Who has a profile page for their business?  Not sure the difference?  If you have to accept friend requests for your facebook page AND it’s for your business, then you are using a profile page for your business.   I DO NOT recommend doing this.   Facebook can and will delete any profile pages that are used to promote business services.   You can also only have up to 5,000 friends.   I am seeing a few of my clients as well as a few of my regular contacts going through the MAJOR ordeal of transferring a profile page over to a business facebook (fan) page. NOT FUN!

If you want to create a page for your business, here are the steps:

The easiest way to create a business page is to go to a page that you already “Like”.  At the BOTTOM LEFT-HAND corner of that page, you will see the options:  Unlike, Create a Page, Report a Page.  Click on “Create A Page”.  Then just follow the steps.    There are steps you can take to make it SEO friendly, etc., so if you are unsure that you are doing it right, you might want to contact a professional page builder to set it up for you.   Contact Us if you would like a free consultation on Facebook!

A little LinkedIn Talk:

Do you have a LinkedIn account?   That’s great, but how are you using it?  Do you have testimonials?  Do you have your Wordpress Blog feeding to your profile page?   Do you know about all of the fantastic Applications that can be integrated into your LinkedIn Profile?  How many local groups have you joined and are actively participating in?   How do you promote on LinkedIn?    Are your discussion posts frequently about the same thing and are they an in-you-face type of promotion?   LinkedIn is a great tool to use for business owners, but beware of how you use it and if you are really using it at all!!

A little Twitter Talk:

Ah, Twitter.  Some people love it and some people hate it.    The ones that hate it think they just can’t get their point across in 140 characters.  You know that if you integrate your facebook page AND twitter account, you really don’t have to worry about posting in Twitter?  Just make sure you at least thank those who follow you!  Also, the more you follow others, the likelihood they are to return the favor and follow you!   So, be selective in who you follow.  Also, remember that Twitter has it’s own search engine capabilities!  That means someone can type in that little search box actual keywords that pertain to YOUR business.  The search box isn’t JUST for finding people.  You can use it to find out who’s looking for YOUR services or who’s tweeting about your services.  That little search box is one of the best marketing tools on any social network!   USE IT!   And then there’s TWIBES, hashtags, Twitter Lists….. it goes on and on and changes almost DAILY!   Can’t keep up?  OUTSOURCE IT!

A little Business Talk:

The first and most important part of ANY business is a WEBSITE!  It’s the most important marketing piece you have!   This is followed by a GOOD SEO package!   There is never a point in having a website if no one can find you.  I often say, what’s the point in owning a car if you can’t drive it?   SPEND the money on a good site and get someone who KNOW how to ORGANICALLY perform Search Engine Optimization!!   In my line of business, I ALWAYS start on the company’s website and then I take a look at their competition.  How do their competitors’ sites rank against theirs and how do they look?   Are their competitors involved in Social Media and have they integrated it all on their website?   Research is a key component in coming up with a great marketing strategy!

The second is ORGANIZATION and ADMINISTRATION!  Are my clients organized and how are they handling their administration?   If these are some of the things you are lacking in or just don’t have the time to focus on, this would also be a good thing to OUTSOURCE!  Get someone else doing those admin tasks and have someone come in and help get you organized and caught up!   This is so essential to growing you business.  The minute you fall behind is the minute you loose control over your business and your business becomes its own entity!
Read my blog post titled: Managing A Small Business for more information!

Make 2011 GREAT and Outsource some of your projects!  Remember,  at Independent Projects, we understand that business owners can do anything, but simply can’t do everything.  We help get you organized and recognized by offering business management support, brand marketing and social media marketing.

Contact us for information on how we can help!

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