Facebook successfully personalized the online experience. Everyone with a Facebook account can easily claim a small piece of cyberspace to express likes, dislikes, inspirations, aspirations, beliefs and values.  Where else can a marketer find so much self-disclosed information about potential customers?  If you have defined your niche and you know your customers, then you can use your Facebook business page to build your network and reach your audience.

Ads and Targeting Ability

Facebook allows you to create ads specifically targeting its users based on their profile information.  Although these ads are short — 25 characters in the headline and 135 characters in the body — there is additional room for your website’s URL.  After you have written your ad, you can choose who will see it based on location, age, likes and interests.  The more choices you add to the likes and interests category, the more narrowly you define your audience.  As you add these parameters, you will see the number of users who fit these categories displayed to the right.

Social Plug-ins and Integrating Your Website

If the person visiting your website is also a Facebook user, you can personalize the visit   by using social plug-ins.  For example, the “Activity Feed” shows a visitor the most recent Facebook activity by friends.  If there isn’t enough activity going on at the time a visitor logs onto your site, then the user will see recommendations for pages on your website that they may find interesting.

You can display chosen features of your website on Facebook and then include portions of your Facebook page on your website.  The simplest way to integrate is to add a “like button” onto the main landing page of your website. “Liked” pages on your site are added to the user’s profile, extending your reach to an additional network each time this happens.  You can also add a “log in button” to allow visitors to log into their Facebook page from your website.  This feature shows pictures of their friends who have also logged on to Facebook through your site.

Start a Facebook Group

With a Facebook group, you can generate awareness and lead discussions about topics that relate to your services or products.  The first step is to invite members of your network to join the group.  Next, each person receiving your invitation can in turn invite his or her own network to join.  This virtual web of connections makes it possible for a well-crafted message to go viral.

As with all marketing and advertising channels, though, careful planning is essential to successful implementation. Make sure you have properly identified your market, such as small business owners.  Use that knowledge to create your Facebook messages and events.  Create and launch a few test ads to measure results.  Assign someone to update your Facebook business page with new images and statuses every day.  Then you can integrate the interactive elements of Facebook into your website.  You will see that Facebook ads, social plug-ins and groups can drive qualified traffic to your website.

This article was written by Lori, a contributing writer.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

How Facebook Can Change Your Business

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Writing a business plan can be pretty tedious. There’s the cover, the table of contents, some 20-25 pages of content and the back cover.

The innards are typically long paragraphs punctuated with bold font sprinkled hither and yon.

And it’s all a big bore.

There’s a reason for this. The “how to write business plans” books are classics. That means they are old. They were all written pre-internet. And that’s an important consideration in capturing and holding an audience.

The writing style of the internet has changed the way people think. And the way they read.

For instance, glance through this web site, or most any other successful web site, and you will see some real differences in style and layout, such as:

1. Short Paragraphs. Computer monitors don’t have the tight resolution of a printed page, so our eyes get tired. To help us focus, good writers use shorter paragraphs.

2. Bulleted Lists. But sometimes there is still a great deal to be communicated, so bulleted lists have become quite popular (or indented lists).

3. Block Indents. Block indents give visual variety, so your eyes don’t get so tired and I can hold your attention a bit longer.

4. Left Align. In the old days, nearly all paragraphs were indented five spaces. No more.

5. Judicious Use of Color. A bit of color is nice. Splashes of color all over is yucky.

6. Style that Reflects the Topic. Your business plan layout, like your web site, is going to pick up on the style of your business. A presentation for stylish clothes for teenage girls will look a lot different than one for biotech research. Other than that, your business plan layout is pretty much up to you. Make sure that all the pertinent parts are there, but put them in any order that makes sense for your business.

7. The Tiny Font Stuff. And when you’ve got a glump of stuff that really needs to be included, but it is in tiny print and long paragraphs, put it as an attachment, either in hard copy form or on a disk, or both. That way, the information is still there for those who want it, but you wont’ lose your reader before you get started.

8. How to Use Your Logo. Incorporating your logo is important too. I very small logo in a corner of the page, or on the first page of each section is fine. A big, intrusive logo splashed over every page is not fine.

As straightforward as this advice seems, I am continually astounded by how poorly written most business plan area. Many follow the rather dorky outline of business plan software. Most haven’t a clue how to include a chart or an image.

My “Bad Example”. I have one business plan that I got a couple of years ago that I hold onto as a “bad example”. The business was actually pretty good. It was for an online business incorporating a particular ethnic style of art. The owner was from that ethnic group, so it was a nice fit. But the business plan was 100+ pages of tight, tight paragraphs. And not a single solitary image of the art. Not one. I just couldn’t believe it.

Just as an entrepreneur can’t plunk down three pages and shout, “Here I am! Drop your money in the bucket!”, neither can he expect a serious lender or investor to overlook a lousy business plan. This business plan represents you and your company.

Make it professional.

Make it real.

Make it reflect your energy and your style.

The money will follow.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

Writing a Business Plan – 8 Ways to Catch the New Wave

Even though it may not seem that important in the long run, a sense of style is essential when dealing with the workplace, and that includes the kind of briefcase you carry.  Of course, the specifics of the job will dictate the kind of briefcase you buy, whether you are working in a high pressure, Madison Avenue office, as a professor at a university, or if you are on the road and spend most of your time in your vehicle.

They say that clothes make the man (or woman).  This is true of accessories like your briefcase.  A sleek, well-maintained briefcase can affect your mood or the way that you carry yourself.  If you are running late or simply having a terrible morning, recall how powerful and official you feel with that special briefcase you selected and you may find the clouds are clearing up.

A black leather briefcase is classic and are probably what you think of when considering successful business people you have imagined or encountered.  While it is important to remember that times are changing, you must always remember that the choice is yours.  What does your briefcase say about you?  To your boss?  Prospective clients?  Your audience?

When selecting a briefcase, first consider the size.  What will you be carrying inside it?  Compose a list of everything you think you will need to carry and determine if you need a large or compact case.  There are also multifunctional briefcases for sale that could meet your needs.

A leather briefcase is both stylish as well as durable.  Because high quality leather bags are made with more exotic leathers, they will inevitably prove more expensive.  Keep your price range in mind when shopping.

Practice picking up the case and carrying it around before you purchase it.  Does a hard handle feel uncomfortable?  They may soften over time, but it is important to recall how you feel when you first picked it up.  You should also consider whether the briefcase comes with a shoulder strap that may or may not be detachable.

How is the case divided?  Are there several folders or pockets that will afford you places to contain your documents?  Try to make certain that these pockets are made of durable material.  You will want to consider the safety of your documents while making your decision.  You may also want to determine if there is a pocket for your laptop.  Will it be safe when you carry it around?

You will also want to determine the durability of the locks or zippers.  The lid should stay open in the locked position.  The locks should be solid and the zipper durable.  You don’t want either of these breaking or snagging at an inopportune moment, as you stand to run the risk of endangering your documents or your laptop.

One of the top companies to consider includes Wilsons Leather, who provides a dual pocket brief case that holds your laptop, as well as a two compartment briefcase containing a personal organizer and three ring binder.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

How to Select the Perfect Briefcase for Work

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Here are ten tips on how to avoid time-wasting and ambition-killing meetings.

Invite only the necessary people

It isn’t usually necessary to invite the head custodian to a meeting about your company’s next big public relations campaign. In fact, I dare say that it is almost never necessary. If you wanted to have an audience watch you perform, you should have gone into acting. Don’t invite people without a clear purpose for their presence.

Let people know beforehand

Let people know ahead of time when each meeting is going to be. People often plan out their time carefully so they can achieve the goals they set for each day. Spur-of-the-moment meetings will often be necessary, depending on what business you’re in, but they should not be the norm.

Allow for group discussion

Making employees part of the conversation is not only a way to generate good ideas, it is an excellent way to connect employees to the bigger picture. When an employee can see a suggestion they made implemented, it helps them to feel like a more valuable member of the team.

Incentivize

Goals can become a way of motivating employees to work harder. Meetings can be an excellent setting to analyze group goals and help analyze what is working well and what needs to change. Providing a refreshment at the end of a meeting is a good way to leave a positive taste in employees’ mouths — literally!

Have a set agenda

Have a list of discussion items and stick to it! Don’t hold a meeting just for the sake of holding a meeting. You may wish to keep a running list of items that you wish to bring up with members of your team, whether they be kitchen usage or their progress on specific goals.

Look at the big picture

As I mentioned this a few minutes ago, it helps for employees to see how they are contributing to the business as a whole. Almost all businesses have grunt labor that needs to be done for the company’s sake. Intern Ingrid typing press releases every day may not realize the impact her work has until a supervisor or manager shows how that contribution effects the bottom line. It isn’t necessary to spend very long on the overall picture, but is helpful when establishing a vision for your employees.

Less is More

Keep meetings as short as possible. The American attention span seems to be getting steadily shorter. The shorter your meeting is, the more employees will retain.

Stay on task

Although questions and other topics will invariably pop up, try to keep distractions to a minimum. If an entirely different topic is brought up, it may be better to plan a meeting to deal with that specific issue at a later date.

Set goals, follow up

One of the principle purposes of a meeting should be to find out how team members are progressing on their individual goals. Goals which are being met may need to be increased. Goals which team members are struggling to meet may need to be reassessed. Team members may wish to share with each other tricks to make the work go faster or easier.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your meeting afterward

Supervisors should assess afterward each meeting. Are all members of the team participating? Did the meeting establish company expectations while motivating team members to meet them? Was the meeting too long or too short? Did you stick to the agenda? Using these questions and others specific to your situation, you can effectively improve future meetings.

About the Author

Derek Gurr writes for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers has helped thousands of people find out if an online education is a good option for them and helps them choose online courses and online schools they will help them to reach their goals.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

10 Tips for Productive Meetings

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Follow these tips to help you save money for your business.

A) Don’t Waste Time

This one is pretty simple, but commonly overlooked. Companies often lose a lot of money simply because they are wasting time. This particularly includes staffing and utilities. Having hourly paid employees slacking on their work, or running out of work to do, could cost a lot of money each year. While laying off hourly staff members just to save money is never a good idea for a small business, instead let them go home early if there is no more work to do.

Also make sure when your business closes for the day that all the lights are turned off and the thermostat is set at room temperature. The most costs for small businesses rack up when nobody is in, and those can be minimized by routinely checking the lights and thermostat.

B) Utilize New Media

The great part about owning a small business now is that it’s easier than ever to promote your business for very little, if anything at all. Using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, or even maintaining a blog, will promote your business just as, if not more, effectively to your desired audience.

In addition, social networking has allowed for consumers to connect directly with businesses. This stimulates discussion and a closer relationship with the business, driving up interest in your business.

C) Vending Machines

If your business has several employees or a lot of customer foot traffic, you can increase your cash flow by working with a vending machine business. While it will have some initial costs to install and deliver, you will soon discover more cash flow simply from the purchase of snacks or beverages.

D) Ask for Discounts

Few business owners realize the discount potential they could have simply by asking when they go out shopping. While discounts are less likely to happen when buying a few small items, buying office equipment can cost a lot less simply by asking. It may feel awkward, but taking the initiative to ask could save a lot of money. You could even pay wholesale price rather than retail. It never hurts to ask.

E) Interns

If your business is in need of some extra help, interns are always a great idea. Many colleges and universities offer programs for their students to place them in supervised roles in the professional world. Not a lot of businesses pay their interns, but still provide them with insight and experience necessary to be successful in the real world.

As demonstrated, there are plenty of opportunities for your business to save a little money here and there, which will benefit you in the long run. Remember to always keep a critical eye of your daily operations and soon you will see much greater success for your business.

Guest Author: Louis Rix is Director of Car Finance 247 who provide car loans to customers in the UK

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

Money Saving Strategies for Small Businesses

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It is crucial that businesses handle these mishaps immediately. Waiting for a post to go viral will result in questions from customers and lead to the destruction of a hard-earned reputation, all of which can be easily avoided. Companies should look at these reviews as opportunities to engage with customers and proactively work towards solving their problems.

Respond Right Away

This advice could not be emphasized enough. The rationale behind it is simple too. When a business responds to a situation promptly, customers will naturally think that the company is paying attention to its clients and is eager to turn things around. Sometimes, it’s not that people want to have an error rectified right away. The best way to respond is to post a courteous reply but make the details of how you intend to fix the situation vague. Instead, deal with the customer directly and privately through phone or email. This approach uproots the problem from the public arena.

Take a Good Look at the Problem

Cyber bullies aren’t just there to put down aspiring artists who post their homemade videos on YouTube. Businesses are easy targets of people with malicious intentions. Good thing about customers is that they have the ability to assess if the complaint is legitimate or if it’s just a prank. So make sure to respond only to posts which merit replies.

Don’t Talk Corporate

Should the problem start to reach a wider audience, it’s time for businesses to ditch the corporate language and instead be witty about the entire incident. Be apologetic but also be entertaining and funny when posting replies. This advice does not just go to people in suits. For instance, dentists handle a botched job in a manner wherein he does not have to rely heavily on medical jargons.

Make Your Responses Visible

Let’s say someone screwed up big time that not only one customer was inconvenienced. To prevent having to respond to all of the posts, respond to the primary person who made the complaint and make sure that your reply can easily be located and read by the other customers.

Elliot Pearson Writes as a specialist for Dentist Identity who provides Dental Marketing and Dental SEO

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

How to Respond to Business Complaints

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• Send consistent messaging about your blog entries through social networks and sites (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumblUpon, etc). This includes the formatting of your messages (i.e. dashes, commas, capitalization, hash tags, etc.), the voice of your messages (first, second, or third-person), and the style of your messages (humorous, serious, political, etc.).
• Use key terms. Include words like “Finance, HR, or IT” when sharing your blog entries with others. This will increase the SEO value of your blog. The stronger your SEO, the larger your blog audience will become.
• Include the link to your blog. As simple as it may seem, sometimes people forget or delete the link to their blog, only including the blog title. Make sure to include your blog’s link so that users can go directly to your blog!
• Remember your audience. What value does your message convey to readers? Are you providing them an angle to frame the context of your blog? Why should they read your entry? Adding short introductions to your blog entry and URL link can make a world of difference and will reinforce the importance of your message with others.
• Take advantage of all social networks and sites. If you normally use only Facebook or Twitter to share your blog entries with others, branch out! The more sites you share your blog on, the more extensive your reach will be, resulting in a larger audience.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

Bring Attention to Your Blog and Make the Most of It

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Your readers should want more! They should comment on your article and offer you suggestions for more articles. If you’re getting this already, you know the meaning of substantive … Keep up the good work!

If you’re not having this dynamic conversation with your readers, then here are some tips that will help you achieve this:

• It’s Not OK to be Short and Sweet – Saying something is a cool idea without adding the WHY does nothing for the reader. This is not quality – this is easy writing. Your readers will see right through it. Good writing takes hard work and research.
• Relate Yourself to Your Work – Readers want to know how this has affected you and why it works. Add YOU to the topic by offering tips and further exploring why the tip works. People want MEAT. They want to know they can trust you. You’re the expert, so show them you are. Give them the MEAT.
• Make Connections with Your Audience – Do your research and ask them what they want. Then deliver this value in articles. This is worthwhile stuff. Readers want to know what they will find valuable TODAY. They don’t want to know what happened in the news last year. Think EVERGREEN!
• Think 400-600 Words as Your Quality Base – Don’t fill your article body with FLUFF just to reach this word count, but rather allow yourself enough room to explore the topic.
• You Won’t Know Until You Try – Perfection should always be your goal, but remember to submit and learn along the way. Trust me, you’ll get better with time.

Remember, writing high-quality, original content is not an overnight process – it’s hard work. Keep going, and you’ll get there in time.

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

How To Write Niche Articles

1. Transparency …. Each party must be clear about why they are contacting one another, meaning what do they hope to get out of this relationship? Also, be forthright in defining the relationship and the terms associated with it.

2. Follow through …. When you say you’ll deliver something, do it on-time or before the agreed upon deadline.

3. Respect …. Acknowledge the time and energy that each party is giving to the relationship. So for instance, don’t ask for things to be delivered on one date and then not review them or provide feedback for weeks. Or don’t show up late to meetings. Respect one another’s time.

To elaborate even further …..

1. LISTENING – more business relationships are botched because the parties are not listening to one another. New business relationships involve people and in order to earn respect you must exhibit the behaviors that show you care about your audience. Filter out all unnecessary interruptions, restate what you have heard and seek public positive feedback from the audience.

2. THE FIRST CUSTOMER SYNDROME – Develop the habit of considering the new business relationship as important as the very first business relationship you formed. Ask yourself, “How far was I willing to go to secure my very first successful business relationship?” Go the distance for all business relationships as if it is your first and only opportunity to put food on the table.

3. LIVE THE GOLDEN RULE – constantly remind yourself as to how you would want to be treated in a great business relationship. Paint the ideal picture in your mind’s eye and then work towards delivering that experience to your customers, suppliers, associates, partners and employees. Understanding that the customer is at the center of every action will help guide relationships in a prosperous direction.

So what’s next for you? You should honestly evaluate your actions according to these qualities. if you aren’t exhibiting them … why not? It’s time you should. If you are …. good on ya!!

Copyright © 2009 Small Business Resource

What Are The Top 3 Most Important Qualities When Starting A New Business Relationship?