I really hope you’ve been working on your online persona lately, because it’s time to get networking! People want to know what you’re up to, and creating a well-rounded online profile is a big part of that. So if you thought you could just skate by on a few lines of text, you’d better reevaluate.

Ok, so we’ve talked about setting up a Facebook profile, right? You want to make sure you have one set up for you, the promoter, so you can create a Page about your business and/or products, but you also want to let your fans know a little something about you. It’s a lot easier to attract potential fans to your business if they can put a face with a name. The more accessible you are, the more likely you are to gain friends and fans with ease. Otherwise, you’re just that creepy stalker guy on Facebook that no one wants anything to do with. So get out there and let people know what you’re doing, what products your promoting, what sales you’re running, etc. Status updates are crazy important when it comes to Facebook because they run on your News Feed, which is the first thing people see when they sign into Facebook. A good Status Update can draw people to your Page, and the more people who see your Page, the more fans you can potentially get.

Facebook is pretty cool when it comes to making Pages because they operate pretty much like a standard profile page. You get a Wall that you and your fans can post on, Info to let your fans know about what you’re advertising, Photos, Discussions, and Links. As a Page admin, you can even add a Fan Box to your site so you can let your current loyal followers know about your Facebook Page. Facebook lets you suggest your Page to your friends so that they can become fans, which (as we’ve discussed) helps expand your advertising reach. If that approach is a little too laid back for you, Facebook also offers personalized paid ads that you can use to attract fans. Another admin perk is that you get access to a tracker like Google Analytics, called Insights, that allows you to see who is interacting with your Page. Fan interaction is broken down into many levels, including Sex, Country, Language, Post Quality, Reviews, etc.

In my opinion, the best part about setting up a Facebook Page for your business is that you can import an external blog to your page. Basically, you import your RSS feed through Facebook, so that every time you write a new post, it shows up as a Facebook Note. These Notes show up in the Facebook News Feed, which is visible to all your friends. Facebook just added a new feature that allows you to link your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Why is this relevant? You know how your Facebook Page automatically pulls your new posts from your blog? Well that wealth of information is now funneled through to Twitter. Just think of it as one less thing you have to worry about.

What’s my favorite thing about social marketing on Facebook? It’s FREE!

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Filed under: Networking, Social Marketing, Social Media by Caren Romanyschyn
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There are a lot of different ways to get your name out there in advertising. Some can take up a good chunk of your time while others are pretty darn easy. We’ve already covered Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, but what about letting people hear your own voice? And now, a few words on blogging…

Writing a blog is so incredibly easy, which is why there are tons of different types of blogs out there. The key to writing a widely received blog is to find a topic that is interesting and unique. While you should write something that you know, you also need to pay attention to what the public wants to read about. You can go on and on about shoe horns, but if no one’s listening (or reading, really) then what’s the point? Because there are a multitude of bloggers all competing for the same audience, you have to stand out.

So now that you have a super cool idea that’s sure to grab the public’s attention, your next step is to go about setting up your blog. But if you’re like me, that concept can be a bit daunting. I mean, I just want to write a blog, can’t someone else set it up for me? Sure, you can go that route. Or, you can head over to Wordpress and get a blog set up faster than you can say “fiddlesticks.” True story. Their set up is really easy for newbies to use (myself included), and they have tons of themes to choose from so you don’t have to worry about your blog looking too generic.

Ok, so you’ve got your blog set up, you’re writing some seriously rocking posts, but you’re not getting the traffic you want. Remember a few weeks ago when I was talking about Social Marketing? It’s time to hook up with your new besties: Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Set up a presence with each of these networks and you’re getting your blog out there to the people that matter. Facebook will even track your RSS feed and publish a note every time you write a new post – set it and forget it.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t keep that genius all to yourself!

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Filed under: Blogs, Social Marketing, Social Media by Caren Romanyschyn
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It seems like FaceBook has had a busy couple of days. First they announce that they just paid $50 million dollars for FriendFeed, and now comes word that they are testing something called FaceBook lite. As someone who is sometimes considered a FaceBook stalker, I just had to find out more about FaceBook lite.

My favorite part of this story may just be how the rumor got started in the first place. FaceBook let the cat out of the bag by posting invites to people who were not supposed to be invited to the program. I will never understand how this happens. I hope that person got fired. Out of a cannon. Into the sun (Futurama references will be a common occurrence in my posts).

Basically, it’s a simplified version of the normal FaceBook site (or those of you with iPhones, just imagine that, but loading on a computer). Lite will only have the basic functions of FaceBook, including status updates, friend request, photos, and the ability to write on and view a person’s wall.

FaceBook lite is mainly going to be used in countries where internet speeds are not as quick and stable as they are here. Sometimes when I’m loading up FaceBook on my broadband connection, it gets a little bogged down, so I can see exactly why this could be helpful. Currently it’s being tested in India, but there are plans to move that into other areas like China and Russia.

Many people are thinking that this could be FaceBook’s first step into a war with Twitter. I can see why people would think that, but as much as I would like to see these two internet giants go head to head, I don’t think this move really has anything to do with Twitter (although I will be fighting alongside my FaceBook brethren). Instead, I think it’s just to try and increase FaceBook’s web presence in new areas as much as they can. China and India are currently ranked number 1 and 2 in population, respectively. With about 2.4 billion people, why wouldn’t FaceBook want to do anything possible to grow in these areas?

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Filed under: Social Media by Chris Cremen
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Most people think that Social Media has nothing to do with Social Marketing. I mean, why would you advertise your products or services on sites like MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter? Isn’t that just a waste of time? The answer is a resounding “NO!”

Sure, back in the day when Social Media was just beginning, there wasn’t much to it. MySpace was the reigning king and it was largely a popularity contest to see who could get the most friends. MySpace is still around and a lot of people still use it to advertise, just like a lot of people have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon (mostly a barrage of celebrities). But by and large, the users are congregating elsewhere: Facebook. Back in 2004, Facebook was originally only open to a select number of college students, those of which needed to have a valid college email address to access the site. Facebook started catching on though, and in 2005 it was open to high school students. By 2006, anybody over the age of 13 with a valid email address could join. Facebook started becoming less and less about a Who’s Who for students and more like an avenue for users to share anything and everything. Did you hear about that new band that played at the bar last night? Check out their Facebook page!  Companies can create fan pages and applications for their products and services, which have the ability to be viewed by Facebook’s 250 million users. With more than 8 million users becoming fans of pages daily, you’d be crazy not to jump on that gravy train!

Facebook isn’t just for the kids anymore. The number of adults on Facebook is steadily increasing: the fastest growing demographic is users 35 years of age and up. And you thought that this was just some silly little adolescent phase. Sure, young adults ages 18-25 still make up 43% of Facebook’s daily users, but that percentage is rapidly shifting. Because Facebook’s prime user ages span from 18-65, it is a prime candidate for Social Marketing. Where else are you going to find such a dynamic selection of potential consumers?

Maybe you think catering to the Facebook market sounds like a lot of work for very little ROI. Sure, you could go the direct route and throw some ads up on there, but that’s not how you’re going to reach your viewers. The interactive aspect of Facebook is without a doubt the basis of its appeal. You can figure out exactly what all your friends are doing at this exact moment with Status Updates, you can see what site they recently became a fan of, and you can see the pictures from their weekend out. All of this is clearly visible on the front page of the News Feed, which allows users to not only see what their friends have been up to, but let’s them explore new hobbies and interests as well. And with the rise of smartphones like the iPhone and Blackberry, people don’t have to wait until they get home to catch up. The truth is, people are tuning in to Facebook regardless of whether or not you’re advertising on there. And if you can get your company circulating around Facebook to even just a few viewers, that number can quickly multiply. Even if only one person becomes a fan of your page, your page will show up on that person’s News Feed. And then all of that person’s friends are easily exposed to your page, making it easier than ever for them to stumble across your products. Start using your Status Update to let users know about new products and specials, and your reach becomes even wider. Put simply: more viewers facilitates more traffic which can result in an increase in leads/sales.

So you tell me, who wouldn’t want to be on Facebook?

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Filed under: Networking, Social Marketing, Social Media by Caren Romanyschyn
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