LinkedIn and Facebook Advantages for Business

Many companies leverage the power of Facebook by establishing a fan page for their business, but until recently, many companies were not aware that a company page can also be established on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, now has a section completely dedicated to companies and their pages. In comparison, personal profiles on LinkedIn, much like a Facebook personal profile, is a way for individuals to detail their work history, education, likes, and contacts. A company page, on the other hand, details a company, its history, field of expertise, products, services, and location. LinkedIn.com/companies is a portal for company pages and LinkedIn company pages are rapidly growing in popularity as marketers see the benefits of showcasing their company's strengths front-and-center to professionals in their industry or those that are searching for their product or service.

If your company has a page on LinkedIn, you can post status updates for your company. Any company page administrator can type a note in the status box on your company's overview page. This is helpful and keeps your followers thinking about your company. Updates will appear on your followers home pages. Followers can like, comment on, share updates or develop unique conversions with your company and, best of all, these conversations can be seen by their networks, exposing your company to a greater audience. You can view metrics to see what followers found interesting, which allows you the opportunity to optimize the conversation.

Now, LinkedIn users who 'follow' certain companies will be able to receive more information such as breaking company news, employee moves, job opportunities, or updates on products and services (including multimedia content) directly from those companies.

Consider LinkedIn's new "company status updates" field as very similar to Facebook business page updates. Companies can share text and links to other content as well as multimedia content like videos and images.

LinkedIn and Facebook offer many similar advantages for business marketers.

A company page brings awareness to your business. It keeps your company in the minds of consumers, or reminds them of your company's strengths, products, and services. With LinkedIn and Facebook, companies can share and collaborate on content, start a discussion, and build a community of followers. LinkedIn's new "company status updates" field is very similar to Facebook "business page updates". Companies can share text and links to other content as well as multimedia content like videos and images. By liking, commenting or sharing updates to groups, LinkedIn and Facebook users can reach out to like-minded professionals, and bring awareness. Updates posted on company pages appear on followers' home pages, which in-turn can appear on their contacts' home pages... and so on. Both LinkedIn and Facebook provide metrics and insights to track the success of conversations.

Building a business is no longer about passing out flyers or offering a sale. Rather, social media has taken a front-and-center role and is essential in building and growing a business and marketers are capitalizing on the tools offered by LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Add Some Pinterest to Your Business

A few weeks ago I discovered Pinterest. It's quickly become my favourite social media tool! What a blast!

Of course, being a small business owner, I'm also interested in finding ways to build my business with it without being annoying. My personal experience and the research I've done have led me to the following tips:

Carve Out Some Time: As with everything you are going to need to spend some time. Start by simply opening an account, connecting to your friends who are already there, finding stuff you like, and sharing it. Get a feel for how the site works. Spend 30 minutes a day for about 10 days to start with. Find Your Target Market: Do some research when you're first on (use the search bar) to find people who are already interested in what you're offering. Follow them. Know Your Goal: Once you've spent time and found your market, you're ready to figure out what it is you'd like to do with Pinterest. What kinds of things are others doing that you could adapt for your business? Where are some of the holes that you could fill. figure out what you want, and then be focused in your work on Pinterest. Make Sure You're Shareworthy: Find things to share that are interesting to others and truly worthy of a share. (translation: Spare us the spamming!) Be Generous: Share things from others, too - including those that might be competing. They might share your stuff to their followers, which could expand your market Watch Your Links: When you share something from your site, make sure you have a working link that takes the viewer back to your page if they're interested in finding out more Use Catchy Captions: Create a catchy caption with your links to entice people to look further - works like a headline! Use your captions to define your brand if you can. Start or Join In the Conversation: Before re-pinning, make a comment on the other person's pin and say something that engages them in conversation. Also use questions on your pins to start a conversation. Share a Wide Variety: As with every social media platform, please don't just share a bunch of links to your products. Engage. Create lots of boards that tell a little bit about you. Make some quirky, some fun, some interesting, some original, etc. Boost Pinterest with Other Platforms: talk up your Pinterest page on other platforms you're involved in to engage your followers in a different way again. Respond to your comments: People will often comment back to you about your pin - make sure you follow up with these. See the action on the left hand column of the home page. Share Your Discusssions: When a discussion starts on your page, share it to your other platforms using the share links on the actual pin Bring in Your Physical Store: If you have a physical location that your clients come to make sure you have special promotions that encourage your clientele to follow you on Pinterest just like you did with your other social media platforms

BIG CAUTION! Before you get too excited about sharing stuff on Pinterest, take note of this from their guidelines:

Most people separate topics for the pins. For example, food, cats, cars, skiing, etc. You should also use care and not upload images you do not own or have the rights to - Pinterest may not police copyrights, but copyright laws still apply. A good rule of thumb is to never upload anything to the web for public viewing that you do not have the right to. (See, Getty Images Settlement Demand Letter to learn how you can get into trouble for using images you don't own.)

And that's it! So get started and get pinning!

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Google+ Pages Now Open For Businesses, Brands, Places, and More

If you are an online marketer looking out for a platform to give your business the real boost, then, Google+ Pages, can serve you best. Launched on November 7th 2011, these pages have now opened up all the exclusive communication lines for your business, to reach out to your customers and clients, something which all online marketers always ideated about. Google now allows marketing business brands and has actually taken an initiative to transform Google+ into a much needed commercially inclined network. By also enabling non-human participation, Google has brought about a complete metamorphosis of the face and fate of online marketing methodologies.

Now, Google+ pages will not only give you an effective means of direct business communications, but, having a profile on Google+ pages with a +1 button on your page, will also boost your site up, in the SERPS, providing it with a high valuable backlink, which is very crucial when it comes to online marketing. Apart from providing you with a customizable enclosure to market your product, it will also enable you to track down your opponents along with their product updates and strategies. You can also think of getting real time feedback from clients and customers, directly from your target zones, if in case there is a new product you might be thinking of experimenting with. Google+ pages program now features user defined Hangout Areas, to capacitate you to interact with your fans and followers, when it comes to product improvisations and developments.

Teamed up with Google Circles pages, you can now choose to target your brand advertisements only at a limited group of prospective clients and interested customers, rather than having them generalized for the entire online market. It is now time for you to implement assorted marketing strategies depending upon the group of people you will be dealing with, and also their varied views about your product. Thus, facilitating you with an option of Tailored Ad Usage, Google+ provides you with a dynamic market, especially when you are aiming your ads at your followers on Google+, who are well acquainted with you and your product as well.

Today, if you are lucky enough to survive the random rollout by Google to shortlist businesses, you can gain access to Google+ to create your own business account and have a commercially usable Google+ page for yourself. Next, you are asked to choose the type of page you would like to create. From a list of 5 different categories like local, brand, company and arts, you are instructed to choose any one, to suit your requirements, and there you are with a brand new Google+ page to your name.

Google, with its well deserved high rising reputation in the World Wide Web, undoubtedly dominates the online market. Having read this, if you are an online marketer out there looking out for a state-of-the-art customizable marketing domain for your product, then you cannot really afford to lose this opportunity to have your product reach out to the world and become famous, using the Google+ business pages.

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Generating Leads From LinkedIn - What No One Tells You

LinkedIn... Just the word (at first) made me cringe. I had seen what the site was about and it all looked a bit too fancy schmancy for me. It looked upper class and confusing... but with a little research I've found that it's actually an AMAZING tool that can be used to generate leads.

As with anything else, it's discipline and consistency that will get you where you want to go.. and that's the name of the game with LinkedIn as well.

Now I'm not asking you to become a LinkedIn fanatic, just that you set aside half an hour to an hour per week to work on your LinkedIn profile, groups, page, leads, connections and recommendations. (I know, I know!! What the heck is she talking about? Allow me to explain.)

1. Create Your Account

This is an obvious Step 1, but in case you haven't created your LinkedIn account I suggest you take a short few minutes to do so now.

Alright, we're back on track then. What you want to do is be specific when you're adding content to your profile. In the "Summary" section you want to tell people who you are, who you help, and how you help them. Put this in the most basic terms possible, nobody likes to read long-winded bios.

Don't forget your headline, work experience, and specialties. Adding all this information gives your account value.

2. Websites

In the section that asks you to add your websites I suggest you choose "other" and add your blog but perhaps title it "Network Marketing Tips". Maybe you want to add your business, do the same thing but choose an eye-catching title that will make people want to click on the link and see what it's all about.

3. Customize

This is an important one! Did you notice that ALL the LinkedIn profiles out there look pretty much the same? BORING! Well, here's where customizing comes in. You can add Apps to your account, such as Reading List by Amazon, WordPress, and SlideShare Presentations. Why these three? Well, the Amazon app will tell people a little more about you by the books that you read. You can add as many as you like and a nice picture of the book cover pops up when you do so. Adding the WordPress app allows you to import your blog into your LinkedIn account. Finally, the SlideShare Presentation app can be used to create a welcome video for your page (something that will definitely make you stand out!).

4. Add New Connections

Set aside 10 or 15 minutes ONE day a week to add new connections to your LinkedIn profile. The top bar when you log in has a section called "Contacts"; hover over that and click on "Add Connections". You will be able to import contacts from any email address you own. Once you've built a few connections what you do is search THEIR friends for more people to connect with. Pretty simple if you ask me! And it's only going to take 10 or 15 minutes out of your WHOLE week.

5. Getting Leads

Now you've got your account set up, it's customized, and you've connected with a few people. Let's talk about how to get leads. What you want to do is join about a dozen groups (related to your industry) and start a topic in each group. Remember to try and be consistent about this because the responses you get on your topics are the people who will be potential leads. Pick two or three groups per day and start a topic in them. Don't worry!! It can be the exact same topic, so it's all copy and past (5 minutes of work MAX).

Next you're going to go to the "Answers" page and answer a few questions a week that pertain to your area of expertise; again gauging the answers for potential leads.

6. Recommendations

Recommendations are a big thing on LinkedIn. The more you have, the more you appear to be knowledgeable in your industry. Now, you're not just going to get recommendations out of the blue... the best way to go about this is by GIVING others recommendations because... the more you give, the more you will receive.

Well, there you have it my friends... I would like to have gone further into details but I do not like to make my blogs too long, so I will save all the "nuggets" I have picked up from LinkedIn for another time.

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Social Networking Cars of the Future

We've seen the niftiest gadgets, features, and applications on cars in recent years. From automatic start engines, navigation and entertainment systems but now a new incorporation emerges. Today social networking has taken on another level in our lives, but it has yet to reach our cars. If you don't account for being able to access social media through our phone, anywhere, anytime, why not be able to socially network with others while we are on the road? It may sound like a ridiculous and borderline unsafe idea, but for some car manufacturers, it's not such a far out idea.

While it's highly debatable whether incorporating social media into our cars is a good idea, in the very near future, it may very well be a popular addition. Speculated to launch and release in 2012, social networks are apparently going to be integrated in our cars in a number of ways. Firstly as an additional application on a tablet or portable computational system that is embedded as an additional feature in our car. A system that uses twitter and Facebook to let you know when something's happening or to notify of certain settings that you can control or edit. In addition, the service may notify you of batter power warnings to nearby electric car owners, remind you of some maintenance tips, and even allow you to communicate with nearby cars and owners or passengers of nearby vehicles.

Social networking is seriously going to take over our lives if we're not careful. By 2015 it has been speculated that automakers will woo its consumers and social media crazed fans with additional communications features. Touch screen command systems are already available and will incorporate almost instant access to social networking sites. Thumb wheel controls will not only allow you to increase and decrease volume, or command your windshield wipers to start wiping - but also let you control audio, navigation, and climate control functions. It seems that a robust amount of technology and communication will be made available in our cars.

On another Facebook platform, being able to befriend nearby cars and users is a novel and almost outrageous idea. This will allow drivers to "talk" to other cars and their drivers, and even befriend them on a social networking site like twitter or Facebook, and receive updates in your feed from these users. How this new feature will transform our lives, and ways of interaction, our driving habits, and the way we communicate to one another is uncertain.

What is certain that while these new features can be useful, many question the safety it brings. Drivers should be paying attention to the road and looking out for any hazards on the road. Will these additions affect our attention to the things that really matter? How will this affect auto insurance policies? One thing is certain, new social media features can only increase auto insurance rates, whether by a lot or a minuscule number. Taking the responsible steps and making sure your vehicle is insured is crucial, with this added distraction.

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How Social Networks Can Help Your Business

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you already know that social networks are quite possibly the best thing that happened to online businesses since sliced bread (and SEO!).

With their help, you can develop your online presence, create brand awareness, interact with your audience and have control over your company's image. It's a great way to add to your SEO activities. To make the most out of the Web 2.0 opportunities, it's important to understand what different social networking sites have to offer, so you can use them in a way that best meets your business objectives.

However, before you do so, there's one thing to bear in mind, and that's making sure that your social media strategy involves the following:

Connecting with the audience that's directly relevant to your business.

Creating useful and engaging content that will encourage a debate.

Engaging with your audience - social media is about a two-way interaction - basically, to make social media work, you need to be social yourself!

Regardless of the nature of your business, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are definitely the best places to start your social media adventure. The much talked about Google+, although not quite ready for businesses, is also worth looking into.

Facebook

Create a page for your Business

This is a great way of reaching your audience - people who 'like' your page will automatically see your status updates in their News Feed. You can enhance your page by using additional features such as friends' recommendations, Facebook events, or promote it using Facebook ads(concentrate on Facebook Sponsored Story ads as they tend to be more effective than standard ads). An alternative to creating a page is using Facebook groups, however they are less valuable from the SEO perspective because they don't get indexed.

Pages Dos and don'ts:

Do:

Customise your page by creating a vanity URL (having a URL associated with your business helps your SEO).

Engage your fans - upload photos, talk about current business happenings, ask for their opinions.

Make sure that the 'About' text box and the 'Info' tab include your keywords - this, again, is for SEO.

Keep the page up-to-date - update it daily!

Don't:

Engage in arguments. If someone is posting abusive or rude messages, delete them and block the person if necessary.

Post too many updates - if you clog your fans' News Feeds with too many posts, chances are they will get annoyed and 'unlike' your page.

Twitter

Twitter is a great tool for networking, keeping up with news and opinions in your field and, of course, interacting with your customers. For example, if you'd like to find out more about SEO services, type 'SEO' or 'SEO company' in the Search box and join the recent debate! Although Facebook updates are now shown in real-time, Twitter remains more dynamic and gives you an instant access to what's being said about you (or your competitors!) in a given moment. The fact that your messages can be up to 140 characters is a great way of ensuring that whatever you say, you remain concise and straight to the point.

Twitter Dos and Don'ts:

Do:

Creative an informative profile that clearly explains what your business is about. Twitter's bio box is indexed by Google so make sure you optimise it for keywords to help your SEO!

Constantly monitor your competitors and relevant keywords - this will give you a chance to get involved in relevant discussions.

Tweet only about things that are relevant to your followers!

Don't:

Start following people at a random in a bid to create a huge following.

Auto-Tweet - it's important to be engaging on a personal level!

Tweet too much or get too personal.

LinkedIn

The biggest difference between LinkedIn and Facebook/Twitter is that it was designed with business professionals in mind. It basically lets you see who is who in the industry, who knows whom and who can introduce you to the people that can play an important role in your business. It's almost like being at a networking event, except you make business connections with a click of a mouse!

LinkedIn Dos and Don'ts:

Do:

Customise your URL so it includes your name, and include relevant keywords in your profile - such as the names of the companies you worked for or the services you offer - this will improve the SEO of your profile.

Keep your photos professional.

When it comes to the number of connections, put quality over quantity!

Join groups to connect with people - or create your own.

Don't:

Send generic invitations - people will be more likely to reply if you keep it personal.

Say anything that you wouldn't want your potential clients or business partners to read.

Google +

Although Google+ won't be ready for businesses until later this year, you can take advantage of the fact that Google indexes Google + posts - which means that they appear in Google search results. Links pointing to your site from Google + posts can help you generate more business awareness, while improving your search engine rankings, so it's good for SEO!

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