A wide variety of potential prospects can be gained by reaching out in this way. Of the most popular platforms are video sharing and social networking sites.

1) Video Sharing

Aspiring artists, and other performers have been using sites like You Tube as a launching pad for some time. As these sites have continued to grow, online businesses have realized the value of using video sharing to improve their success. By producing entertaining yet professional videos businesses are able to reach a broader Internet market. Product demonstrations that highlight benefits to customers have become quite popular, too.

Not only are you capturing a large number of video enthusiasts, but these sites make it easier for videos to be spread virally. They can also be shared through social bookmarking and networking sites as well as via email.

Should a video be relevant to other businesses, they can easily publish them on other websites and blogs, who can then spread your messages virally. Video marketing has proven to be a crucial element in any internet marketing campaign.

Additionally, if videos are attractive or interesting enough, people can leave comments that assist online business owners in gaining consumer insights on their offerings.

2) Social Networking

Savvy Internet marketers regularly share relevant content to engage users and prompt them to follow their brand or become a part of their network. Some use these sites as an alternative or supplement to their email marketing campaigns.

Everyday use of social networking sites has practically become a way of life for many internet users. However, promoting a business is not as simple as building a network of random people and marketing to them. Treat these sites as a means to build relationships rather than just another advertising medium. Like video sharing sites, social networking sites can prove to be a valuable source for customer feedback.

Encourage comments from users who can help manage an online reputation and give the brand a higher potential to spread virally among people who share the same interests. Consequently, this allows businesses to spend less time, money and energy on brand building and customer acquisition.

This social media popularity allows people to spread the word about a brand and business offerings and increases the number of prospects who see the message. The idea is to get more people to talk about the business and keep the brand top of mind so that internet users will be more likely to patronize it or to share it with other people.

Share your social media marketing promotion ideas, or challenges by leaving a comment below, we’re happy to help in any way we can.

Promote Your Online Business Through Social Media Platforms is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: social media, social media marketing, video sharing, video tips

Now Tweeting for Business (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:47 +0000

Last week we looked at how utilizing Twitter in small businesses can save marketing dollars, expand your customer base, and manage and increase your ability to build relationships. In this final segment, we look at additional ways Twitter allows small business to reap big rewards.

Feedback loop

Small businesses rarely conduct market surveys due to the expense and time necessary to manage them. Twitter allows a business to monitor what people are saying about them and their products. You can ask for active feedback and criticism, respond to questions and deal with any disgruntled tweets through Twitter. Listening to what’s happening on the ground can also help small businesses decide on a strategic direction.

Keep your enemies closer

Competition is fierce for the small to medium enterprise. Twitter lets small businesses monitor their competition. What new initiatives are on the horizon and what can you do to stay on the cutting edge?

If your competitors are not on Twitter, search for tweets that mention them so you can see what others think. Competitive intelligence is a good reason for small businesses to use Twitter and stay a step ahead.

Differentiation

Being able to build a presence can make or break a small business. Twitter allows a dash of creativity, humor and humanity in marketing your business. Twitter accounts can be as funny or outstanding as you want them to be – better for your customers to remember you.

A car dealer in Albany, New York, has the attention grabbing twitter profile “iamhuge”, a silly but memorable profile name that fits in with the business’s general marketing pitch and attracts curious customers to his website, Twitter account and dealership. (“Being HUGE on Twitter: A Small Business Case Study,” Rebecca Kelley, website: 10er20.com/blog, 4 August 2009)

Twitter is not just for the big guys. Small businesses are signing up for Twitter accounts in ever-increasing numbers. There are quite a few benefits of using Twitter in small business, including cutting marketing costs and keeping tabs on competitors.

Please take a moment to share your Twitter experiences, or questions by leaving a comment below.

Now Tweeting for Business (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: twitter, twitter for business, Twitter tips

Now Tweeting for Business: Twitter Benefits (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:15:09 +0000

According to research released recently by O2, the mobile phone provider (“Small Businesses are Catching Twitter Bug,” Richard Tyler, The Telegraph, 16 March 2009), almost one in five small businesses now tweet regularly. Although the larger, multinational firms were the first to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, increasing numbers of small to medium sized businesses are taking the plunge.

In many ways Twitter is a more useful tool for mom-and-pop operators than for the big players who have the deep financial pockets and large advertising budgets. Twitter, on the other hand, is free, easy to use and is the newest, most useful tool to increase sales and profits.

Cost savings

Small businesses that use Twitter save on marketing and recruitment costs. A substantial amount can be saved using Twitter instead of traditional marketing methods, an impressive cost reduction from the small business perspective. Having a Twitter account can be more cost-effective for smaller enterprises, and the intimacy of tweets suit their business philosophy and approach better than impersonal, sweeping advertising campaigns.

Spread the word

A crème brulee cart operating in San Francisco grew by word of mouth utilizing Twitter. Within a few months the proprietor had quit his day job to keep up with demand. (“Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media,” Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 23 July 2009) Such a success story illustrates that direct marketing, like Twitter, is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to expand their customer base. Business owners can also tweet about discounts or new products, reeling in new customers and enticing repeat business.

Relationship management

Twitter also helps small business keep in touch with suppliers. Their microblogging tool allows small businesses to connect to other small companies, promoting a sense of community that goes beyond traditional geographical borders.

An antique store in Texas connects with customers in New Jersey and orders supplies from out of town – all through Twitter-based relationships. (“Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media”) Twitter has the ability to increase contacts, whether with suppliers, potential customers or support services like accounting and consulting firms.

Next week we look at how Twitter helps small business obtain feedback, stay abreast of their competitors, and differentiate themselves from the crowd. Stay tuned!

Now Tweeting for Business: Twitter Benefits (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: social media, social media marketing, twitter, Twitter tips

Small Business Marketing on Twitter

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:27:56 +0000

Of all the small business marketing options social media creates, Twitter presents the most challenges in determining its use to help your company grow. Luckily, you don’t have to be a computer expert or a marketing guru to infuse Twitter into your overall promotional strategy.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is a web-based social networking site that can be utilized to send relatively brief messages (140 characters) to acquaintances, family members, friends, or to the overall worldwide Internet community.

Common Uses

There are numerous application options for Twitter, but mainly its uses include, news, resources, and communications. For example, LA Firefighters employ Twitter to keep the community abreast of potential fires and other emergencies. In addition, news agencies provide up-to-the-minute news updates using Twitter, While companies and public services utilize Twitter more and more, most utilize Twitter to keep family and friends updated on their current activities.

Marketing Your Business On Twitter

A Mass Media Outlet

If you run a business, Twitter can be utilized to publish news and updates about your specific products or business. The biggest overall value involves posting a clickable link to a complete article or press release allowing customers to "discover" the material via Twitter. It’s especially popular for B2Bs looking to build brand awareness and relationships. Proper etiquette is essential to effectively market on Twitter. Overt advertising can alienate followers and usually serves to create bad feelings among potential consumers.

An Internet Bulletin Board

An ideal forum to promote sales or special events, Twitter keeps customers updated on specials and new items. When promoting your business on Twitter, keep in mind that it’s designed for conversation and timely news. Make sure that you post in a personal and conversational manner and don’t subject followers to blatant advertising.

Instill personality Into Your Brand

Twitter is a wonderful option for giving your brand name its own unique voice. Successful Twittering reveals your personality and individual flair, creates a considerable difference in your overall success while increasing your Twitter followers. Followers create value when using Twitter as a marketing platform for your small business.

Client Support

When using Twitter, you’ll immediately discover its conversion benefits. Twitter allows you the opportunity to talk to prospects and potential consumers, while also responding to your followers. Demonstrate to your following that you would like to engage with them to create optimum client support and tell them that you are a trustworthy, personable individual.

Small Business Marketing on Twitter is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: attracting clients, building client relationship, business goals, Business Tips, creating a marketing plan, Goals, marketing, marketing a business, Marketing Tips, twitter, Twitter tips

Start Facebook Pages and Groups to Market Your Business

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:59:38 +0000

The latest trend in Internet marketing, Facebook, has a lot of potential if you use it wisely. Among its many advertising opportunities, groups and pages stand out as two of the most effective and easiest methods to promote and brand your business.

Groups
Groups, the original community-building feature of Facebook, are still quite popular, and with good reason. A group can serve as the main focus for everything related to your brand. It entices people to participate in discussions about your brand, share it with their contacts, and serves as a great communication platform with customers and partners.

However, there are a few disadvantages. Although this restriction is being considered for removal, you cannot send messages to your entire group if its numbers exceed 1,000-1,500 members, limiting communication. Groups also seem to attract more spammers than other methods, which can become time consuming to manage. Also, you’ll need to transition to a Facebook Page if you want to use advanced applications and widgets that make your page more functional.

Pages
While similar to groups, there are crucial differences in Facebook Pages. Fairly new and specifically designed to help businesses advertise their brand and engage Facebook users, they similarly allow you to promote your brand and engage potential and current customers.

Pages have major advantages over groups in the customization and communication potential. Flash, HTML, and Facebook applications can all be added to Pages, while groups have relatively few customization options. Groups promote your brand on their profile pages, whereas Pages simply stand out more. You can reach your entire membership, regardless of how many fans your Page has.

Pages are also accessible to people without Facebook accounts, so they will be indexed in Google and other major search engines. This is crucial if you’re trying to manage your brand and get it ranked higher in search engines.

More importantly, Pages allow a customizable URL to incorporate your keywords, invaluable for SEO purposes, and makes the Page address easier to remember.

You can also monitor visitor statistics, create events, invite fans to them, and promote Pages utilizing social ads.

These advantages give Pages the upper hand for long-term brand promotion, while groups are better for attracting attention quickly for a shorter period of time. It’s faster to spread the word and invite new members to groups.

Which is better?
There is no real answer to the question of which method is better for brand promotion as each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on exactly how you’re planning to use Facebook for marketing purposes.

Groups and pages are two of many opportunities to promote your business on Facebook. Consider starting one or both of them to promote and expand your brand.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics. For her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com. Find out more at www.VAbizcoach.com or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

Start Facebook Pages and Groups to Market Your Business is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

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Five Facebook Fan Page Success Strategies

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