You may have heard of Facebook Fan Pages–they are also referred to as “business pages” or “public pages.”

To give you some explanation of what these are, a Fan Page is just a public profile that allows you to share information about your services or products with other Facebook users.  Facebook has two different kinds of profiles—personal profiles and public, aka Fan Page profiles.

So, why are there two different kinds of profiles?  Well, Facebook states pretty clearly in their terms of service that a person is only allowed to have one personal profile and that it must be in a person’s first and last name only.  For example, “Christine Gallagher.” Facebook has actually been known to disable people’s accounts if they’re named anything other than your full name or if you are using it to represent your business.  So instead of using your personal profile for business, you can just use a Fan Page.

Let’s talk a bit about the benefits of using a Fan Page for your business over a personal profile.

First and foremost, Fan Pages are public. What this means is that in order for people to see your Page, they don’t have to login to Facebook or be your “friend” to have access to it—there’s no barrier there to keep from drawing people in. Pages are actually the only part of Facebook that are totally public. This is also great because the search engines are able to see and index Fan Pages.

This is important because Facebook is currently the #2 site on the entire Internet, so you can benefit from that high search engine ranking by having a Page. In other words, because Facebook ranks so highly, your business has a good chance of ranking highly.

Second, personal profiles have a limit of 5000 friends—although Facebook has said several times they are going to raise that limit, they haven’t yet. Now, that might seem like a really high number to you right now, but if you think about continuing to build your business on Facebook, reaching that number is actually not all that unrealistic. In comparison, Fan Pages allow you to have an unlimited number of Fans.

Third, you’re able to send a message—or as they’re called, “Updates”–to all of your Fans at one time, no matter how many you have. With personal profiles, Facebook only lets you message a small number of friends at a time–last I checked it was somewhere around 30 or 40 at once.

Lastly, there are a lot of people who use Facebook personal profiles for just that—personal. They might be using it for staying in touch with friends and family and may have NO interest in ever buying from you—plus, not everyone friends people they don’t know on Facebook. With Fan Pages, people who become a “fan” of your Page are expressly saying they want to find out more about your business, not just you the individual. They have shown their interest by “opting in” as it were.

Do you have a Fan Page for your business yet?  I would love to see yours if you do, so let me know in the comments.  Feel free to visit my Page and “fan” it as well too!

Post from: communicate value

4 Ways Facebook Fan Pages are Better Than Personal Profiles

I just made a decision to fly out to a live event in a couple of weeks.  It was pretty much a last minute thing, but an opportunity came up for me to save a little bit of money on it so I went for it.  I’ll be doing other traveling right before that and leaving my husband (and the cats, LOL) for 4 days so there was a bit of going back and forth about it.

However, the more I thought about the potential benefits involved, the more I knew I wanted to do it. It’s a seminar teaching both business-building strategies as well as personal discovery principles, and the timing is ideal for me to experience something like this.

There are two main upsides I see to investing the time, money and energy on a live learning event such as this one:

1) It is the perfect excuse for me to get out from behind my computer and meet people face to face.   My business is mainly an online one, and I love that.  But there is something to be said for networking in person that just takes relationships to a whole new level. I’ve “met” lots of great contacts via social media, but many of them will be at this event and it will be fantastic to solidify those relationships even more.  I expect some exciting joint venture possibilities to take shape!

2) It will be total immersion into learning.  Home study courses, calls and webinars are great, but being able to absorb valuable information live over 3 days will be very powerful.  This particular event is not going to be a “pitch-a-thon” with multiple speakers hawking their products.  It will be content-rich and taught by one person for almost the entire event.  I fully intend to learn a ton of strategies that I can take home and begin applying right away.

So, although there was some hand-wringing before I came to my decision, I’m confident I made the right one.  I’ve attended several live events in the past (albeit mostly local ones) that have really made an impact in my business.

I enjoy learning this way—do you?  Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever attended a live event and what you thought of it.

Post from: communicate value

Do You Learn Via Live Events?

You’ve most likely heard of RSS feeds, but you might still be wondering exactly what they are. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” RSS itself is just the format for delivering regularly updated web content. Blog feeds allow readers to keep up with the newest info posted on different sites, and people “subscribe” to the feeds of their choice.

Enter the “Feedreader”

For example, there are 25+ blogs out there that I enjoy reading on a regular basis. I want to keep up with them because they help keep me up date with all of the latest information in my niche. However, I don’t want to have to go out to the web and pull up each blog individually every day just to see whether they have been updated. The solution to this is to use a “feedreader” to see all of my favorite blogs’ latest content all in one place. Feedreaders allow you to access new content in two main ways: through the actual reader itself or via email updates. One of the most popular feedreaders and the one that I use is Google Reader.

The Business Use

Why is this important for marketing? Two reasons: 1—It’s a great way to stay current and educated on the things going on in your niche or market through blogs; and 2—It provides a simple way for people who are interested in you and what you have to offer to stay informed. You want to remain on people’s radars consistently so that even if they are not ready to buy from you now, you are able to stay top of mind for them when they are ready to. Just like an email newsletter helps to build and strengthen a relationship with its subscribers, a blog does the same with those who subscribe to its RSS feed.

By its very nature, social media allows content to be shared and spread far and wide across the internet, resulting in more exposure for you and your business. Therefore, it’s crucial to be able to share your blog’s content through multiple channels. For example, many social media platforms and services such as Facebook require you to provide an RSS feed address in order to syndicate (publish) your content.

Managing Your Own Feed

Blog platforms such as WordPress come with feeds already built in and it’s pretty easy to find the RSS feed of your own blog. Just type your site’s address into a browser and add /feed right after it. I use a service called Feedburner through Google to manage my feed and give me detailed statistics on my site’s subscribers and traffic. I suggest you “burn” your feed as well to keep track of your subscribers at http://feedburner.google.com.

Now you know a bit more about RSS feeds and why they are such an integral part of having your own blog—or keeping up with the ones you like to read the most. I’d like to know—do you use a Feedreader?  How many blogs do you read on a regular basis?  Let me know your thoughts in th comments.

Post from: communicate value

What is RSS and How Can it Help Your Marketing?

Fan Pages are the best way to use Facebook to bring attention to your business and generate more clients, customers and sales.  However, there seems to be a lot of confusion among small business owners about how to use Pages effectively.

I’ve decided to hold a free call to share all about how to make them work for you—and anyone who has been on my calls before knows I always give a ton of actionable content.

So, whether you have a Fan Page up already and have no idea what to do with it, or you have wanted to set one up but don’t know where to start, you’ll want to be on this call.

The call is Wednesday, October 21st at 8pm Eastern—and if you can’t make it live, sign up anyway and you will be sent the recording.  However, those that are on the call with me will get to take part in Q & A at the end, as well as be eligible for the special offer I’ll be introducing.

Register here: Free Facebook Fan Pages Call

I hope to hear you on the teleseminar! Feel free to leave a comment if you have anything specific you’d like to make sure I cover.

Post from: communicate value

Free Facebook Fan Pages Teleseminar

It’s a given–we all want to do more in less time with social media.  The good news is that there are lots of tools to help automate your social networking activities.

Although I don’t encourage automating your whole experience (that would be missing the point), there are some useful productivity-boosters worth checking out.

1) Ping.fm: Want to update your Twitter status as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites all at the same time from one place? Ping is great for this.  Tools like Ping are one of the top “secret weapons” of the most successful social media marketers.  (Finally, a way to be in multiple places at one time! )

So, if you have something to say to your Twitter followers but that you would also like to share with your Facebook fans and friends and your connections on LinkedIn, you can—without going to each site and logging in separately.  Ping has the ability to update over 40 different social networks.  This is a major time saver!

Plus, you can even create groups, so that if you only want to update LinkedIn and Twitter but not Facebook, for example, you can do that.  It’s definitely worth exploring.  (It’s also worth mentioning that HelloTxt is another service that has very similar capabilities.  I just happened to have started and stuck with Ping.)

Ping also has a toolbar you can install for your browser, making it simple to update update your social networks with a link to and description of any web page you are on.

2) Hootsuite: I consider this to be the ultimate Twitter tool—and its ability to automate so much of your Twitter experience is truly incredible.  It’s definitely another top “secret weapon.” Hootsuite is free and web-based and here are just some of its most useful features:

•    Pre-schedule tweets to go out ahead of time (great for “set it and forget it” marketing)

•    View multiple columns to see @ replies, direct messages, keyword tracking and more

•    Manage multiple Twitter profiles

•    Have multiple administrators for your Hootsuite account

•    Monitor keywords of your choice

•    Integrate with Ping.fm to update many social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn

•    Track statistics of how many people have clicked on the links in your tweets

•    Automatically feed RSS to your Twitter stream

•    Create groups of friends by simply dragging and dropping them into columns

I also love the “Hootlet” bookmarklet, which you simply drag to your browser toolbar so that you can quickly tweet out any web page you are viewing.

3) Selective Twitter Status: If you use both Twitter and Facebook, you’ll want to take advantage of integrating the two in order to reach even more people without any extra effort.

Selective Twitter Status is an application you can add to your personal Facebook profile and/or Fan Page in order to update your Facebook status with your tweets.  Once you have this application installed, you simply add #fb to the specific tweets you want to make your Facebook status as well.

4) Facebook Fan Page to Twitter tool: If you want to do the reverse and send your Fan Page status updates to Twitter, you can do that by using Facebook’s Twitter tool.  This is really great because you are allowed to use over 140 characters for status updates on Facebook, so when you update Twitter (which has a 140 character limit) with a longer message, it inserts “…” along with a link back to your Fan Page so people can finish reading your update.  This means more people are driven to your Fan Page from Twitter.

Those are four of my favorites, and ones I use on a daily basis.  Any other tools you would add to list?  How do you manage your time with social media?

And if you’re ready to take your business to the next level with web 2.0 (and beyond!) tools and strategies, sign up to be on the priority list to be the first to hear all about my new 6 Steps to Kick Start Your Social Media Success System™!

Post from: communicate value

4 Must-Use Productivity Tools for Social Media

I have had a few people ask me how to do this recently and thought it might be helpful to post the directions here.

If you don’t have iTunes on your computer yet, it’s free and easy to download from Apple’s website.

The newest release is iTunes 9, but this method works with iTunes 8 as well:

1. Launch iTunes.
2. To open iTunes Preferences.
   • Windows: On the Edit menu, click Preferences.
   • Mac: From the iTunes menu, choose Preferences.
3. On the General Tab click Import Settings.
   
4. In the drop down list next to Import Using, select MP3 Encoder.
5. Select one of the three preferences from the drop down list next to Setting, to specify a quality preference.
6. Click OK to close the Preferences window.
7. Select one or more .wav files from your library.
8. From the Advanced menu, choose Create MP3 version.
9. You will hear a beep sound when iTunes completes converting your files. The new MP3 music file will be automatically generated and will be placed right under the original file in the music library.

Voila! Hope that helps someone out there.

Photo credit: Roberto Garcia

Post from: communicate value

Tech Tip How-To: Convert Audio Files to MP3s Using iTunes

What’s the biggest difference between people who are successful in social media and those who are not? Simple – the successful people have built themselves an audience.

An audience doesn’t necessarily mean having 10,000 followers here or 5,000 friends there. At its most basic level it might be that. But what’s a bunch of friends and followers if they aren’t helping you to grow your business?

Consider this: what if your “audience” isn’t anyone who would be interested in what it is you offer? What if they were people just looking to boost their numbers without any interest in engaging with you in any sort of dialogue? What if they were primarily focused on promoting their own stuff the majority of the time? These types of scenarios are clearly not ideal.

So what should you really be looking to achieve? Building the right kind of audience with social media means your participation there is leading you to be seen as a credible, trust-worthy source who may be able to help others solve whatever problem they may be having. It means you are reaching a market of people you have deliberately sought out through search strategies who might need what you have.

When you’ve grabbed the attention of your followers and friends and built interest and credibility, you now have a way to gain traffic to your website, capture more leads and continue building and strengthening the relationship.

It’s all in the three C’s:

Content

Content is the lifeblood of successful social media marketers. What reasons are you giving people to listen to you? This goes two ways: sharing your own helpful posts, links, tips and resources-and promoting and sharing the content of others. This does three main things: establishes your expertise, drives traffic to your site, and provides your audience with helpful information. Remember, the content you are sharing should not always be your own.

Conversation

Simply by being seen as someone who provides great content in the social media space you will naturally find yourself engaged in conversation. Having these one on one conversations is what is going to make you stand out among the noise and deepen the relationship. In addition, when you make it a habit to promote others, this brings more “social appreciation” your way. These interactions cause others to seek out more information about you beyond where you’ve made the initial connection.

Conversion

Once you have converted someone to a newsletter subscriber, blog subscriber or paying client or customer, you’ve taken the steps toward acquiring another raving fan. These loyal folks will not only bring you more sales, but will be much more likely to sing your praises to others out in the social media universe. This is how you grow your “tribe.”

Do you see how simple and effective it is to build an audience of captivated friends and followers? Do you see the difference this could make in your bottom line?

Let me know your thoughts on this.  Anything else you would like to add?  Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my free social media simplified e-course.

Post from: communicate value

The 3 C’s of Building an Audience With Social Media

I’ve been busy writing the content for the course I am putting out in a few weeks which will give coaches, consultants, authors, speakers, and other solopreneurs the exact steps to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing.

I am really excited to share this system with you—mostly because I’ve been listening very carefully over the past year….

A great majority of you have expressed your frustration at understanding how to market yourself and your business online.  Many of you have been saying things like…

“I know I need to figure out all of this social media stuff, but I just don’t know where to start!”

“I just wish there was a SYSTEM I could follow that I know will produce the results I need!”

“I am tired of leaving money on the table because I don’t have a real, cohesive online presence!”

“I am so overwhelmed because I don’t know how to use these tools—I just need somebody to walk me through step by step…”

Sound familiar?

I totally get it because when I need to learn something in my own business I feel the exact same way—it’s the whole “if someone would just hold my hand and tell me what I need to do (a, b, c, d…) I wouldn’t feel so lost and stuck…”

My best mentors and coaches have provided me with those steps and that support and it’s truly been priceless in my own journey.  As some of you know,  I’ve built my business from scratch over the past year and a half using only social media and online marketing tools.  I’ve also been learning from one of the best—the fabulous Alicia Forest—as one of her only two private coaching clients this year.

(I call her “wonder woman” because this gal has managed to build her own 6 figure-plus, thriving business while raising two small children, taking every summer off and a 4 month maternity leave, and working an average of 15 hours a week!  No joke.  As my husband and I look toward starting our own family, I told myself I wanted to learn from someone who has really done what I want to do—why reinvent the wheel?)

But I digress.

So, why am I devoting a whole blog post to this?

Because as I am diligently working on finishing up writing my own step-by-step online marketing and social media system, I need your help. I want to make sure I’m covering exactly what you need around this topic…and I want your input.  Some of you have already shared with me what your biggest challenges are—thanks!  But I’d love to hear from more of you.

Here’s my question: What TWO things must I cover in this course for it to be of value to you?

Please do let me know in the comments, your opinions and thoughts are very important to me!

Oh, and if you are interested in being put on the priority list to be the first to find out all about the upcoming release of my course, be sure to go here.  I’m offering a special bonus for those who sign up.

Merci!

Post from: communicate value

How Can I Best Help YOU? Talk to Me…

You have heard it before, no doubt: people buy from those they know, like and trust—often referred to as the “KLT factor” for short. This is something that needs to be established over time, and the way to begin the process is to capture website visitors’ contact information so you can begin building a relationship with them.

With so many people requesting your email address on the internet, it’s not enough anymore to simply offer a newsletter in exchange for the information—and it’s certainly not enough to ask for the information without providing anything in return.

Give them an incentive

Enter the “free taste.” It’s not likely a person new to your website is going to buy on the first visit, especially a product or service with a higher price point. (In fact, it is often said that a person needs to see your message 7 to 12 times before they decide to buy from you.) What they are really looking for is a risk-free introduction to what your business is all about, and whether it can help solve their most pressing problems. This free offering can take on many forms, but here are some of the most common:

An eCourse: This works best when you use an autoresponder service such as Constant Contact or AWeber. You can write up 5 to 10 lessons and have them go out over a period of a week or two. The lessons do not have to be long, they just need to convey your expertise on a topic your target market is eager to learn about.

A free report: Again, no need to go super in-depth with this—one idea is to write up a list of recommended resources in your niche. You could also compile a list of “top ten tips” or create a checklist for how to do something. Simply turn it into a PDF download when you’re done.

An audio file: If you’d rather speak than write, you can record an audio for others to download. Many people would rather listen than read, so this can be an enticing option for your website visitors.

Continue the relationship

Along with this complimentary offering, people will still receive your newsletter or e-zine. You simply tell them that for signing up they will get a subscription to it along with their free gift. A newsletter is what will continue to build and strengthen your relationship with your subscribers over time. If you write a blog, it can work the same way-provide consistent, good content for the people who subscribe to your RSS feed. This way, when you make those paid offers down the road, they will be much more likely to take you up on it.

The bottom line? Valuable content + familiarity breeds more sales!

Do you incorporate a free offering into your marketing?  What questions do you have about this technique?

Photo credit: jking89

Post from: communicate value

Your Free Offering – The First Step in Building the Know, Like and Trust Factor

A quick video for you explaining why you want to personalize the friend requests you make on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

My cat Tigerlily decided she wanted to co-star by being naughty and jumping up on the dining room table behind me! Bad Tiger!

Post from: communicate value

Quick Video Tip: Making Friend Requests (from me and my cat!)