Can you afford to ignore Facebook? With 500 million active users, of which 50% log on every day, it is a medium you will ignore at your peril.

But to many people there is confusion in relation to business pages, fan pages and personal profiles – and how does a business start?

First – fan pages are now business pages – they are one and the same.

So how do I create business page?

You first start with a personal profile. This should be set up by someone in the company, though you must retain control of it, should they leave the company.

This profile will be used to “spawn” the business page. I would recommend setting up an email address specifically for your Facebook page. This will give you access to all your information updates, accumulated fans, etc.

Why set up a personal profile first? – Because it is the way Facebook works. It is setting up a platform for your business to launch. It also is a good way to think of your business as a person, since it will be interacting with people as opposed to a corporate identity or a faceless (excuse the pun) charity.

From your new “personal” account, you can then create the business page – www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. you will then go to the Facebook Business Page creation tool to make your new page.

Under the heading \”Official Page\” look for \”Create a Page for a:\” and then select \”local business.\” Enter your page name. The name you choose for your Facebook Business Page will appear at the top of your finished page. Use proper capitalisation of your true company name, as that is what will appear in the Facebook page.

Once you clíck create, the next page you see will be your brand new Facebook Business Page. It is that simple. Later, after you\’ve had 25 people \”Like\” your page, you will be able to select a vanity URL, but we\’ll talk about that later.

When you have set up your Facebook Business Page, you should “freeze” the personal profile that was used to create your Business Page. Alter the privacy settings in the personal account to not show your personal information to others who are not \”approved\” friends.

The profile that you set up for your business, should be different to your personal profile. It is not recommended that you mix the messages between the two profiles.

What are the benefits of a Business Page?

There are many benefits, not least the fact that without a Facebook profile you will miss out on the opportunities your competitors are enjoying.

* The ability to contact all people who \”Like\” you with special offers, newsletters, etc

* Interact with fans or people who like you similar to a forum,

* Set up events and invite fans to attend,

* Create specialized welcome and shopping pages.

* Links to your blog and twitter accounts

* Real-time feedback with live interaction with clients and prospects

Your business page is an extension of your website and is tailored directly to people’s individual wants and needs.

Create an easy to remember business page

When you have 25 people who \”Like\” your Page, you can select a short easy name to promote on your website and business card. Your Business Page goes from something like

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=10150097137385337#!/3rmarketing to something like this http://www.facebook.com/3Rmarketing just visit this link www.facebook.com/username. You can have real name URLs for both your personal account and Business Page.

This is a one off creation, once created, you cannot change your business URL.

Tips for interacting with fans

You can use many media on your Facebook page, like Photographs, Videos, Podcasts, Articles, etc.

Keep your posts short and interesting and imbed the links to the more detailed information. Do not sell too much. Provide useful information. The more you give your readers, the more they will come back, and if they want what you have to offer, they will buy from you.

Conclusion

With 500 million users worldwide and nearly 2 million users in Ireland, Facebook has become an essential business tool. Business that do not embrace this form of social media online marketing will suffer the consequences. Those that embrace it will be well positioned to find what customers want and give it to them.

Setting up trade show displays can be difficult or easy. This is determined by various factors the most important one being the equipment used. Since most of the shows are held in different locations, the equipment should be adapted for travel. In this regard, opting for a roll up stand can be a great decision. This is because it is not only adapted for travel needs but also for allows one to have a large display.

Before you decide, you should also learn how they operate. In most cases, they are operated the same way as roller shades. This allows the display to be pulled onto the framework and rolled out when the function is over. Learning how to use the banner stand display does not take long. However, since some are very tall, they might require to people to mount the display material.

Once you are comfortable with installing the displays you will eliminate the chances of incurring additional charges, which is very comforting to many managers. This factor of ease and speed is actually one of the main factors that should draw you to the use of these stands. It should also be one of the deciding factors when you decide the type display stand to purchase.

As indicated earlier, the migratory nature of trade shows necessitates having a roll up set that is highly portable. This means you can have similar displays in different locations, which is great for your brand image. You should note that the stands might be heavier than other stands in the market. However, they are less bulky which makes up for the weight factor.

Another factor that will draw you to these displays is their extended durability. This is very helpful to a constant traveler since items are generally damaged as they are moved around. This means that the problem is eliminated with the roll up stand. They are also perfect for different kinds of travel from car, train to air travel meaning you can have similar trade show exhibits wherever you go.

So what precautions should one have when using the stand? As with most equipment, it needs to be handled with care although it can take quite some beating and still work. Attention and care should be exercised when rolling up or down the display. If you do it in haste, you risk damaging the display material.

It is also good to consider the drawback presented since almost every equipment has a drawback. In this case, the major drawback can be pinned on the cost. Since they take more time and labor for the manufacturers to make them they are priced higher that similar stands in the market. You should also note that repairing them once damaged is virtually impossible. This means that in case it is damaged one has to buy a new one.

Despite the cost disadvantage, a roll up stand has so many advantages, which should help you recoup the initial cost. If you take proper care for it, it will take more time before it is damaged hence there will be no need to replace it.

It is well worth the time to visit other exhibitions and trade show displays and take note of the ones that are drawing the largest crowds. What type of display stands and banners are they using, how have they set up their stands and a general overall view of what is attractive about their display.

There is an abundance of companies who offer a wide range of roll up stand products for sale or hire. They come in all shapes and sizes and visiting other exhibitions and seeing the various stands in action helps in making the decision on size, type and potential suppliers.

It is probably not a good idea to purchase a stand for a first exhibition, it makes more sense to hire and try it out first. If after the first show, the decision is taken to take stands at other events, it might be more cost effective to purchase a stand. Obtain quotes and compare prices and support services from several stand suppliers before making a decision.

Many stand supply companies will offer a design service or at least provide advice on designing a successful and attractive stand. They may be able to help with artworks and will demonstrate to staff how the stand is put up and taken down. They should have a wealth of experience and be willing to provide advice and support in preparing for an event. So its important to remember the cheapest may not be the best.

It is important to plan how you want to display your product or service at a show. Having groups or individuals compete to come up with designs and ideas is a good way to find an end product that can be used to make an impact at trade shows and exhibitions. If the individuals have assisted with the design, they are more likely to be enthusiastic when it comes to manning the stand.

Training and support for the staff who will be manning the display stand is important. It does not matter how attractive the display is, if the people manning it are unfamiliar with the product or service or are uncomfortable with the role they are playing. They need to be comfortable with all aspects, including setting up and taking down of the stand and should practice beforehand.

Planning needs to be started months in advance of an exhibition date and an analysis of previous results can usually be obtained from the organizers. This analysis provides a good indicator of potential audience figures and further useful information such as type of companies who usually take a stand, including any competitors. Choosing the right kind of roll up stand is just one small element on the project plan.

Not all companies have the budget for a TV or radio commercial. You could turn to direct mail but that can be slow and often goes unread. Email, on the other hand, is the perfect option for a company on a budget looking to maximise the sales potential of a Christmas campaign.

Better yet, using a company who offer managed email marketing services will mean you don’t have to spend hours on that part, you can focus on fulfilling the orders that are sure to come your way.

You should plan to start your Christmas email marketing campaign early. Late November and December may be the time you see most sales, but the majority of people start thinking about Christmas much earlier. Getting your very generous special offer in front of them then could have them sold on your product well before anyone elses.

You should also consider running it well past Christmas, to mid or late January, as there will be people waiting for the Christmas and New Year sales rush to die down before picking up the late bargains.

Make your offer easy to remember too. Christmas is a busy time for everyone so having a long running, simple offer is better than several shorter period ones. You’ll pick up far more sales with a generous, long term, memorable campaign.

Now we get into the nitty gritty of email campaigns – timing, compatibility, design and testing.

A managed email marketing campaign through a specialist company will be able to advise you on this to ensure you get the best from your campaign, but there are some things you should consider from the start.

First of all, timing – a lot of people will have half days in the run up to and during Christmas so it might be better to send your emails early in the morning. You don’t want to harass people with your campaign either, so how often do you email them? It will depend on your campaign but once or twice a week at the most should be enough, though you can increase that slightly towards the end of your campaign.

Compatibility means ensuring your email can be read in the various different email providers and readers – Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc – and your managed email services company will make sure that happens.

The design of your marketing email should be carried out by a proper designer and should contain your offer and your call to action clearly and obviously. Nothing will put off a potential buyer more than a poorly designed email or one that doesn’t ‘get to the point’ – again, especially around Christmas, people are busy!

Finally, there is testing to be done. Split testing, or A/B testing as it is sometimes known, is a way for you to send two slightly different emails to two different groups and se which performs better. Then you can resend the most successful email for even greater sales.

Testing your email marketing campaign at several stages will ensure you get the most from your Christmas email campaign. Your managed email marketing company will be able to do this for you and report on the results so you can make informed decisions throughout the life of the campaign.

Happy Christmas selling!

There is no successful online strategy without the following:

Content – Good website content doesn\’t end with an \”About Us\” or a \”Contact Us\” page. You must have great content. Not some boring sales pitch that people never really believed. Content must be unique and useful information to your target market. Don\’t be afraid of giving information away. Even if you are a lawyer that charges by the hour for your expertise, you will have a better website when you include expert advice. Your website is NOT an online brochure. It is a source of valuable information.

Update – Have an outdated website? Don\’t think that people that look at your website don\’t know that it is out of date. An out of date website show your market that you are too busy. If you are too busy you don\’t want any more business. Your website has to be updated frequently. Frequent means several times each month, not several times per year. The best websites are updated several time per day. Your website should be built with a CMS (Content Management System) that enables you to edit each page of your website without any programming skills. Your website should include information about what is happening at your company such as new products/services, management changes, trade shows and other trade events, press releases, how to\’s, anything and everything that would be of value to your market.

Expert – Your website makes you an expert. The great content you include in your website will position you above others, elevating you to expert level. Your prospects would rather buy from an expert than from a sales person. We tend to trust experts more than sales people. Your website should do more to position you as an expert instead of trying to be your online sales person. Include, expert advice, white papers, research results, awards, accomplishments, accolades, everything that will tell the world that you are an expert at what you do.

SEO – Search engine optimization is often misunderstood. Some people think it is about manipulating the search engines. They are wrong. SEO is about optimizing your website and always adding new and unique content to your website. SEO is more about great content than anything else. SEO also involves getting other websites link to your website. When you have great content it is a lot easier to get others to link to you than a website with boring content. Your content should include relevant keywords. As you develop your content keep in mind what keywords you are targeting.

Easy – The old way of updating your website is contacting your webmaster and ask her to make the changes. It a slow and inefficient way to update website. That is the reason most website are out of date and contain old information. A CMS website empowers you to update your website as frequently as you would like. When updating is easy it is much more likely to happen than updating the old fashioned way. If you want 100% control over your website content, you must have a CMS website.

Over the years Direct Mail Marketing or 1:1 Marketing has been one of the main marketing tools used by large business to target prospective customers. The problem with this process is the cost largely outweighs the potential returns, The Return on Investment or ROI.

The fact is that when these brochures, leaflets, flyers, catalogues or whatever other literature were sent out (and of course this is still the case) to their target audience they were or are really exactly the same, the only difference between each is an address label stuck on the outside, looking rather unprofessional, the rest of the information is utterly and completely the same! The reason for this is that the printing is done by lithographic offset printing on huge presses which cost enormous sums of money. Therefore, in order to be cost effective, many thousands had to be printed in one print run to bring the unit cost down to an acceptable figure. That’s why it has always been too expensive for smaller companies to introduce this method of marketing with any success.

With the litho process, each colour requires a separate plate which itself is expensive and takes a large amount of labour time to set up, furthermore there is an amount of wasted prints early in the run whilst the printer attempts to get the colours to match, the alignment correct and so on. Naturally if these costs were amortised over a small amount of copies the unit cost would be horrendous.

The biggest problem with this type of mass mail marketing is the ROI is about 1% to 2% and unless those turn into substantial business, the question has to be “is it worth it?”

Fortunately, with the advent of better quality Digital Printers and speciality software, it is now possible for companies to have small runs and sample runs prior to a full-scale roll out and to individually target by business type, authority or area. Variable Data Printing Software in conjunction with Digital Printing increases the potential ROI to a very desirable 10% to 15%. Personalisation is the key. Not only can the sticky address labels be eliminated by printing names and addresses directly onto each printed item, but each can also have a different bar code, individually personalised message and even a change of graphics and the colours can now be different on each printed part.

Companies simply provide a database of names and addresses to the print company, the individual graphics are designed in the Graphic Design department and uploaded to the Rip Drive. Rip stands for Raster Image Processor and is like a print driver but more sophisticated with many enhanced features. Once all the data is uploaded, the print job is ready to go and unlike the litho process there is no need to stop to change plates or waste many copies getting the print correct, all the changes are effected on ‘the fly’ by the rip, in other words whilst the job is running.

The advantages are obvious, by targeting prospective clients with the inclusion of more relevant data and with a more professional image it is more likely the recipient will read the information they receive rather than put it straight in the bin, also the labour costs are reduced as the printer runs the job non-stop and there is no need to set up individual plates or print large volumes which are not required. This type of marketing also means that it’s trackable and the success is measurable. It allows the marketer to get the message across more directly.

This process can even be combined with sending out data on CD and DVD or other types of media by printing and personalising the card wallets, Digipaks or the paper parts in a CD Jewel case for instance.

For more information on Direct Mail Marketing using Variable Data Printing, please call 01495 243222.

So what does that mean for us!?

Well let\’s think about that for a minute…

Last year Facebook made well over 1 billion dollars in ad revenue..So.. If that was Peoplestring instead of Facebook WE as users would have shared in on 700 Million dollars of that! I can only imagine the possibilites with that kind of Payout!

So how do we get our hands on that money?

Easy.. by logging into our homepage (just like we do Facebook) And using it for what it was made for.In all reality it really doesn\’t matter what we\’re doing,whether we\’re gaming,keeping up with friends,emailing, instant messaging, using the integrated search engine to \”surf the web\”, the list goes on and on.. And what it comes down to is as long as we\’re logged in we\’re getting paid!

Think it\’s time to get with the social network that \”does\”? I know I do.

- Another great feature is their free email service, this state of the art mailer can not only send/receive email, it also has the capability to track how many times a message has been opened( great for marketing & Team member help) AND on the slight chance that an email is sent to the wrong person(which I wish I could count on one hand how many times I\’ve done that) It has the ability to recall it right out of their inbox before they even see it!

- Also for all those Shoppers out there that missed \”black friday\” they have an integrated app in the back office that says \”Cashback Shopping\” and guess what happens when you click that? That\’s right, It grants us \”unlimited access\” to the peoplestring portal that gives the user cashback for shopping online at popular stores like Macy\’s,Sears,American Eagle Outfitters,Best Buy, even ITunes!,the list is humongous!

Now that my friends, Is a social network that\”does\”!

So how much does this really cost?

- It\’s 100 % FREE!

- NO upfront/backdoor fees

- NO enter your credit card here (unless you go for an entrepreneur package).

This is a zero out of pocket opportunity folks!

Its easy as 1-2-3!, just choose which account you would like to create,fill in the boxes,confirm it all and that\’s it!

It\’s a \”No-brainer\”!

Feel free to email me, and I will give you my personal exclusive guide,a step-by-step program, on how I took peoplestring by the horns and continue to make money by doing the things I normally do

like…

- checking email

- keeping in touch with friends

- surfing the web

- playing games (like mafia and farmville)

- going to the mailbox (yes at home)

- cashback shopping (just in time for christmas)

- and last but not least helping others do the same.

So listen up!

whether its promoting a business, playing games,\”venting\”with friends,making new friends,or just cruising the internet… stop letting those \”do not\” websites like Facebook/Myspace and Twitter make money off of us!

Besides,Isn\’t it time we shared in on the advertising revenue of these \”Corporate\” social networking sites?

Or did they forget we\’re the ones that made Them?

If the consumer isn’t aware that you exist, you can’t sell your product.

When encountering a prospect on the showroom floor or at a trade show, in every case, he or she was “delivered” to that critical point by an awareness of you; whether through an advertisement, a referral or, in the trade show circumstance, merely because you were there.

What takes place at that point is two-way communication (you standing face to face with the prospect, closing the sale). Though your degree of success will be determined by your persuasiveness, product, knowledge, price, etc., something that happened before that gave you the opportunity: a prospect had to be delivered.

At our marketing agency in Phoenix, we have learned – and base much of what we do on – this lesson: In today’s highly competitive marketplace, real success is largely a numbers game. To survive, let alone be a leader in your category, you have to close many sales. In order to do so, you have to have ample numbers of prospects with which to work. This applies whether you are a product or a service, large or small, with a reach that is local regional or national in scope.

Here’s the key point that most marketing, advertising and public relations professionals have learned over the course of the past several months, if, indeed, they didn’t know it previously: developing adequate numbers of prospects cannot be accomplished through two-way communication, either face to face, by phone, the mail or, even, the Internet. Neither you nor your sales staff has anywhere near the time necessary for this crucial function. We have had to talk long and hard, and demonstrate meaningful results to convince many of our clients of this. That because they long have been oriented to a sales force driven model, and sometimes have a difficult time learning “new” and more efficient ways of cost effective customer contact.

Prominent publisher McGraw Hill & Co. has estimated that the average sales call requires approximately 45 minutes, and that an average of three calls is required to close a sale. Surely, it’s no way to prospect.

Prospecting is what marketing  the one-way communication element of sales  is ideally suited for. Expensive, time-consuming two-way communication simply isn’t necessary, nor is it efficient in developing prospects in the numbers sufficient for business success. Marketing communication, in one form or another, is the answer.

Most anti-marketing hard-liners got that way because they, at some point, were turned off by poor marketing efforts that failed to produce results. This is understandable, because much marketing is misguided or misplaced  but it is not justifiable, and, more than likely, will be hazardous to bottom-line business health.

Is marketing foolproof? Will it always produce infallible, guaranteed results? No it won’t, nor is it fair to expect it to (after all, what does?). But it is more science than art, and, as such, has something very important on its side: LOGIC. Marketing is measurable, quite often yielding predictable results, and as practiced by good professionals, should  and most often does  more than pay for itself.

Article marketing is a concept whereby articles that contain relevant or related information to your website are posted in directories. These then have back links to your site so that interested viewers can be directed your way. It sounds like a simple concept and it is, but it is also one that offers huge potential.

An important consideration in any marketing campaign is the cost. If you were to use traditional mediums for marketing, such as TV and newsprint, you may find that the expense that would be incurred is prohibitive. With article marketing there would be no issue. Most online directories allow you to submit information free of charge.

Any expert in internet marketing would know that the key is often the search engines. When most of us go online it is the search engines that are our first point of call, in fact millions of us set the homepage on our browsers as or favorite search engine.

If you submit information to an article directory, the web page is likely to receive a high placement in all the popular search engines. This is because the way the directories are set up suits most search-bots. Before you know it you can by receiving a huge amount of redirected traffic.

Another important factor is that you can submit information to an article directory three hundred and sixty five days of the year and twenty four hours a day. You do not need to wait for suitable business hours. This flexibility is an important benefit as you can choose a conveniently time to put together and upload your information.

Links are the arteries of the online world. They take web surfers from one page to another. The more links you have on the net, the greater amount of traffic that will be directed to your site. If you compose interesting articles you may find that other website owners would be interested in using the information on their sites and blogs. By increasing the number of links to your pages you can quickly increase your online visibility.

A lot of people go online in search of information and advice. If you put together articles that are helpful then these will attract a lot of information. You may not feel like placing \”how to\” lists on your own web pages, by adding such information to an online directory you can catch the interest of surfers who can then be directed to your own site and turned into paying customers.

Long ago, in order for a person to market or promote the product he\’s selling. Lots of sweet words and a good ability in sales talk is required. Some people went house to house and convince them to buy their product and sometimes they got disappointed and waste of their talent because their product was not sold out. Some business person gave up and only a few try their best but bought by modernization this way of marketing has diminish and was replaced by internet.

Any one can start business online anytime they want and there\’s no need for a big amount of capital to market your product and it saves both money and effort. Even an eleven years old can benefit in this kind of marketing tool by just using his own creativity and to market it online.

This is highly in demand nowadays and it is mostly used by business minded person and even huge companies. When marketing through online, you can communicate with your client anytime and can easily response to people\’s questions and demand. It is the most powerful force that our economy can greatly benefit. Here are some of the reasons why is marketing online is highly in demand.

There is no specific time required for work. Can access through the internet anytime of the day that you want. It does not require to work eight hours a day for a week. You can set your own schedule. In this case, you can set a time for your client and he she will be he one to adjust with you. Your the boss. Compare to working in some companies or establishment you need to follow specific rules. But through internet you are the one who will set standard and there s no one to correct you.

The website will do the work. Having a website is the most effective way to attract customers and it will be the one who will work for you. There are so many clients who\’s shopping online and searching for their needs when you have a website they can visit it anytime and can leave comments and suggestions in your site.

By marketing online you can access to the whole world. There are different ways on how to market online like writing articles and blogs, advertise in PPC, post ads to different social networks and joining in forums.

These has been the reasons why most of the people are independent on their computers because through it they can earn money, even big amount of money just be resourceful and patience. The growth of internet marketing is very rapid and will continue to increase as years pass by.