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By waynekessler, May 5, 2010

Using a Blog Increases Your Web Traffic

 

Recent research on blogging conducted by HubSpot indicates that businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that do not have a blog so it’s a no-brainer that you should have a blog and dedicate the staff time and resources necessary to make it a regular component of your company marketing plan. I do recommend that you take the time necessary to create a strategy around your blog that takes into account such things as your potential target market, possible categories of blog posts, frequency of content updates, and responsibility for posting content. It must be content that is of interest to your target market, be submitted on a regular basis, be original, and be engaging to your audience.

 

Options for adding a blog

To simplify this topic-you have several options when it comes to adding a blog: (1) you can have the blog be part of your website as a subdomain, or you can have a stand alone blog hosted by a blogging platform such as WordPress, Blogger, or Posterous.

 

Posting Content

Once I get my clients set up with a blog and explain how to contribute to it they often ask if there is a simpler way to post content. Upon searching for alternatives I found one alternative way of posting that involves using email to post entries. Accordingly, I thought I would write this post to give others some detail on how to use Posterous.

 

 

What is Posterous?

Posterous is a blogging platform that allows you to post many things online fast using several methods. Posting can be done by logging in to the website's rich text editor, or you can use mobile blogging methods such as sending an email. In addition to the blog posts-one can also send attachments of documents, photos, music files, and video (both links and files).  Posterous can send automatic postings to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. 

Why use Posterous?

One advantage of using Posterous over other blogging tools is the enhanced analytics that are built-in to the platform. Posterous has built-in Google Analytics. Another advantage is that Posterous has its own URL shortening service making submissions to sites like Twitter easier.

Unlike some other platforms-Posterous allows users to have a site hosted by Posterous that uses their own domain name.

How do I post to Posterous?

After setting up an account on posterous.com-posting is as easy as sending an email to post@posterous.com and they reply instantly with your new posterous blog entry. You also have the option of adding tags right in the email to your post to help with search engine rankings. Why don’t you give Posterous a try and see if it works for you?

 

Tell us your thoughts and add to the discussion

If you have used Posterous or similar sites-let me know what you think works or doesn’t work as your comments are welcome and add to our knowledge of this new, evolving technology.

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By waynekessler, April 6, 2010

It seems like common knowledge that building and maintaining trust online would be much more difficult than in a face to face interaction, however with the increasing use of social media and electronic communications one can reach more people and build trust with far greater numbers than ever before.

Internet marketing experts agree that it is often 5 to 7 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to cross-sell your products to an existing customer. I believe this statistic stems from the fact that this approach necessitated repeated “touches,” such as making phone calls, sending emails, and providing company branding materials. These activities were part of the trust-building process. Now, using online marketing, and social media, any company can achieve similar results with less investment of time and money.

Here are 8 tips for using social media to build and maintain trust online:

1. Show consistency in providing information. People will trust you if they can rely on you to do what you say you are going to do. If you have people sign up for a monthly newsletter-provide it monthly. Show good customer service by responding to email, phone messages, and request for proposals quickly and courteously

2. Consistently provide original, helpful information specifically targeted to the needs and wants of your target population. By producing informative content and comments and speaking candidly, but respectfully, you can build your trustworthiness. Spend time contributing on only the social networking sites or online groups where your client’s or prospects dwell. Write for your own blog and post on other’s blogs with permission.

3. Provide information at no cost in multiple forms of social media on a daily or weekly basis. Offer a link to a white paper, eBook, or blog article. People respond when value is being provided for them. Offer a relevant quote, a link to an interesting article, a helpful comment on a blog article, or even a small message to someone can be very effective. There are article directories, industry specific online magazines; use sites like Digg and Articlebase where you can get increased visibility.

4. Speak candidly, honestly, and always seek to clarify communications online. Talking with others online should be treated the same as in-person conversations. Make sure you clarify expectations about the product or service to be provided. One word can mean two different things to the different people and we tend to not get or give as much detail when we use a keyboard.

5. Competence builds trust. Demonstrate competence in your area of expertise by writing about your approach, giving case examples of those you helped or testimonials about your performance and approach to your work on your website or blog.

6. If it is possible in your industry-let people know who you have helped, how long you have been helping them, and why they work with you. If you have achieved outstanding references, referrals and recommendations-use those testimonials in your branding efforts.

7. Only associate yourself with trusted brands and people. Remember you are judged by the company you keep. Also, regularly publicizing your charity work can help demonstrate your commitment to the community and will attract others with similar values

8. Give something of value. Provide advice, free trial periods samples, demonstrations, and articles at no cost that convinces the client they are getting value in working with you.

One thing is for certain; even online, building trust takes time and dedication. It has to be done step by step, should be integrated into the businesses systems and processes, and to be successful must be an on-going component of any successful business.

Using social media is not for everyone but if you decide to go with using it decide who from your company will be responsible and create a plan for the year. You can automate certain processes by using some paid and free online tools, like ping.fm to post to many sites at once. If you know that you will not have time to do this-then I recommend that you hire someone to post the information for you. Although, if you do hire someone to manage your campaign-I recommend that you give them some specific company information, maybe pulled from your company enewsletter, to post from time to time. Whatever you decide- remember that with the increasing number of people searching for products and services online conversations about your company or brand will happen online whether you like it or not, so why not be proactive with your social media presence rather than reactive?

Are you using social media to build trust with clients or prospects?

Are there steps your business takes to build trust? What has worked for you?

Are you reluctant to use social media? If so, why?

We’d love to hear about it. I encourage you to add to the discussion by commenting below.

© Copyright 2010. Accelerated Business Services. All rights reserved.

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By waynekessler, January 4, 2010

Many of us still believe that it is important to start the new year off right, to set and achieve a personal or professional goal, to do something we’ve been wanting to do all last year but never got around to doing it. And there is value to that goal focused thinking…for some. Because the reality is, statistically speaking, only 22% of men and only 14% of women are actually likely to keep their resolutions.

Over the years, many friends, family and colleagues have attempted to lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise more. And many of my clients, or prospective clients have expressed an interest in expanding their marketing plan to include things like creating an enewsletter, updating and optimizing their website, or using social networking sites like Linkedin and Facebook to build relationships and generate leads.

Occasionally, I will ask these people about their progress in keeping their resolutions, and I have heard a variety of explanations most of which are symptomatic of either a lack of will power, a shift in priorities, attention deficit disorder, procrastination, or some combination thereof.

Some of the main reasons experts give for people not achieving their goals are that the goals are either not specific enough, not measurable, not achievable or agreed upon by all involved, not realistic or relevant, or not time-based or trackable. In short, the goals were not created and monitored correctly.

In an effort to help people to create and achieve their goals- I offer the following 8 Tips for setting marketing goals in 2010:
• Tip#1-  Break down a larger goal into a series of achievable, measurable goals
• Tip#2-  Put time frames on the achievement of these goals
• Tip#3-  Identify and enlist the people that can help you reach these goals
• Tip#4-  Make sure that each person understands expectations around goal completion dates and their responsibility or role
• Tip#5- Write action steps and deliverable dates into your daily schedule and remind others of key milestone dates
• Tip#6-  Deal with barriers to completion immediately, and modify goals as needed
• Tip#7- Make a list of rewards for yourself and others when you have reached your goals and reward yourself and others when goals are achieved
• Tip#8- Create and regularly update a visual display, e.g. graph, or chart, indicating progress on goal completion

Forget the old approach to goal setting and New Years resolutions. It simply does not work for most people. By creating specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based goals and by having visual reminders and rewards for goal completion-we can ensure our success in 2010.

Questions for discussion:
1. What works for you in setting or achieving goals?

2. How do you motivate team members to help you achieve a shared goal?

3. What rewards or incentives have you used that have worked?

I would love to hear your comments and feedback.

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By waynekessler, October 23, 2009

Before starting any small business venture it is a must to write a business and marketing plan. There are many resources available to help you outline the elements of a marketing plan such as those provided by SCORE and the SBA so this article does not attempt to review these elements. Rather, the author seeks to outline some marketing plan tips for startups. It is a fact that those business owners who take the time to clearly define their business and marketing plans succeed in far greater numbers than those who don’t.

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By waynekessler, October 21, 2009

To compete, you need to optimize your website. The ultimate goal of website optimization is to attract more relevant traffic to your website. To that end, recent research suggest that there are certain best practices that can also influence click through rates, conversion rates, and campaign response rates.

Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, the Director of Marketing Experiments suggests that certain simple design and layout elements on home pages, registration pages, and landing pages can make a big difference in click through rates, conversion rates, campaign response rates, and can drive more traffic to your website.

Dr. McGlaughlin’s research suggest there are best practices one should apply:

1.  Give visitors clarity about what they should do on your page and why they should do it.

2. Keep web page design uncluttered, and use good color choices.

3. Provide an explanation to your web visitors about the benefits of your offer, or “value proposition.”

4.  Design a subscription form well and don’t ask for too much information, too soon. Two fields is fine, name and email address

By following these simple SEO design practices and SEO tips you will be amazed at the difference in the performance of your website.

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By waynekessler, September 23, 2009

As a marketing consultant specializing in company branding, social networking, website design, and optimization, I am always reading articles on the latest, most effective techniques in design, optimization, and website navigation. My goal is to use the latest techniques, tactics, and strategies to achieve visibility for my clients, help them to build relationships with their customers, and increase their brand awareness.
To that end, many companies are now adding videos to their websites to increase their value and boost the flow of traffic to their site. Many of the websites you will visit in the coming months will greet you with a video that either pops up, or they will give you an option to view a company or product video.

There are many reasons video is so popular. Isn’t it much easier to view a video than to have to read multiple sentences, paragraphs, or pages of information? In addition to ease of use for the viewer- offering a video can help to separate you from your competitors. If your site is more informative and enjoyable than your competitors, then you can easily guess which site will receive the most traffic. Another reason video is so popular is that with the advancement of technology, creating video content for websites has become much easier than in the past. It used to be that you had to hire a video production company, at great expense, to handle all aspects of your video production. But now, all you need is a digital video camera, editing software, a tripod, and lighting. Some people are even creating videos using their built-in desktop or laptop pc camera and mic-although one needs to be certain the sound and video clarity on their camera is adequate before using this option.

The bottom line on using videos is that we live in an era where video content is everywhere. It is on our televisions, the internet, game systems, our ipods, and cell phones. Adding video to your site or blog will provide a much higher response rate, will reach people through a different medium, and lead to many more satisfied visitors.

However, for those who want an alternative to video but want the same reach and the same “wow factor” that video offers-I would like to tell you about a recent technology which has truly amazed me. I recently met with the folks over at Panospin Studios (www.panospin.com) to incorporate their technology in some of the websites I design. Panospin can come to any location and conduct a photo shoot. They then use their proprietary software to create 360-degree rotating images commonly called “Virtual Tours.” You may have seen these on the internet being used by realtors, vacation destinations, and hotel websites. However, the state-of-the-art virtual tour now is being used by restaurants, retail stores, museums, colleges, bed and breakfasts, to name a few. What’s new is that the views are full screen and truly 360-degrees by including the ceiling and floor. Also new, is that inside the rotating view are clickable “hot spots”, that can open sound clips, small pictures, links to YouTube and other webpages, or movement to adjacent 360-degree panoramic views. The effect of all this technology is that the website viewer gets the feeling of actually being there and is more likely to result in the viewer picking up the phone and making arrangements to visit in-person.
The best part of Virtual Tour technology, is in saving trees and money on printing costs, and it is relatively inexpensive. Accelerated can add virtual tours to your website or blog for less than $1,000. To see examples of the newest virtual tour technology, visit www.panospin.com.
So with all that is new and exciting in the world of internet marketing and web design-there is no reason you can’t achieve all your marketing goals, increase your bottom line, and have fun in the process.
Wayne Kessler
Accelerated Business Services

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By waynekessler, August 19, 2009

Many people are not aware that in addition to being a personal branding, business networking, and joint venture catalyst, Linkedin can serve as another touch point for your business branding efforts. In addition to your personal profile on Linkedin you can post a company business page.

Here’s how to do it:

Simply go to your main Linkedin profile page, click on the blue “Companies” link at the top of the page, and then click on the “Add a Company” link on the top right hand side of the screen. It will then prompt you to insert your detailed company information. Just as you would do with your website, your blog, and other online branding elements- you should optimize your company page with both frequently searched keywords, and long-tail keyword phrases which will enable both your customers and the search engines to find you. You can use a free keyword search tool like the Google Keyword Tool or one of the fee based tools like Wordtracker .  You can also add your company logo to your Linkedin page, but note that your logo image resolution must be no greater than 100kb or it will be rejected.

Setting up your company information is definitely worth the time and effort for the following reasons:

• you will be more visible to people who may be conducting a search for a company in your industry, or area.
• putting a link to your blog or website will enable people to be directed to your company products or services, calls to action, and ultimately landing pages, thus increasing your chances of  converting them.
• it will increase the number of inbound links to your website which, in turn, will help with website optimization.

By taking the time to complete your profile on as many social networking and internet directories in your industry-you can definitely strengthen your company branding and optimization efforts. I recommend you make the time, or pay a marketing professional to complete a Linkedin business page, a Facebook business page (yes, you can also set up a Facebook business page-see my previous article on using facebook), a Google business page, and also register with online internet directories that are relevant to your industry. I did this several months ago with http://www.lead411.com and my business recently was listed on the first page of a Google search under that directory. Oops, I think I just gave my competition one of my secrets.

I hope this information has been helpful and that it helps you grow your business. I encourage your comments to this article as it helps me and others to continue to learn about the utility of social networking sites in their company’s branding and marketing efforts.

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By waynekessler, June 2, 2009

There are a growing number of social media sites being used by businesses in their company marketing efforts. The secret to using social media effectively is not to be everywhere, but instead to have an online presence where your current and prospective customers are online. Contrary to what many believe- Facebook is not just for college students or for personal use. Facebook is increasingly being used by companies in many creative ways such as to build their brand image, to drive traffic to their website and blogs, to announce or get feedback on new products, manage their online reputation, attract employees, communicate company information, and as a means to intercept potential prospects. For many companies, this increased company communication is leading to enhanced relationships with current and prospective customers. In this article, I will outline how a planned internet marketing approach can lead to positive results for your business. I will begin the article by addressing a few common misperceptions about Facebook that I hear most frequently from my clients. Next, I will detail how to use and set up the various sections of a Facebook account.  I will conclude with several recommended applications that will add functionality to your company Facebook page.

Common misperception #1: Facebook is only for personal use
Each time I give presentations on using social networking sites for business there is the perception in the audience that Facebook is only useful for communicating with friends and family. Facebook started as a closed community for college students, and has not been as effective as Linkedin at highlighting the business page and advertising features. However, Facebook continues to grow in use by companies looking to reach the more than 200 million active users, and has very powerful and targeted demographic tools that help companies to hone in on their target market.

Common misperception #2: Facebook is only for college students
According to the Facebook Press Room page, there are more than 200 million active users on Facebook and a million new members are joining each week in the U.S. alone. Contrary to what many of my audiences believe- more than two-thirds of Facebook users are not in college. According to comscore.com, more than 50% of Facebook’s users in the U.S. are over 35; the single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44, and Facebook’s fastest growing age group is 55 and older. They also reported that Facebook ranks as the top social networking site in the majority of European countries.

Common misperception #3: I am too busy for this, and besides-it is not worth my time
Some of the reasons why social networking sites like Facebook are increasingly being used by companies is because they provide businesses the opportunity to easily and efficiently communicate regularly with the people in their network. Networks can include people with whom they are currently doing business, people whom they would like to do business, vendors, and potential business partners.
Social networking sites like Facebook are serving as an adjunct to, and in some cases, replacement for, traditional means of communication such as newsletters and direct mail. Facebook can be used to regularly announce or get feedback on new products, spotlight new employees or existing employees accomplishments or talents, reward customer loyalty, promote special events and special offers, as well as to create partnerships. According to a Forrester Research interactive marketing online research survey (March 2009): “40% of companies surveyed expect to cut direct mail budgets, while 35% will decrease newspaper spend, and 28% will slash magazine money in order to spend more in interactive media.” Some companies have reported that by using these online means of communication they have reduced their marketing budget while at the same time increasing sales.

Why Social Networking works:
What companies that use social networking sites are finding is that these sites allow them to more regularly communicate with people, vendors, clients, colleagues, and prospects, which, in turn, helps business understand their customers needs better, increase trust, and therefore build better business relationships. Most people know that Facebook has been helpful as a tool for connecting or re-connecting with friends, family and co-workers. And most understand that even the personal connections have the potential to become new business opportunities-so it makes sense that Facebook can be used to communicate with those in the business milieu.

How to Set Up a Facebook Profile:
To make use of Facebook you need to set up an account at www.facebook.com.  After registering you need to do the following in order of importance:

1. Create a Profile
In order to begin to use Facebook you must create a profile detailing information about yourself. Based on site policies, you can create only 1 profile, and it must be tied to a human name, preferably your real name, not a business name. We will review setting up your business page later in this article, but first you must set up your personal profile. If you are a married female, use your maiden and married names so more people can find you. Facebook has a “Friend Finder” feature that allows users to search for people by school, company, or organization. In order for people to find you –you must so be sure to list all of your previous schools, organizations, employers, in your profile. Thoroughly complete the “About Me” section to describe your business and what services or products you offer. In the “Information” box on your profile page, you need to include links to your website address, newsletter, blog and other business information such as your company contact information, logo and a photo of yourself. Your profile page should be considered your “branding” page or your marketing campaign. If you are working for a company-you don’t have to list all your personal interests-just limit your entry to listing your professional interests. You can syndicate your blog on your profile page. By doing this you are enabling any post that you make to automatically appear on your profile page and all of those people who are connected to you will see it.

2. Build Your Contact List
Facebook was created based on the concept of connecting with friends. You can send and receive “friend requests” and once accepted, your friend can view your profile and you can view theirs. To begin connecting with people that you know, you can either import your address book/ contact database, or you can also search Facebook for individual people.
You can also view the friends list of each person with whom you are connected. If you know any of your new friend’s connections, or you would like to know them-you can send a connection request.
You can grow your friend list by inviting all your clients, business associates, customers, family, friends, co-workers, school alumni, neighbors, and anyone else you think would be interested in connecting. I would suggest also using the search feature on Facebook to look up people with whom you have lost contact. After friending-your profile will show up on all your friends’ pages.  Therefore, the more friends you have- the more pages your profile will appear-leading to more people who will see your page and possibly get in touch with you.

3. Communicate by using Wall Posts
Each Facebook member has a “wall” where friends can post messages. In the business networking world, this is the online equivalent of calling them on the phone. You can send a complement to a colleague on their work by writing this on their wall, comment on their new service or product offering, or communicate an upcoming training or networking opportunity.

4. Update Your Status
At the top of your Facebook page is a status box. When you post a status update, everyone in your friends list can see your update on their home page.  For business owners, this is the place to share tips, promote events, post blog updates, announce new products, links to your affiliate programs, links to interesting video or audio presentations, websites, articles, and newsletters.You can add updates as often as you are able in the ” What’s on you mind?” box. These will appear on all of your friends’ pages so ensure that they are meant for everyone on your friend list, and are professional in nature. Otherwise, you risk people removing you from their list.

5. Participate in Groups
Online groups allow you to network virtually with potential clients and peers.
You can also join Groups on Facebook that are related to your work. There are groups for therapist, teachers, coaches, and every conceivable profession. You can network, and learn from experts in the field.
Another way to maximize the potential and relevance of these groups is to start one of your own. There is no cost to do this and this is a great way to improve your company’s visibility. For example, I started a group for mental health facility administrators in Boston. This group is now a resource for sharing best practices and may over time lead to mutual referral relationships.
To access groups, start from your Facebook home page, view the list of applications and click on “Groups.” You can browse through thousands of groups by area of interest, by industry and geography. There are an incredibly varied selection of topics and professions all over the map.

6. Build Your Friends List
For business purposes, it makes sense to have as many friends as possible. One way to do this is to join a group and send connection requests to fellow members with a note letting them know of your interest in connecting with them on Facebook. Just as you would with an in-person business introduction, be sure to check out their profile and learn about what they are currently doing. Networking always works best when there is a two-way exchange. Find ways you can be helpful to them such as introducing them to a colleague or potential business partner and they may likely reciprocate and return the favor. Also, create your own events page, or post on the Facebook “Events page.” You can even see how many RSVP and get feedback from attendees.

7. Create Fan Pages
Because Facebook requires that a profile be designated to a person, not a business, they have instead provided the ability to create fan pages. You can create a fan page for a business, book, product, author, speaker, celebrity or just about anything else you want.
To create a fan page, scroll all the way down to the bottom of Facebook and click on “Advertising” (don’t worry, this is free to set-up). Next, click on “Pages” at the top of the screen. You will find some helpful explanations about how pages work, along with the link that will allow you to create your own fan page. Once your page is created you can add links, events, discussion boards and other features that make them interactive. Your updates from your fan pages will appear on your profile so your friends will know about them. You can invite people to become a “fan” of your page as an alternative to sending friend requests which will help you to further cultivate an online community

8. Use the Marketplace
Facebook has an online marketplace that allows you to list your services and products at no cost. This is a great way for you or your company to get exposure. You can also use the marketplace to find items or services that you need.

How To Set Up a Business Page on Facebook
Setting up a business page is easy. Just log in to your profile page and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Then click on “Advertising” or by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/business/. That will bring up a page with the blue links one of which is called “Pages.” Click on Pages, and then click on the green “Create a Page” box on the right of the screen. You can now start filling this information in to create and customize your business page.
After you create your business page, Facebook will automatically add an application called the “Page Manager” which should be located on the top and left side of your log in page or by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/business/ and choosing Facebook Pages. Choose the best category for your business. Click this link to load your business page where you can then edit and add to the existing content.
It is important that you choose the name of your Facebook page carefully because the page name will become your key word search terms, and is the only text that is used in a search on a Facebook page.
Once your page is in place, you can add applications that help to enhance how you represent your company in your own unique way. To find applications for Facebook, click on “Applications” in the upper left corner of your page, or search for them at this link: http://www.facebook.com/apps/. Applications are fairly easy to install and to set up. If you have difficulty with any one application-please note that there is often more than one application available to accomplish the same task.

Facebook Applications for Business:
Simply RSS (http://apps.facebook.com/simplyrss/): This allows you to display up to eight RSS feeds on your Facebook page and display the feeds from your business’s main site and newsrooms.
Upcoming (http://apps.facebook.com/upcoming/): Add all of your events to upcoming.org, and you can easily display them on your Facebook page with Upcoming’s Facebook application.
My Flickr (http://apps.facebook.com/myflickr/): Display photos from your Flickr account using this application. These photos can include logos, product photos, photos from events, etc.
Posted Items Pro (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2761091815)allows you to embed multiple YouTube, Yahoo, and Google Videos, music mp3s, sites, files, and more onto your profile and Facebook pages. You can add any variety of these elements, making it great for a media center or press section.
Twitter APP: If you have a Twitter account this application will automatically pull your tweets into your Facebook status, and it automatically installs a Twitter-themed icon letting all you friends on Facebook know that you are on Twitter. It also saves you time in updating and ensures that you have some profile activity to keep you relevant. If you are not on Twitter yet-you can add this at any time.
By implementing these applications you will be creating an interactive page that gives visitors a more complete understanding of your business. To see all of these applications in use on one page, visit http://www.facebook.com/apps/directory.php.

Make the Time to Stay Relevant
In order to stay relevant on Facebook, you need to continually update your Page and use the site. If you do not have the time needed to do this consistently- then I would suggest you hire a copywriter or social media consultant to help. The more actions you take, the more you appear in a fan’s News Feed. This keeps you in their mind, and in their friend’s feeds when they interact with you. But updating content will do more than keep you on the News Feed; it will also help make your Facebook Page one that people will return to by offering fans an incentive to continue to read your content and return to your page. There are many ways to do this such as providing exclusive content, special promotional pricing, exclusive contests, product previews, or privileged access to company events.
I hope this information has been helpful to you in getting started in using Facebook. Make no mistake about it-social networking is not a passing fad. Facebook, and other social media sites are here to stay. So regardless of whether you make use of all the social networking sites- you cannot discount the recent research indicating that customers are increasingly going online to gather company and product information, compare prices, and place orders. As with any new technology social networking will take time and effort for businesses to fully benefit from it; however, it is my belief that this time and effort, if done consistently and in a planned, thoughtful manner, will be time well spent.

The author of this article, Wayne Kessler is an Internet Marketing Strategist, speaker and behavioral change consultant focused on helping individuals and small businesses to increase online sales, strengthen their brand, and dramatically boost web site traffic through proven online marketing concepts. His business, Accelerated Business Services, is based in Massachusetts, and provides in-office, or remote services worldwide. Visit him on the web at www.waynekessler.com

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By waynekessler, May 2, 2009

As someone who has been involved in the marketing field for many years-I am amazed at how the field of social networking has changed so much in the last couple of years. These changes are allowing users to interact more, in more ways, provide real time feedback to companies, and to reach greater numbers of potential customers.

Most of us in the field of internet marketing are struggling to keep up with the development of new social networking sites, online marketing techniques, and online tools to manage and organize social networking site information, and facilitate communication and integration. Even social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have been making changes to facilitate and enhance the user experience. The main reason this is happening so quickly is because of the fact that unlike previous means of soliciting customer service feedback, such as surveys, focus groups and questionnaires, the existing social media sites can glean real time feedback from their users and each social network service can learn from, and adapting the tools and strategies of the others to enhance their user experience. As with sites like Twitter the global community can create and then distribute virally, their own tools which users can quickly adopt, and if found useful, then spread the word to their followers who then try them out.

The power of this communication lies in its real time interactivity, its direct connection to companies, its global connectivity, and its growing audience (you have seen the astronomical numbers of people who are signing up on the sites everyday). You can even replay previously recorded podcasts, and webinars if you miss them, on your computer, media device, and phone. But what I feel has made social media so effective is its power to bring people together who share like interests, and the growing usage of a multimedia approach to interacting and learning which makes it more convenient and more interesting for people with different learning styles and different levels of comfort in interacting in a public forum.

This is an interesting and exciting time to be online. There are incredible opportunities to learn from the experts around the world, and for users to contribute, and help each other in this global community.  As participants in this process -we are truly pioneers helping to shape the future of communication, and how business and customers will interact in the global marketplace.

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By waynekessler, April 7, 2009

One of the biggest challenges of small business owners that I work with is managing the multiplicity of duties that are necessary for running a small business.  With all that is required of a small business owner- it is no wonder that many business owners work 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week.

With all this activity, it is essential for the small business owner to create a system for organizing their life and work. Many articles have been written about creating filing systems that help track information and documents; however, in my experience, unless filing systems are individually tailored to the lifestyle and habits of the worker-they simply do not work.

In this article-I would like to offer an alternative to traditional filing systems to a model that complements the personality and lifestyle of the individual worker. The ultimate goal in this article is to illustrate how putting into place some structure will help increase efficiency and hence productivity.

One such case example is a recent client of mine, Tony, a manufacturer of home improvement products who came to me requesting help with organizing his office. Tony’s main complaint was not being able to find information he needed in a timely manner and wasting a lot of time looking for information.

One of the first things we did was to set up a filing system based on categories that made sense to Tony. The first file was a “To Do” or “Action needed” file to capture that information that needed action.  We created a “To do” list form that itemized the tasks, completion/due dates, and parties involved so that Tony more consistently met deadlines. This “To do “ file also stored his daily phone log, and printed email request for proposals/quotes that required a detailed response.

Second, was a “Project” file, grouped by project, oftentimes listed by customer name which included his current project plans, goals, important emails, estimates, and any pertinent reference information for the project.

Third was his own “Personal” file that included information about his health, disability and other insurance and benefits, as well as his current certifications.
Fourth, was a “Travel/Expenses” file which included bills/receipts (to help him keep track of all work related expenses) in addition to meeting notes, and travel directions.

Fifth was a “Vendor” account file that had detailed information on his vendors including rates, contacts, product manuals, and merchant agreements.

Although Tony had a software program that tracked customer order information he reported that he needed their contact information more accessible while traveling. To that end-we were able to transfer his customer information from his software program to his handheld PDA device so he could better communicate with his customers. In addition to the information stored in his software program, we were able to consolidate information stuffed in Tony’s desk, his wallet, written on calendars, or on the back of business cards.

We also helped Tony manage information from all of the online accounts that he had established.

I cannot tell you how many of my customers do not have a system for organizing their online account information. It is not uncommon to have different passwords and account names for various online service providers, and much time is wasted trying to find the correct username and password for each.

For Tony and others- I have created a simple Excel form which is to be used each time an account is established to reduce the stress and wasted time involved in trying to find information related to these online accounts. You can create this form on your own, or contact me for a copy. The form has the following headers:  Provider, Account Type, Domain, Username, Email, Password, Created Date, Expired Date and Cost.  This form can be kept in one of the above mentioned files (preferably in a locked drawer).  It can also be stored as a digital, password protected file on your computer. In Tony’s case, because he prefers not to use the computer-he opted for a printed, hard copy of the form that he could fill in by hand each time he establishes an account.

By taking the time to set up an individually tailored system for organizing himself- Tony has reported feeling much more productive, less stressed out, and more in control of his projects.

If you found this article helpful, and would like to set up a free initial consultation-just email me at wayne@waynekessler.com or call (781) 956-9999 to set up an appointment.

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