Your business might already be listed on Google and you aren’t even aware of it! Back in October of last year, Google consolidated the Google Places information with the general web searches. You will now generally find these local business search results on the first page of Google. You will be able to identify them by the red markers that coordinate to Google maps. If your business listing shows up and says ‘unverified’ next to it, it is time to claim it and take ownership of the information. There is a right way to do this, so if you need help, you should contact someone who understands how Google treats this information. This is something that I do for my clients when I set them up on the social media space.
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As a business owner, do you duck the uncomfortable questions or complaints that come to you via your Social Media applications or online in general? Do you screen the bad news and omit it from your comment feed on your blog or remove the comments on your Facebook wall so that everything appears perfect in your world? If so, you might be missing out on a wonderful opportunity and doing yourself more harm than good in the long run.
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While Facebook says this new feature is about deepening your relationships and making this a more meaningful experience, let’s not kid ourselves. Think back the changes that Facebook made to the size of the page. As developers or VAs, we know Facebook shrunk the allowable size of the page to enlarge the Ad space. By expanding your information, you are giving Facebook more information to feed its advertisers. For those of you who use Advertising like the ‘Pay per click’ option on Facebook, you know you can target your ad to very specific audiences. The more information Facebook has about you, the better it is for the Advertiser. If you do opt to provide Facebook with more information about you, please make sure you make use of the Friend List feature on Facebook and have your privacy settings set accordingly.
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How is your Social Media Campaign going? Has the balloon burst? Social Media has become mainstream so quickly and you see everyone scrambling now to get on board. But if you are like many people who jumped in and got involved in the Social media space without truly understanding what it’s about, you might be finding your enthusiasm starting to wane. Here are some of the main reasons that people peter out and are not successful in the social media realm.
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I coach my clients to spend their time doing what they do best and leave the items that they’ve contracted me for to me! Work on getting their trust and respect and you can’t go wrong.
There are so many things you can do to maximize your client relationships. Still there will be times when the relationship breaks down. So, what are 5 signs that you are working with the wrong client?
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I got a call a few weeks ago from a small local business owner who was very frustrated with her web designer. You know the type; someone who holds their cards close to their chest and would rather baffle the client with BS and hold them hostage.
This website person actually told me they were smarter than the people at GoDaddy. WOW. Seriously?
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You see, with a laptop, the wonderful world of wireless internet access and some discipline, I was able to publish client blogs, answer emails and deal with any emergencies while on the road and still enjoy my family and our time together. And as a Social Media Specialist, the bulk of the work I do is online, meaning, I have an easily transportable office! It doesn’t matter if I am sitting in my home office in Newmarket, Ontario, in a hotel in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia or in Europe for that matter.
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Do you have a Facebook Business Page? Do you have a Welcome Page set up as a landing page for first time visitors? Why might this be important?
Have you noticed when you visit people’s business pages, you are bouncing back and forth between the info tab, the small bio under the person’s graphic and reading the wall to get a sense of who this person is and what their business is about? I know I do.
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In a recent informal survey of local small business owners, I was surprised to learn how many still rely on costly Telephone Directory listings as a primary means of marketing their business. Interestingly, when I asked them how they themselves find products and services that they are looking for, most said they did their looking online. There seems to be a disconnect between what they do and what they expect their prospects and clients to do.
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A blog is a great way for you to give your community fresh, valuable information on a regular basis. I did a post on top 10 tips on blogging back in the Fall. If you would like to read it, you’ll find it here. The questions is, does one go with .com or .org? I like the analogy that Matt uses here of owning a home vs renting. Personally, I would much rather own my own and be in control of my own destiny. Wouldn’t you? While the low maintenance aspect of the .com site may seem attractive, what does Matt mean here when he says in the .com version, you have ‘no yard’, and you ‘can’t knock down the walls’? Here are a few key differences you should be aware of.
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