Facebook recently announced a security setting that allows users to view content over a secure network (https) while they are in Facebook.   There have been posts recently by users to inform and encourage others to select this ‘secure’ form of browsing wherever possible. I thought I would share some information with you here that might influence whether you choose this option or not.

For example, as a Certified Social Media Specialist, I encourage my Facebook clients to have a custom landing page (Welcome Page) for first time visitors to their page. It is a wonderful way to welcome prospective clients and introduce them to you and your business.  We can incorporate images, audio, video, etc., and make it a great experience for those who visit your page. It definitely helps with engagement! I create other pages for clients too and customize them to your brand.

Until recently Facebook allowed these custom pages to be uploaded to their own servers and viewing these pages were never an issue.  Facebook has now taken away this ability.  They appear to be grandfathering the pages that are already there and they still work as they always have but any new pages that anyone would like to add to their Facebook Business page must now be added using another form of technology and herein lies the problem with the secure browsing.  Anyone putting up a custom page now becomes a ‘developer’ in the eyes of Facebook. As a developer, Facebook would like everyone to obtain a security certificate which costs approximately $50./site but supposedly gets around this problem although I see that there are still issues with this.  I should add here, that there are other issues with using secure browsing on Facebook other than just custom landing pages. You may run into problems with other applications that you might be trying to add or view on your Facebook page as well as some of the options that Facebook itself currently offers.

If you or someone viewing a tab on your Facebook business page is a Firefox user, you may get this error.

Or perhaps you are an Internet Explorer user, and you get this message:

If you are seeing this message or are informed by someone trying to view your new landing page that they are getting this error, then it is likely because you/they have opted for secure browsing.  If you remove the security setting, you will eliminate the problem. It’s as simple as that.

How do you opt for or remove this feature?

1. Go to the Account tab (top right of your Facebook screen)

2. Select Account Settings

3. Select change next to Account Security

4. Either check or uncheck the box that says ‘secure browsing (https)’ depending on whether you want to use it or not.

Personally, I have unchecked this box so that I can view everything without issue until a more satisfactory solution is achieved. There is a lot of buzz in the developer forum on Facebook around this issue at the moment.

I continue to modify pre-existing pages on Facebook under the old platform but I am now creating new landing pages for clients using the new technology that Facebook requires.

I am not a proponent of jumping on every new feature that Facebook releases. For example, if you have a Facebook profile and you have been using it to promote your business, Facebook has released the option to transform your profile into a Facebook Business page.  Don’t do it!  There are many wrinkles that still need to be ironed out here. You run the risk of losing your personal profile altogether along with your contacts, your images etc.

If you are using Facebook for your business, I would encourage everyone to engage the help of someone who really understands this space to advise you. Facebook isn’t perfect and can sometimes be frustrating.  Having said that, it is now the number 1 visited site on the internet, has close to a billion users and has a very loyal audience.  I use mine every day to meet new people and engage new prospects.

How about you?  I love getting feedback here on my blog and you’ll even get commentluv. This is a plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Joanne

While physically located in Newmarket, ON where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours, anywhere.

Facebook – A Shining Star in the Social Media World

Did you know that Facebook has over 350 million active users?  Did you know that over 700,000 local businesses have active Business pages on Facebook?  Did you know that it’s against Facebook terms of use to use your personal profile page to do business there?

Facebook is not only for kids! The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is ages 35-49!

With the explosion of Facebook profiles and business pages, what are you doing to make your page stand out? As a Social Media Specialist, I help my clients impress and stay top of mind in the Facebook and Social Media space.   Here are 3 tips on things you can do to make your Facebook Business Page sing.

1. Enlarge the photo

Facebook allows you a 200×600 pixel space for your graphic or photo. Why not make good use of it?  Make sure that your graphic or photo is high resolution so that when you re-size it, the quality doesn’t degrade.  Include some extra information like your website address or your physical address if you are a storefront.

When choosing your font type, choose one like Verdana or Arial that will display well in a jpeg for e.g., when you upload it.  Legibility is important.

2. Permit tagging

One of the ways to be viral in this space is to allow your fans to tag photos.  (Thanks Kathy Colaiacovo for helping find where you can do this for pages…it’s buried!) By default, this option is turned off on Facebook Fan pages.  To permit tagging, follow these instructions:

a)  Go to Edit Page
b)  Locate the photo section
c)  Click edit
d)  Click edit settings, and ‘Allow Fans to Tag Photos’.

Note to my clients if you are reading this…I have already enabled this for you!

This is a great way to be seen in the news feed.  One word of caution. Check your privacy settings with respect to people being able to post photos to your wall.  Also be judicious when posting unflattering photos of others and be sensitive to how these photos might be syndicated.  This applies to your personal profile as well.

3. Welcome Page

Consider designing or getting someone to design a Welcome Page for you.  This is a great landing page for those who are new to your business page.  On this page you can provide an overview of your business and use graphics, audio and video to really make your page stand out.  You can also set it so that anyone new visiting your page will land on this page first.  Once they have ‘fanned’ your page, upon returning to your page in the future, they will then be directed to your wall.   This will also be a Tab that you can situate on your navigation bar so that even your existing fans can visit it.

It’s tough to land in the middle of conversation, so these Welcome Pages are a great intro.  You will need FBML to create this page. If you are not skilled in this area, a Social Media Specialist who has the training, like myself, can help you.

Above all, the most important thing on your business page is your content.  You want people to return to your page again and again, so provide some real value here.  Share some great industry news, provide great links and engage people in conversation on a regular basis.  That’s what it’s all about.

Facebook will likely be at a half billion users by the 2011.  Businesses are recognizing the power of this application and the opportunities it presents to move your business forward.  Isn’t it time for you to investigate it a little further?

What do you think? Do you have a Facebook Business Page? Does it sing? I love getting feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s a plugin that allows bloggers to leave a link back to their own blog. How great is that?  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment.  I’d love to hear from everyone.

While physically located in Newmarket, ON where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours, anywhere.

Until next time,

Joanne

Duking it Out

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I have clients asking me to help them clarify between a Facebook Group and a Facebook Business Page.    For many they appear to accomplish the same thing…but do they? Here are 3 major differences between Facebook Business Pages and Facebook Groups.

Before I begin however, let me mention as I have in previous posts, that Facebook frowns upon anyone using their Facebook profile page to do business. If reported, Facebook will shut down your account if they find you abusing their terms of use, so it makes sense for anyone doing business on Facebook to have a Facebook business page regardless of the other factors below.

1. Findability: Facebook Business Pages allow that once you have 25 fans, you may apply for a ‘vanity url’ on Facebook.  Logon to your Facebook profile and visit Facebook.com/username to explore this option.  Until you reach 25 fans, your Facebook busines page url will have a string of what will appear to be ‘garbage’ attached to the end of it.  Google for example, will have no idea what to do with this address and therefore you won’t be ‘findable’ in the search engines.  Once you have your vanity url, there is a good chance that your page will be crawled and searchable.  Facebook Groups are not searchable by the search engines.   In my opinion, that’s Pages 1, Groups 0.
   
2. Purpose: A Facebook Business Page is recommended for anyone wanting to do business on Facebook.  One can generate content on their business page that has no tie to your personal page.  You many have unlimited fans and update them with no limitation.  Business Pages are great for building your brand.  Almost anyone can become a fan of your Facebook Business Page.  However, the only limitation a business page owner can impose on their page with respect to fans is age and location. Facebook Groups of less than 5000 members can send email blasts to their members. A  Facebook group can be a little like a private club and are intended to be more personal and on a smaller scale.  Group administrators can set their groups up whereby the group owner can control membership.  Many people use Facebook Groups to rally people around a cause.  So for example,  if you wanted to create a group to rally support around the crisis in Haiti, a group would be a good choice here.  Groups are tied to your personal profile.     So depending on what you want to accomplish, the score here for me would be Pages 1, Groups 1.
3. Functionality: Facebook Business Pages allow you the much the same functionality as your personal page. In other words, you can upload photos, video, use applications like HTML or Facebook Markup Language (FBML) to create areas on your page to include things like opt-in boxes or link someone to your e-commerce site. There are some applications however that you cannot install on your business page but that is becoming less so and the possibilities are almost endless. Many people are now building exciting landing pages for the business page to really make it shine.  Facebook Groups allow you to use links, upload photos and video and that’s about it. In my opinion, that’s Pages 1, Groups 0.

Overall in my opinion then, it’s Pages 3, Groups 1.   I believe Facebook Business Pages are more functional and effective than groups.  There has also been another issue around groups lately that you should be aware of.  It appears that Facebook had a breech a while back whereby a fringe group  seized control of many Facebook groups that had no administrator assigned and used these groups to push forward their agenda.  Facebook has shut down the ability now to recapture administrator status on a group that is unassigned.  And, without administrator status, there are things you cannot do such as delete your group if you so desire.

Whatever you choose, if you aren’t sure about how to set these profiles up properly, you should consider using the services of a Social Media Specialist to help you through the process.  Customizing and optimizing these sites is key to your success.

I would love to hear about your experiences with Facebook Business Pages and Groups.  Tell me what works for you!

For all you bloggers out there, you’ll love commentluv here on my blog. Leave a comment and you can leave a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave me your comments! I want to hear from all of you!

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where I live with my family, as a VA, I’m virtually yours anywhere….

Joanne

Putting My $$ Where My Mouth Is

Well, I did it! My static website has now been incorporated into my WordPress site. It took a little doing to make sure all my links stayed intact but I’m here.

As a Social Media Specialist VA, I coach my clients to use their blog site as their hub so it was time to put my money where my mouth is.    It’s so much easier for me now to maintain everything pertaining to my business here on my WordPress site than on my blog and my static website.  More importantly, it’s easy to communicate with my prospects and client base right here with the comment section so I am looking forward to lots of interaction!  It is already reinforcing the discipline to be in the moment – present and authentic.   A blog site is an ideal place for you to build intimacy, trust and loyalty with your followers.

You’ll notice that a ‘Services’ page has been added here along with a ‘Need Help?’ page so everything you need to know about me and my services is easily accessible.  I have all my links to my Social Media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter so you can communicate with me where-ever you are most comfortable hanging out online.

I still use my LinkedIn profile as my “About Me” page because I keep it up to date with all the current information and that is where my testimonials are housed.   To me, showcasing  testimonials on LinkedIn rather than a traditional website is more ‘authentic’ because they are generated by the recommender themselves.

It can be a bit of a challenge keeping up to date with this rapidly changing Social Media environment, but I am confident that with this transition, I will be able to keep my readers abreast of what’s happening with my business and be able to share fresh, relevant information all in one place.

I am keen to get some feedback!  How many of you have made this transition?

For all you bloggers out there, you’ll love commentluv here on my blog. Leave a comment and you can leave a link back to your own blog.  But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave me your comments! I want to hear from all of you!

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where I live with my family, as a VA, I’m virtually yours anywhere….

Joanne

Santa on Twitter? What a Cool Idea!

Looking back over the last year, I am pleased and amazed at the growth in my business. Social Media has played a huge role in this success and I am grateful to all those clients who have put their faith in me to help them build their business using these incredible tools.

Here are the top 5 things that I have learned this year about Social Media and the role it plays in building your presence online whether you are doing it for yourself or potentially as a Virtual Assistant like me, doing it for your clients..

1. Search Engine Optimization.   Social Media sites are very heavily indexed by Google. If you want yourself (or if you’re a VA, your clients) on the front page of Google, an investment in the Big Three (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) is a great way to get them there. Before February of this year, I was lucky to have 1 or 2 listings on the first page of Google. Now, if you key in my business name, Virtually Yours, Joanne Burgess,  I basically own the first 3 pages of Google. That’s expensive real estate. If you key in just my name, (and believe me, there are a lot of Joanne Burgesses out there), I still have 5 entries in the top 10 including the first two spots. This never would have happened if not for Social Media!
2. Links are Key. No matter what Social Media sites you are using, you need to have your sites inter-linked. Personally I have almost doubled my Facebook Fan page by having a fan box on my blog site. Making it easy for people to find you and follow you is key.  People don’t have time to search all over the place for you. Time is precious. Make it easy for your prospects and clients to find and connect with you wherever they ‘hang out’!
3. Yes, brick and mortar businesses can make good use of  Social Media tools. I automatically create a local business account listing for my brick and mortar clients.  While this is not considered part of a ‘normal’ social media strategy, I have used the ‘keyword’ component to help drive up their exposure on Google.  Google has recently incorporated Analytics on these profiles.  You can easily see what search strings potential prospects and clients are using to find your client’s business. I then use these findings to help the client build great blog posts and generate great tweets. There are also new apps popping up all the time to help scope out local prospects.
4. Potential to find great resources.  I have met the most amazing people by being involved in Social Media – not  just other VAs (who are amazing), but leaders in the industry  with whom I have shared great ideas and resources.  Social media puts you on a level playing field like never before and grants you incredible access.
5. Consistency is KEY. It’s easy to setup profiles on Social media sites.  It’s something else to commit to the process and stay the course. It’s a struggle many days to find the time to get on the sites and participate in the discussion… but as I tell my clients, a few minutes each day, gets you closer to your goal of being the person people think of when they think of your product or service and more importantly to show that you are an expert in your ‘field’ and an approachable one at that.

In summary, it’s been an amazing year for me. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, my amazing clients, the awesome people I have met and for the potential in 2010.

This will be my last blog post of the year.  I will be spending the next couple of weeks practicing what I preach. I tell my clients that a blog site should be your hub, so I will be migrating my website content over to my blog. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I would like to leave you all with my warmest wishes for continued prosperity in the coming year and for a safe, happy holiday season with your loved ones.

I will be spending the holidays close to home this year.  Tell me how you plan to spend your holidays. I love hearing from my readers!

Kindest Regards,

Joanne

LinkedIn and Twitter Get Cozy

Well it looks like LinkedIn and Twitter are making a similar move (following the Twitter/Facebook alignment earlier this year) and will be working together.

Over the course of the next few days,  you will notice something new on LinkedIn. You will be able to tie in your Twitter account to LinkedIn and when you post a status update, you will be able to send that update to Twitter and vice-versa.  And that’s not all.  Click on this link to get a little more detailed information.  According to Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter) and Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn), the two will work together like peanut butter and chocolate! Yum, I love that combo! Watch this brief video that shows you how this will be done.

Now all we’re missing is the ability to hyperlink from your LinkedIn account to your Facebook account and I’d be happy from an SEO standpoint.

While this is a welcomed union and hopefully one of many ways they find to work together, if I am looking to do a general status update, I still use Ping.fm which updates all my sites – FriendFeed, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all from one place and all at the same time, which for me, generally suits my needs.  And if you look closely at Reid’s Twitter page in the video, you’ll see he’s been using Ping to update his status as well.

As a Social Media Specialist VA, I tell my clients that status updates are an important way to stay high in the search rankings of Google. Google likes fresh content!  So I update my status on each of my profiles daily. It takes a little discipline but there is a big payoff in the end.

How do you do your updates? Give me your feedback. I’d love to hear from you. And here on my blog, I offer comment luv. Anytime you submit feedback, you can link back to your own blog which is another great thing for SEO.

While physically located in Newmarket, Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Clock’s Ticking and You Haven’t Even Looked At Your Social Media Sites Today?

Prospects and Clients raise the concern about finding the time to commit to Social Media. After all, we are all busy professionals and many times it’s difficult to get done what needs doing in a day.  As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I am here to help clients stay on track.  For some of them, it requires setting up a blog,  publishing and syndicating blog posts and ongoing maintenance.  For others it’s a question of setting up social media profiles and optimizing them correctly.  Some people just need mentoring sessions to give support and suggestions.  In many cases, it’s all of the above.   What I don’t do, is sit there and send tweets for my clients all day long.  It is important for each and every client to jump in and share in the responsibility of promoting their own business.  Why? Because your prospect and client base want to get to know who YOU are both as a person and as a business entity.

Personally, I choose to take the first half hour of my work day to personally work ON my business instead of IN my business.  When it comes to my social media sites, here are my top 5 ways to invest my time each day.

Facebook

Facebook can be maintained in just a few minutes each day.    So every morning, I log on and update the following things:

• Change my status
• Read and comment on other peoples’ status
• Acknowledge birthdays
• Expand my reach by fanning business pages or growing my friend list

In this way, I stay current in the goings on in my friend and fan base and stay top of mind in the news feed.  This also helps to grow my own base.  Of course there are the additional postings for my blog and other links that occur when appropriate.

LinkedIn

I try and grow my network each week.  I visit the People You May Know area and request connections.  I also update my status and ensure that my blog is feeding properly into the application and that any events that I might be hosting are up to date.  I also take the time to scan over the discussion threads that have been posted to the groups that I am mainly interested in to see if I can add value to any of the discussions. This all helps to keep me in the news feed.

Twitter

I update Twitter several times a day.  I use Tweetdeck as my dashboard and it stays open on my desktop. I use it as a water cooler. I pop in, check for and Re-tweet interesting links, answer questions people have asked and update my followers on what I am up to.   And it’s not a huge investment of time.  The important thing is to stay focused and Twitter has given me many great new business contacts.

Helpful tip: For all of these sites, ping.fm is my friend. I log on each day to update my status and ping.fm will post that updated status to all three sites with the click of one button. This is a huge time saver. You’ll want to check it out too.

Blogs

I try and read a few other blogs each day.   I also try and comment where I can to add value and to increase traffic back to my own blog.  I also blog once a week. Should I blog more? Probably. The recommendation is 2 to 3 times a week. I can only seem to find the time to blog once.  That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you try and stay consistent with the timing. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best time to post a new blog.  So try and find a good day for you and stick with it!

Stats and Google

Each day, I spend a couple of minutes looking at my stats and at Google to see what impact my social media sites are having on my business. I like to know where the traffic is coming from and find out what is  resonating best with my followers. I also check Google to see where I sit in the rankings.   Being found is a major component of growing your business and it’s important to know how SEO works.  The social media sites are very heavily indexed in Google, so investing in the right sites is key.

Overall, this might sound like a lot of time, but in reality, it doesn’t take long when you stay focused and get into a routine. A few minutes of your time each day should bring you many rewards in the Social Media realm.  Could you spend more time? Absolutely! I could spend all day chatting and getting lost in the myriad of games and distractions on many of these sites.  But if you understand what it is that you are trying to achieve with the use of these social media tools and keep them top of mind, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.  It doesn’t hurt to find a Social Media Specialist VA to help you establish a strategy, get properly set up and provide some ongoing support.  That’s what we’re here for!

If you are new to Social Media and you’d like to get an overview of these applications, I’m running an information evening, Tuesday, October 27th at 6:30 pm at the East Gwillimbury Civic Centre for those of you who are in the north Toronto area. Please feel free to contact me directly (any social media site will do!) to register for this event.

So…What do you do each day to stay on track?  Share some of your tactics! I love getting feedback, and you get a bonus!  I offer comment luv here on my blog…By leaving a comment, you will be able to link back to your own site…great for SEO Look forward to hearing from you!

While physically located in Newmarket, Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Video Trumps Text Every Time!

It should come as no suprise to anyone that video is extremely popular. Why? Because many people learn by what they see rather than what they hear.  Video is usually more entertaining and satisfies both senses.    So video is a terrific way for business owners to reach their audience.  The best news is that for a very affordable cost, you can start recording and publishing your own video quickly and easily.

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I encourage clients to use video wherever they can to drive home their message to their audience.  Granted, video tends to work better in a Business to Consumer B2C0 environment rather than Business to Business (B2B), but it is still an extremely powerful medium.  And since YouTube is owned by Google, your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings will be very high since Google heavily indexes its own sites. YouTube is ranked as the #1 video web brand.

Here are my top 5 tips on using YouTube:

1.      Get yourself your own ‘channel’.

By creating an account on YouTube you are setting up your own channel and it’s free!  This allows all your content to be stored in one place and easily accessible.  Make sure you fill out the profile completely which includes adding a picture of yourself. Try and use one that is consistent with your other social media sites.  As always the objective here is to develop a relationship with your audience so invite comments!

Helpful tip: When allowing comments on your videos, select the option that allows you to ‘pre-approve’. This will help you manage the comment stream and keep things on a professional level.

2.     Style To Suit Your Needs

There are different types of videos that you can post:

• Sitting in front of the camera talking to your audience,
• Demonstration style where you actually show your audience how to do something,
• Educational style using powerpoint slides/screen captures to demonstrate your material
• More enhanced videos with a more professional feel which usually requires more experience and a few more sophisticated tools.

Choose the best type to suit the message and experiment with the different styles.  It’s also important to practice, practice, practice in front of the mirror and then with the camera to get comfortable. Get someone to critique it for you so can get some feedback as to how you come across on screen.   Pay particular attention to the lighting, your background, your posture, gestures etc. A smile can go a long way.

Helpful tip: Using a product like the Flip Mino makes it pretty easy to start filming and posting quickly. The nice thing about this camera is that it has the usb plug in already on the camera making it super easy to plug into your computer and begin the upload to YouTube! Make sure you use a tripod because even the best hand will shake under pressure!  If you want to see someone who’s a whiz with video, check out Lou Bortone.

3.      Content

As with the other social media sites, content is king.  Make your videos entertaining and provide value.  YouTube allows videos up to 10 minutes, but honestly not many people will sit through a 10 minute video unless your content is really compelling.  The recommendation is about 3 minutes.  Facebook for example has a limit of 2 minutes, so the idea here is short and sweet.

Helpful tip:  The other key thing to note is that there are only certain filetypes that these sites will accommodate. Make sure you check YouTube or Facebook first to know which filetypes they will accept and film accordingly. You don’t want to have to start with file conversions.   That’s why I am suggesting the Flip Mino. It’s format is acceptable to sites like YouTube.

4. Keywords

Using keywords in YouTube is the same as using keywords on your website or on your blog.  Choosing these keywords carefully will increase your chances of getting found on sites like Google and YouTube.

Helpful tip: If you don’t want to allow your video to be embedded on anyone else’s site, make sure you inhibit the embed option when you upload your video to YouTube.  However, in the spirit of being open, authentic and the possibility of greater viewership, you may want to allow your video to be used by others.  This might even open the door for joint venture partnerships.  Just make sure that you brand your video somehow, either by embedding your url directly onto the video, or by wearing your logo’d material in the video – something that protects you and your video.

5.     Syndication

Once you have produced your video and posted it on YouTube, don’t forget to link to or embed it into your blog, on your facebook page and even your website.  Consider posting it to other video sharing sites like Metacafe or Google video. This further promotes you and your business.

Helpful tip: Last but not least, don’t forget to evaluate your success.  YouTube actually will give you stats on your video, how many times it’s been viewed, commented on, and even how many times it’s been embedded on other sites. In this way, you’ll know which have been your most successful videos!

So those are my top 5.  If you feel daunted by the idea of using video, there’s help out there for you.  Consult your Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant for help.

I’d love to get your feedback. Use the Reply option below and tell me how you use Video in your business!

As a bonus, I offer comment luv here on my blog…By leaving a comment, you will be able to link back to your own site…great for SEO Look forward to hearing from you!

While physically located in Newmarket, Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Social Media Ain’t Just For the Young Folk!

There are so many organizations  out there that could benefit from using tools like Facebook.  But all too often business owners think that these Social Media tools are for the younger generation.   Well it’s time to wake up and smell the roses folks ‘cuz the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is the 35-49 age group!

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I help business owners utilize the power of applications like Facebook to grow their business. I offer coaching and consulting, assessment and strategy, profile setup and ongoing maintenance and support.  Here are my 7 tips to using Facebook effectively.  Feel free to add to the list!

1. A Business Page is Important

Facebook frowns upon people using their personal page to promote their business.  Create a business page for yourself or get your Social Media VA to set it up for you.   The best part is, you can have one or many business pages.  Showcase it to suit your business.  Explore the different 3rd party applications to further customize your page.   On Facebook personal pages you have ‘friends‘. On business pages, you have ‘fans‘. Anyone can become a fan of your page.  You can customize your business page to allow your fans to write on your wall, post photos, videos etc. or you can limit its use.  Think about having clients post a photo or video of themselves using your product.  This can be a great testimonial!  Remember being open and transparent is a key component to Social Media, so get creative!

Helpful tip:  Get a Vanity URL for your business page. You only need 25 fans to get one.   In my case, my vanity url is: VirtuallyYoursJoanneBurgess which is my business name.  A Vanity URL is great for SEO and makes it easier to find you on sites like Google.   Choose a name that best reflects your brand.  But take care.  Once you have chosen the name, it cannot be changed.

2. Distinguish between your personal page and your business page

Many people start with a personal page and then build up by adding a business page.  This means that you might well have business contacts  accessing your personal profile.  You should monitor the items appearing on your wall and be mindful of the items you post to ensure they are professional enough for your business contacts to see. You might want to avoid having cousin Joe’s results from “which drug are you?” appearing on your wall.  There is an option to remove unwanted items.

Helpful tip: Visit the privacy settings on your personal page to limit access to information that might not be pertinent for your business contacts to see.  1000 photos of the grandchildren are great, but may not be suitable in a business context.  Striking a balance between being open and authentic and “TMI” (too much information) is the key.  Also, consider using a professional type photo of you on your personal page (not one of you partying with your friends) and your logo or another professional shot of you on your business page. This is an important part of brand building.  Try and stay consistent with your other profiles, website, etc.

3.     Optimize Your Links

Make sure you use the capability to feed things like your blog to Facebook. You can also feed your Twitter stream  and provide a link to your website and your LinkedIn profile.  Using the Profile HTML application is very useful for those wishing to build their list.  If you are unsure as to how to incorporate these functions, ask your VA.

Helpful tip:  Consider adding the FriendFeed application to make it easier for your followers to see your content all in one place.

4.     Get Smart About the News Feed

Knowing how to maximize the benefit of the news feed is very important.   Facebook like many of the other social media tools, is very viral. Posting tags on photos, commenting on peoples’ wall posts etc. enters the news feed and raises your profile online.

Helpful tip:  Doing small things like acknowledging peoples’ birthdays is one way to stay in the news feed.  Someone who posts their birth date on Facebook probably likes to be remembered!

5.  Message Sending

At the moment there is no spam filter in Facebook. Judicious use of the message sending feature gives you unparalleled access to business contacts.  Also, knowing how to invite friends and fans to events will give you the opportunity to stay in touch with key prospects and clients.  Be mindful however, when sending out hordes of emails in Facebook.  This will keep the Facebook authorities away. Your account can be terminated if they feel you have been hounding your supporters with the same message so avoid constant promotion of your product or service.

Helpful tip: Use the ‘send a personal message’ feature when inviting someone to be a friend on facebook.  Being personal and conversational is key to successful relationship building in the social media environment.

6.      Ads

Consider using the Advertizing feature if you have a product or service you would like to promote.  Facebook collects data on its users and you can get very specific with targeting your audience. This is an auction process. You can limit how much you wish to spend and Facebook will not overstep your limit.  I recommend the pay-per-click option.

Helpful tip:  Ads that offer a give-away appear to have more success.  You may wish to consider this as an option and use it in your headline of your ad.

7.      Staying Consistent

It is important to stay the course and be consistent in Facebook as with all the other social media applications.  You can manage your Facebook account in 5 minutes a day if you stay focused and have a strategy in place.  Your Virtual Assistant can help keep you on track.  Remember that relationship building is the focus and won’t happen overnight.

Helpful tip:  Being strategic about the friends that you have on applications like Facebook will help you stay focused. Diluting your friend or fan base with contacts that don’t drive your business forward will just be a  distraction.  The ignore button on Facebook can be your friend.

Those are my top 7! What are yours?

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Social Media Presentation and Demonstration

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I am often asked about the keys to successful marketing in the Social Media realm.  The answers may sound easy but they can be challenging to implement well.  Getting help from a VA can be just what you need to stay on top of your game!   Here are my top 7 tips on what it takes to be successful.

1. Relationship Building: You need to know and understand that the primary purpose of Social Media is to  build relationships.   I can’t stress this enough.  If you plan on using this medium to simply promote your products and services in a one way push, your chances of success in this environment are minimal at best.    Social Media is an ideal venue for getting to know your target market in a professional but conversational way; sharing information,  getting feedback and becoming the person  businesses think of when they think of your products or service.  Knowing which applications – Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, for example that would best suit your needs, and how they work together is critical to the process.
2. Motivation: Knowing and understanding your motivation for getting involved in the Social Media realm.  Investing your time and effort into Social Media just for the sake of it, is a waste of time.  You need to have a strategic plan in place and know who your target market is. Finding out where they hang out online and how you are going to actively engage this audience is paramount to your success.
3. Focus: It’s not enough just to set up profiles on the Social Media sites and then not actively engage on a daily basis.  Having a routine and staying committed to the process are key.   Also, staying focused on your target market requires discipline. I believe that quality is more important than quantity.  What is the point of having 5000 followers on Twitter if you can’t talk to them in a meaningful way?  Building your presence takes time.  Your success will not happen overnight.
4. Central Hub: Having a central hub is important.  Increasingly, businesses are creating a blog as their ‘go to’ site.  Why?   The social media audience loves fresh content. Unlike static websites, blog sites now offer you the ability to continually offer fresh, new information to your audience.  This platform also allows your audience to comment back to you, giving you the feedback every business owner needs to stay on top of their clients’ needs and wants.  Check out WordPress.org as my favorite choice.  Hosting your blog on your own domain is preferable.
5. Automation: Publishing your information over a wide variety of social media applications can be a tedious undertaking.  Luckily, there are an abundance of tools out there today to make your job easier when it comes to populating your sites.  Socialoomph.com (formerly Tweetlater), Ping.fm are just a couple that come to mind.  Make good use of them! Also make sure you offer choices that allow your readers to spread the word like RSS and bookmarking sites like Digg for example.
6. Evaluation: It’s important to have a method to evaluate your success in Social Media. Using tools like Google Analytics, is one way to see where your traffic is coming from and know which Social Media sites are giving you the biggest bang for your buck.  It’s also important to know that in the Social Media environment, there are two ROIs – a Return on Influence in your marketplace as well as Return on Investment in the more traditional sense.  Learn how to interpret these findings.
7. Getting help: Finally, not everyone has the skills to successfully implement the first 6 strategies I’ve outlined above.   Using a Social Media Specialist VA can be a good way to achieve success.  This doesn’t mean that you can offload the entire responsibility onto your VA for your Social Media campaign.   Social Media requires your authentic voice which allows your readership to get to know who you are and what you are about.  What a VA CAN do, is help you identify your goals and strategies, and take on some of the tasks that require things like research, optimization, syndication, fine-tuning and basically help you stay on track. I offer coaching and consulting, assessment and strategy, profile set-up and ongoing maintenance and support.

So those are my 7 top tips, what tips would YOU add?

If you live in the north Toronto area,  I am pleased to announce that I will be running a Social Media presentation and demonstration on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at the East Gwillimbury Civic Centre, 19000 Leslie Street, Sharon, ON. The session will run from 6:30-9:00pm. This event is being sponsored by the East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce.  Please contact 905-478-8447 to register for the session.  If you are a small business owner who would like to explore Social Media or already have social media profiles but don’t know how to leverage them to grow your business, then this is the session for you!  Topics will include: What is Social Media, Why Should You Get Involved, What are the Big Three, The Explosion of Blogging, ROI, Secrets to Success, How to Get Started, Getting Help.  The presentation will be followed by a walk through of several applications online. Come on out and learn about these powerful tools.  I look forward to meeting you!

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….