Still on the fence about creating a facebook fan page for your business? Let me tell you a little story about the awesomeness of the fan page. This is why I think every business should have a fan page!

This week my husband who is a voice over actor, received an email from a lady in Philadelphia. She wanted to get back into voice over work, but it’s been awhile. In the voice over industry, it’s beyond important to have current vo demos. And they have to be good. Really good. This lady found my husband’s information because a friend of hers from CALIFORNIA came across Jason’s fan page. Why?? Because fan pages are indexed. Groups pages are NOT! This means that if you have the right content on your fan page, there is a good chance that your fan page will come up in a search engine based on someone typing in a relevant keyword that matches YOUR keywords. Pretty damn cool, huh?

Some other tips:

Fan page status updates appear in ALL of your fans’ newsfeeds. Why is this important? If you have a group page, your “members” have to go to that group to see any interaction on that group’s page. Unless you are giving away free stuff every day, the likelyhood of your members going to your group’s page everyday is slim to none! Yeah, you can send a message to everyone with a group page, but you can also send an update to your fans with the fan page.

The Static FMBL Application. This is probably the COOLEST feature the fan page has to offer! You can create a custom welcome landing page. This means that people who visit your fan page that are not yet fans will FIRST see a defaulted Welcome to ” ” page. This can be as simple or as awesome as you want it to be. This can be a great alternative to creating a website if you do not have the funds for a site yet. I do have to say that creating a welcome landing page isn’t easy. The FMBL application allows for coding. You can write text in there, but it’s pretty dull. If you really want your landing page to stand out, you do need to talk to a designer who knows a little something about coding!

Disclosure statement: I would NEVER recommend to anyone that they DON’T need a website. When starting a business this is by far, the MOST important marketing tool. That being said, the fan page is an alternative until you can get to a point where you can pay to have a website designed. When you do, I highly recommend going to Maro Design.

If you’d like to move your business forward by creating a fan page, contact us!

It’s no secret that social networks are more popular than ever or that we are in an economic slump. 

If you’ve had to cut back your travel budgets, like so many companies have, then think about the affordability of hosting Virtual Events.  The reality is that Virtual Events are more cost-effective to deliver and attend, have the capacity to reach a larger audience and can be re-broadcast for continued exposure.

More and more companies are being driven to more complex virtual events.  Attendees can visit booths, chat with exhibitors, and connect with other attendees at virtual trade shows. 

Physical events and trade shows are great for that face-to-face interaction, but if you can’t make it to them or don’t have the budget to do your yearly corporate conferences and/or meetings, then consider hiring a Virtual Event Specialist to help you set up and manage your trade show, corporate event or conferences virtually. 

Find out how to get started now!

Click HERE to read.

Hear about Google Docs yet?  Create, Share and Import files into google docs and share with your contacts without having to deal with attachments.  You can use even if you don’t have Word, Excel or PowerPoint!   Edit anytime, anywhere.  Share and collaborate in real time!  Type in the person’s email address you’d like to share with and hit send.  Simple, easy and pretty darn cool!  Very cool feature if you hire a virtual assistant!  Haven’t done so yet?  Check out our services!

Find out more about Google Docs by clicking below:

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

As 2009 comes to a close, taking a half-time break to reflect on your business is almost mandatory!

It’s no government secret that it’s been a tough year and a strange one in news. From Bubble Boy to the unexpected death of Michael Jackson to the bailouts to the media hype of the h1n1 virus and vaccinations. Oh.. and let’s not forget about the latest Tiger Woods scandal.

The media can be a big lesson for business owners. Expect the unexpected; don’t believe everything you hear and/or read; keep your nose clean; and always be ready to bounce back.

What lessons have you learned over the past year that you could share that may be an inspiration to others?

Are you setting goals for 2010?

Ever think about including the five core areas of existence into your goals?

Health, Wealth, Physical, Mental and Relations

I had a great meeting this morning with Brian Applestein from Donnelly and Steen, a Wealth Management company that currently has a total of 5 offices and are rapidly expanding! He brought up the five core areas of existence and how important it is to manage all five at the same time. I thought, “How true and when do we ever think about that when setting our goals”. We discussed a lot of great ideas during our meeting and his plans for 2010. One of his goals is to free up his administrative hours by outsourcing his admin tasks to Independent Projects, which we are very excited about and happy to do so.

As the owner of Independent Projects, I am very excited about all of my client’s goals and the expansion of this business.   Each client of Independent Projects has their goals set,  has the motivation to move on from this year and has their excitment back.  This is something that I haven’t seen or heard about in awhile. We are more than thrilled to be a part of their successes and even though we are here to help them,  each of them has taught me a little something as well.

We continue to grow our client base and learn as much as we can about life, business, the beauty of social media.  We are in this business to help other business owners succeed. 

Contact us if you would like Independent Projects to be a part of your goals for 2010.  And don’t forget to leave your comments about this crazy year.  You never know who you might inspire!!

What do you think about Virtual Marketing?  Where do you think Virtual Marketing will go in 2010? 

Well, Independent Projects has thought of a neat idea for a new way to promote your services in the Virtual Marketing world.  

How is your business card?  Does it stand out?  Does it explain exactly what you do in a 3 ½” by 2” card?  Are you proud of your business card?  And most important, is your website on your card?  If this answer is yes to these five important questions, then you might want to consider joining us in our Virtual Business Card Marketing Campaign!   

With more and more people going to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more, how convenient would it be to have YOUR business card out there in the virtual world?  We spend money on designing and printing the business card and then use that card to hand out in networking events, place ads in local papers and we give it to people we’ve recently met.  Personally, with social media exploding, we could be doing SO much more with our Business Card. 

Independent Projects has started a new campaign using the standard, but unique business card.  This is how it works: 

For $50, you send us your business card as a JPEG OR you can mail it directly to our office and we will create a JPEG by scanning in the card.  We will provide you with a URL link for your card and then we will post your business card to social media sites and groups/fanpages within those social media sites.  If your business is specific to your region, we will research groups and fanpages in your area that we think are important to your business.  

All of this for only $50.  When you think about the cost to run ad in your local paper for a week’s time, this new way of virtual marketing is worth the price.  We will also market your card for one month.  We will send you weekly reports on where your business card is posted and the responses we’ve seen from the posts, so you can track your progress with this campaign.  

Side Note:  If you don’t like the way your Business Card looks, but would love to jump on board with this marketing campaign, we can do a re-design and print.  Additional fees may also apply if you would like us to create a Facebook Fanpage, Linkedin, Twitter or other social media sites, however, this campaign can still be performed if you do not have accounts with all or some of these sites. 

Contact us today to find out more about this campaign!

Virtual Marketing for the Real Estate Agent:

The number ONE reason why a real estate agent should break into virtual marketing is because prospects are researching for real estate agents and properties more and more on-line. While it’s still important to post your listings in local papers, few people are using newspapers to search for their first, second or third home. Just look at the subscription and newspaper revenue across the country.

For a real estate agent to stay a step ahead of their competitors, it’s important to look at new ways to build your brand, your referrals and you revenue.

Here is a list of services that Independent Projects provides to Real Estate agents and other professionals who are looking to branch into the Virtual world for their business:

Flyers, Postcards, Brochures:   Design and mail to your prospects or clients.

Business Cards:    We can design and print.

Website Design/SEO:    Get a custom website for YOU.  Even if you are with a real estate firm, it’s still important to get your own website, if your company allows.

Send Out Cards:   Software program you can purchase to send out referral, thank you and holiday cards. We can manage this software program for you.

Client Management Systems:   EzData & Sales Force. Keep track of your client database a little easier.

Custom WordPress Blogging sites:   Want to start blogging? We can create a wordpress blogging site.

Custom Twitter accounts and management:   With the ability to link Twitter with Facebook and LinkedIn, updating your status just became a bit easier. Managing your updates is still time consuming, however.

LinkedIn:   Great tool if used properly. Creating a LinkedIn account doesn’t stop there. Join groups with similarities to your profession. Post news links, real estate trends and listings. Join in on some discussions within the groups you belong to.

Active Rain:   Stay on top of what’s going on with other Real Estate agents.

Facebook Fanpages/Groups:   Create a separate facebook page for YOUR business. You don’t want business contacts accessing your personal photos/status updates. We assist with creating fanpages or groups and managing your updates with backlinks to your blog posts/website.

Email stationary/Newsletters/Ezines:   With companies like Mail Chimp, Aweber and Constant Contact, we can have your newsletters and emails going out with a fresh design, customized to your specifications. Using Drip Mail Campaigns with one of these companies, you can keep track of who opens, who spams and keep all of your contacts in one convenient place.

A few other services: Excel Spreadsheet Design and Maintenance for Client Databases, PowerPoint Presentations, Assistance with property listings and virtual tours

To find out how we can help build your real estate business in 2010, email: info@ipro4u.com

How many Administrative hours are spent on your business? 

Your time is YOUR money.  When you spend time on typing letters and reports, creating spreadsheets, returning phone calls, filtering and answering emails, updating your website and your social media accounts, you are taking time away from business development, and more importantly, YOUR CLIENTS.  

In this economy, it is more important to build your client base and take care of your clients so they don’t move on to the next competitor at a cheaper rate.  Everyone wants to save money right now, but people still understand that you get what you pay for.  If you are spending your time nurturing your clients, making sure their needs are met and they are happy, you will retain more clients.  However, if you are spending your time focusing on the administrative part of your business, you are taking that time away from your clients. 

Independent Projects understands this.  They also understand that hiring a permanent employee is a commitment and costly.  Set fees are a thing of the past as every project is different and every budget is different.  Outsourcing your administrative projects virtually is proven to save you time, in turn saving your business money.

The goal of Independent Projects is to help business owners, not take their entire administrative and marketing budget.  By working within our clients’ budget, everyone is happy.  You do get what you pay for, and outsourcing your important projects to us can be a little scary.  That is why we explain in every consultation that our success is your success.  We can’t and will not stay in business if we don’t provide each and every client with the utmost professionalism.  

To find out more about how we can help your business succeed and grow, Contact Us today for a free consultation.

We are partnering up with a GREAT West Chester business, At Your Service these upcoming months to help give back to the Chester County Community.

A great article written by Eryn Travis from the Examiner. Find out more information about our Holiday Donation Drive!

On Tap Network is Proud to announce its Quarterly Networking Event on September 17th from 6 PM to 8:30 PM
at Barnaby’s in West Chester, PA.

With summer coming to an end, now is the time to start thinking about your business and your networks. With tough, economic times and personal difficulties we all face from time to time, we still need to remember that our business is our baby, our work is our world, it’s how we survive.

The Co-Founders of On Tap Network understand this and that is why they created a networking organization based around the economic times we face in today’s world. They created a website that is affordable to showcase your business and/or products and they host quarterly networking events that are FREE to attend for anyone. They know it’s tough out there, because all three of them have their own businesses that they each started from the ground up. They know what it takes to succeed and they want to offer events where people can attend for free, gain some great tips, talk about their business and build lasting, professional relationships that will help ANYONE succeed.

At the September 17th event, On Tap Network’s featured speaker, Dominic Sembello will be presenting Networking Event Secrets: The “ART” of the Business Card and Your First 15 Seconds. Dominic Sembello knows all too well the struggles of owning a business and creating great marketing secrets that have helped him succeed in his profession as an Acupuncturist. Once Dominic built his practice from the ground up, he wanted to help others succeed. He’s since created Automatic Profit Solutions and the basis of his business is to help other business owners generate more revenue with cost-effective solutions!

Come join Dominic and the Co-Founders of On Tap Network on September 17th! This is one event worth attending, and it won’t cost you a dime!

For more information about On Tap Network: http://www.ontapnetwork.com