BIGGER & BOLDER: WHY FACEBOOK’S NEW ‘TIMELINE’ IS A GREAT IDEA FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You’ve probably noticed by now that Facebook is offering a new Timeline that can replace the standard Facebook profile that we’ve all come to know and love.  In doing so, Facebook is introducing a grand overhaul for business pages that will go live for all on March 30! 

You are now offered more control with respect to the look and ambience of your business’ page.  The new page is designed to allow even easier interaction with your fans – a priceless feature for any business.  It also enables enhanced graphics, the capability to feature posts and it allows for private messaging with fans.  Better still - have you seen the size of the Cover photo???  Facebook maintains that the ideal size for your cover is 851 X 315 pixels.  It’s huge – so use the space wisely – think branding and letting people know what your business is all about.  And, you’ll still be afforded your standard, smaller profile picture (which you might want to consider re-positioning for the sake of the look of your new page if you already have an existing business page).  The profile picture is still a great way to feature your company logo!

Here are a few more reasons that the new Timeline business page is a no-brainer when it comes to the greater good of your business:

- The New ‘About’ Section Showcases the Core of Your Business – This is the section that was previously concealed within the “Info” tab (on your existing business page).  It’s now displayed prominently at the top of the page for all to see.  Ensure that it’s brief and to-the-point.  Include something that captures the essence of your business without going into too great detail.

- You Can Now Control How Content is Displayed – Now, your most relevant and important post can be pinned to the top of your page, where it can remain for up to seven days.  If you’re offering a special deal of the week or if you’ve just changed the location of your business, these are things that you want people to see first and foremost when they visit your page.   This feature also enables you to change the dates of postings in order to keep more relevant posts displayed prominently at the top of your page.  You can furthermore “Star” a post and enlarge the size of the post (so that it dominates the entire width of the page!).  How’s that for getting your message across?

- You Can Showcase Your Business’ Highlights, Milestones & Accomplishments – You’ll be able to track your company’s history and along the way, feature the business’ milestones - you’ll be afforded the opportunity to highlight your business’ events, news and accomplishments.

- The New Admin Panel makes Your Life Easier – The admin panel is where you can go to view notifications, see and respond to messages from people/clients that you might not want others to see, view your page’s activity and view your page’s stats.  This very cool feature will simplify your online business practices.

Business pages will be universally upgraded on March 30, but Facebook is offering a preview of what your page will look like.  Just click on the preview button located at the top of your existing page to have a look.  And, if you like what you see, you have the opportunity to publish the new page now rather than waiting until the end of the month!  Exciting stuff!

Here's testing out Social Media for Business - Is ASUS listening

ASUS afterwarranty product sales and service stinks!
As a computer infrastructure company, we purchase and supply companies with computers, software, turnkey systems and provide support as well.  One of our clients owns a half dozen ASUS machines.    Among other things, one of the adapters is broken.  So I have been trying to get it replaced.  My local hardware generic computer store had none, and as I was driving by, I stopped into the ASUS repair depot to get the adapter replaced.  Although they have such adapters, they could not replace it nor could they sell me one since it was past warranty.  Well it only was a 10 minute loss.  And they gave me the website to order from.

So back at the office I tried the website.  Neither Google Chrome nor Explorer could load their page.  So I spent 15 minutes on hold, phoning the ASUS estore.  The person who answered explained that you had to order online.  I told her about the webpage problems.  Her suggestion was to try another browser!

Okay, I am trying to buy something here, not remake my current computer!  Their lack of trying to provide parts is appalling.  Last time I tries to get an adapter from them, they would not let me purchase it until I found and confirmed the serial number of the computer to prove somehow that I purchased it in Canada.  Its way too much work to be an ASUS customer!

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO YOUR FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

So, you’re up and running on all social media sites and you’re posting on a regular basis and even gaining a fan following?  That’s great!  But, do you know what to do when your fans comment, ask questions or lodge complaints via social media?  Elementary, dear readers – it’s imperative that you respond.  And that you respond promptly! 

A recent article on socialmediatoday cited a conversocial survey facilitated via New York University and its Assistant Professor of Communications, Liel Leibovitz.  The survey consisted of nine questions – all pertaining to customer satisfaction with corporate attitudes on social business sites.  It was sent out online and was returned by 513 respondents.  According to the socialmediatoday article, the survey’s findings were quite surprising in terms of how many businesses are still in the dark when it comes to:

-          how to respond to complaints, suggestions or questions on their social media profile pages

-          the importance of responding promptly (some businesses did not respond at all!!)

-          what kind of tone to adopt when responding

The table below, which I took directly from the article, uses the original data of the conversocial survey and it does a great job of showcasing where companies need to focus their attention with respect to their social media undertakings.  The question posed was:  How Important Are These Things To You?

Interesting findings, I thought!!

Well, here’s the truth about the way these issues should be dealt with:

1.  First and foremost – promptness is all important.  Procrastination when it comes to responding to fans is never a good thing.  The socialmediatoday article advises, in fact, that your response be posted within two hours of receiving a comment, question or complaint on Facebook or Twitter.  Responding promptly lets your fans know that you are a business that values what its clients have to say and that you are accessible at all times.  It tells them that communication with your clients is important to you - that your clients are important to you.  People really do appreciate it when they feel that they are being heard.

2.  It’s not a good idea to have a standard, automated tweet or Facebook post that goes out to anyone and everyone that posts a comment, question or complaint.  What does that tell people?  It tells them that you don’t have time for them.  It’s crucial that each and every fan post you receive be read and responded to individually by you or another designated live person at your company.

3.  Always ensure that the content you’re posting is relevant.  And, as socialmediatoday points out - not only relevant, but unique.  Do you want your business to stand out?  Do you want to maintain further contact with your fans?  Of course.  Your fans are your clients who drive your business.  Keeping them satisfied is where your focus on social media should be. 

4. Elaborating on point #3 – keep your fans posted on what’s going on with your business.  They are interested in knowing – especially if it’s relevant and beneficial to them.  So, go ahead and post about your company’s promotions or specials – who doesn’t want to hear about a great deal? But, be careful – there’s a fine line between promotional posts and spamming.  Don’t go overboard and post the same thing over and over again.  Mix it up and keep it fresh!  That’s what will keep people coming back for more!

THE SCOOP ON TWITTER'S NEW BRAND PAGES

Watch out, Facebook & LinkedIn – Twitter’s gaining on you!!   With the launch in December of its new Brand Pages, Twitter is becoming every bit as relevant as Facebook and LinkedIn with respect to business practices.  An informative article on AdAge Digital outlines in detail what Twitter’s Brand Pages are all about.

The article states that, “Twitter is looking to strengthen its relationship with advertisers by launching brand pages… a part of a more comprehensive redesign.”  (I discussed Twitter’s redesign in my post of February 5.)

As of December, 2011, Twitter’s brand pages were limited to companies such as Coca-Cola, HP, Nike, McDonald’s, DisneyPixar and a few more - 21 advertising partners in total as well as a few select charities and individuals. You and I will need to use the new version of Twitter in order to see these enhanced profile pages.
 The AdAge Digital article further sites that : “According to an email from a Twitter account executive obtained by Ad Age, the roll-out of brand pages to a larger group of brands and partners will begin Feb. 1, and advertisers must have an active insertion order in Twitter's system of $25,000 to qualify.”
Twitter’s enhanced brand pages allow users to shop and play games, and are similar in theory to Facebook’s brand pages.  According to the article, “Brand pages can be customized with large header images that advertisers can use to give greater visibility to their logo or other branded elements, which are often partially obscured by the timeline of tweets in the standard format. They can also be programmed to keep a particular tweet at the top of the timeline, which can auto-expand to reveal an embedded photo or video without the user taking action -- thus giving the page more visual impact.”

It will be interesting to watch what happens with Twitter’s brand pages – obviously at the moment, while in their experimental stages, the average small business owner will not want to spend $25, 00.00 to get in on these brand pages.  According to Twitter, they will “…slowly roll out enhanced profile pages to a wider audience of brands in the coming months.”
As with anything, they will, in the future, (hopefully) become more mainstream and we’ll be seeing more and more of them!  I know I will be keeping an eye on them to see what happens!

6 SUREFIRE WAYS TO GENERATE INFINITE BLOG CONTENT

So, you’ve got your blog up and running and everything’s moving along swimmingly until one day you hit a dreaded patch of writer’s block.  Think you’ve run out of ideas for great blog content?  Well, think again.  I’m going to share some ideas with you that will ensure you never run out of ideas for your posts!     

1.  Take a Break – As counter-productive as that might sound, it’s actually not a bad idea if you’re stumped for something to write.  Sure, you can sit there and bang your head against you monitor hoping to jar some brilliance within your tired mind, but chances are, you need to take a break from thinking so hard.  Give it a rest for a few hours or until tomorrow.  You’d be amazed at how many bright ideas can come to you when you’re rested, de-stressed and looking at your monitor with ‘fresh eyes’.

2. Scour News Sources – Great blog content can always be generated out of news items you’ll find online, in your morning paper or in your favorite monthly publications.  Put your own spin on an interesting story; share your opinion (especially if it’s opposing – who doesn’t like to read someone’s scathing contradiction of a popular topic?).

3. Read Other Blogs – If you read blog posts written by other people that are within the same vein as your own, you will no doubt be inundated with inspiration and will in no time be typing away.  Again, put your own spin on what you’ve read and make it work for your audience.

4. Write Drafts/Partial Posts Even if You Think they’re Going Nowhere – It happens to me quite often.  I’ll have a brilliant idea for a post and start researching and writing it, then think to myself that maybe the idea isn’t so brilliant after all.  This might simply be because I’m not in the mood to write at that very moment, or it might be because I run out of steam with my idea.  But, rather than scrap it, I always leave partial work on my desktop because more often than not, I revisit what I’ve written and when I look at it with fresh eyes, I’m able to work some magic and turn it into an interesting post – even if it’s not the same post as it originally started out to be.  The idea is to always have ideas!!

5.  Always Have a Pen & Notebook Handy – You never know when brilliance is going to strike – and when it does, you want to remember what was so brilliant.  Like lightening, bright ideas don’t often strike twice in the same place.  There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing that you had a great idea, but not remembering what it was.  I even keep a pen and notepad handy on my bedside table, because as weird as it sounds, I have awoken in the middle of the night countless times with ideas churning – and good luck remembering those after falling back asleep and awakening five hours later!

6.  Hit Your Local Library – Check out a few books related to your niche and voila!:  an instant plethora of fresh ideas.  Libraries are still a great place to source information and to even do some writing (remember the days before the internet when we did our research at the library?)!! 

Ideas can be sparked anytime, anyplace.  You can be inspired by so many different, ordinary things.  Just use your imagination, do some good, old-fashioned research and give your mind some time to decompress and come back with fresh thought.

Remember, blogging can be a very enjoyable undertaking as opposed to a daunting task - have some fun with it and the ideas will come pouring in!

For more on blogging and how to get your ideas for infinite content rolling – why not join one of our Social Networking for Business workshops, where we’ll offer you a multitude of tips and tricks for optimizing your blog.  Check out our schedule at:  http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

If you have any tips you’d like to share about how you come up with ideas for you blog posts, I encourage you to share in our comments section.

And, keep checking back here for more on blogging – my favorite topic!