Amy Polk: Simply Social

Instagram Cheat Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:40:00 +0000

Source: bilgicagi.com via Amy on Pinterest

Marketing with QR Codes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:30:00 +0000

Have you noticed these funny little things everywhere? They're QR Codes.

What are QR Codes?

QR stands for quick response and its very similar to a barcode.

QR Codes are more effective for marketing because they can store more information including web links, coordinates and text.

The QR Code digital pattern can be scanned with QR readers or barcode scanners on Smartphones. The images can be added to print ad, direct mail, posters and much more. I designed this one for my car.

How can QR codes benefit my business?

QR codes create an interactive customer experience that gets attention. They are more dynamic than a business card or just a label with your website and email address. They allow prospects and customers to instantly connect to and act on information about your business, a special discount, or invitation to an event you're planning.

What can I link to?

You can link to anything, your website, Facebook Page or Twitter. You could simply provide a message with your phone number. It's best to link to something of "value" for your customers to give them an incentive for connect to your site (e.g., to obtain an exclusive offer).

How do I get my own QR Code?

I used Unitag to make this one for free. You can make them with or without the branded image in the center. It's really fairly simple, however, if you like I'll can create one for you. Just choose whether you want to use an image in the center or not, include your QR message, use Paypal link below to send the payment and email me your image.

Once you have your own QR Code, you can use it on your business cards, print it on stickers, add it to brochures and posters and even put it on your car!

Removing Viral Facebook Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Is your Facebook account posting all kinds of weird, pornographic, or generally inappropriate content to your Wall and/or News Feed. Or how about the annoying "Wow I cant believe that you can see who is viewing your Profile!"?

Here's how to get rid of those annoying apps and re-secure your Facebook Page:

First, we need to remove the app:

1. Identify the app that is causing the problems.

In this instance, its an app call Profile Watcher.

2. Click the setting drop-down arrow in the top right hand corner of your Timeline Page.

3. Click Account Settings

4. Click Apps

5. Find the rogue app in the list and click the X next to Edit

You will be looking for App identified in Step 1 above.

6. Check the box to remove all activity and then click Remove

Now Change your Password:

1. Click General

2. Click Password

3. Enter your current password and your new password

Finally, run your antivirus scan to confirm that no malware or virus has been installed on your computer by the App.

Top 3 benefits of blogging for your business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:44:00 +0000

If you want to reap the benefits of a blog, you need to know that they take time and consistent engagement. You can't just build it and walk away from it.

What are the benefits of blogging for your business?

1. Voice - Blogging gives your business a voice, your voice. Your customers want to do business with a person, not a price list or product profile. Unless you're a household name or a major corporation, most people will not buy from you online unless they know you. Adding your voice to your online business presence gives people the opportunity to get to know YOU, like you and trust you.

2. Content - Blogging gives you your very own content for all of your other social media networks. You need something of value to share with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Your blog is fresh, valuable content for your networks.

3. Google Love - search engines love fresh content. Google rewards websites that post regularly with fresh and relevant content and punishes sites that post syndicated or copied content or even worse, nothing at all. Blogging is the best way to provide the fresh, relevant content that Google (and other search engines) loves and rewards.

These 3 things are just the foundation of what can come from your blog. There are so many more benefits, but these alone should intrigue you enough to seriously consider starting your own blog.

I'm starting a bi-weekly newsletter where I will be sharing how-to videos and free resources for building and managing your social media networks, including blogging. Do us both a favor and sign up for it today:

Blogging - What is it?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:52:00 +0000

I recently spoke to a group of weight loss and wellness coaches who had a lot of questions about blogging. This week I'm going to focus on teaching you how to start your own blog using FREE resources. But first...

What is Blogging?

This is a great 2 minute explanation, watch it now! Come back tomorrow to learn WHY your business needs a Blog.

Why is Social Media important?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:06:00 +0000

How to Register Your Own Domain Name

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:32:00 +0000

As soon as you start your business or even start thinking about opening a business, you should register your domain name.

First, why do you need your own domain name?

It increases your name recognition
It makes it easy for your customers to remember your address
It indicates you are a serious business owner
It helps brand your image
Many search engines refuse to list pages from free sites
Some search engines will only index the first page of a domain site

Where is your store on the Information Super Highway?

So, what is a domain name?
Your domain name is basically your address on the internet. Here's a simplified illustration: Imagine the busiest highway you've ever traveled, perhaps the Los Angeles metro area, now multiply that by a bazillion, envision that this is the internet aka the "information super highway". Now, imagine that your business is on the side of this highway. Your domain name is like your physical address telling your customers where to find you.
For example, the domain name here is savvybutterfly.com.

Now, how do you register your own domain name?
When you set up your domain name, there are many options and vendors to choose from. I personally have used Network Solutions and GoDaddy.com, both offer great introductory rates and a simple registration process. You can search around to see what works best for you and your needs, but here are the basic steps:

1. Confirm that the name you want is available. The name registrar you choose will have a search site. When choosing a domain name, you should keep it simple so that your customers can remember it. If the name is available, you will have the option to register is with many different extensions, .com, .biz, .org, .net, .us, etc. If your first pick is not available in a .com, I recommend trying another name where the .com extension is available. This is what is most commonly associated with businesses and will be easiest for customers to remember. Millions of domains are already registered, so finding an available name can be tricky, but don't give up!

Network Solutions Domain Search

2. After selecting your domain name, you will be asked to select how long you would like to secure it for, how many years you want to keep it. You can buy domain names in year-long increments, up to 10 years maximum.

Select Service Term 1-10 years

3. Once you have selected your name, and the amount of time you want to keep the rights to the name, you will pay the registrar to register the name for you.

4. Congratulations! You now own your domain name!

BUT WAIT, there's more...

Now that your domain is registered, you must specify where computers looking for your domain should go by updating your site's nameservers (the Internet's equivalent to phone books). This is where the process is going to be different depending on whether you have an existing personally owned website or blog or if you are a direct sales consultant with a company-hosted replicated website.

For personally owned websites or blogs, you can refer to your hosting providers and\or registrars forwarding instructions, just search their support site or contact their customer service department.

For company-hosted replicated sites, you will need to subscribe to a forwarding service. This is usually available from the domain registrar (GoDaddy.com, Network Solutions, etc).

Now, you're ready to roll! Use your new domain name on your social media profiles, your business cards and all other marketing materials AND please share it with me below along with questions you may have about domain name registration or forwarding!

4 step Social Media game plan for direct sales

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

So, you're a new consultant or maybe you're just realizing the value of social media marketing, how do you start promoting your business using Social Media?

Here's my simple 4 step game plan to get you started:

1. Company website - Setup your company provided website. Most any direct sales company offers a personal website for their distributors, sometimes for free, sometimes for a monthly fee. Either way, you must have it to play in the online ballgame.

2. Facebook - If you're not already on Facebook, open an account. It's free and a great way to socialize with friends and family and network with prospective clients.

If you're one of the millions of folks already actively engaged daily on Facebook, enhance your existing profile to showcase your business.
Next, create a Facebook Page for your business. This is where you will distribute the content of your blog and your YouTube videos. Of course you may not have a blog or YouTube Channel yet, but you can start by sharing information from your company, from other informative sites that your friends or family may be interested in relative to your products or services.

In my opinion, you could stop right here and be a big hitter in this game. If you want to hit it out of the park, consider taking the following steps:

3. Blog - Once you have a handle on Facebook, start thinking about your blog. You can create a simple blog like this one for free using Blogger or WordPress. You'll want to create relative content of interest to your target market.

Plan to post at least once a week.
You're blog should not be your product information copied and pasted from your company website. It should reflect your personality and provide good information that people are interested in reading. Your posts should be easy to read and not contain a lot of industry jargon.
Use bullet points or numbered lists when possible. It's been proven that people read less and less and are most likely just going to scan your articles for the specific information they want.

4. YouTube - Because people are less and less interested in reading, you need to create video content to convey your message.

YouTube is one of the best cross-platform tools. You can share your videos on your Facebook Page your blog, etc.
With YouTube, you get your very own "channel" where you can share your own videos, your company's videos or any other videos that you think your target market will find relative.
You'll eventually want to create multiple "playlists" of different types of things, like one for more formal type "commercials" for individual products (like those from your company), one for events you attend or host, one for "how to" videos, etc.
Start recording testimonies from your clients, team members and maybe even post a weekly update, etc.

Now, don't be intimidated by this. You can do it. Tackle it one step at a time and don't try to do it all in one day or even one week. Decide how much time you can devote to this and get started.

What other social media platforms are you interested in? Twitter? Pinterest? LinkedIn? StumbleUpon?

Pin-spired Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:14:00 +0000

I mentioned in Monday's post that I initially thought Pinterest was all artsy and creative and I had little interest in it. Well, it really seems to inspire people to try new things.

Here are some photos of a nautical baby shower for a Navy Wife I recently co-hosted. After it was over and we were patting ourselves on the back for how well it turned out, we said, "We couldn't have done all of this without Pinterest."

Guest seating

Food

Cake with cupcakes

Soap Party favors from Soaps by Design

Diaper Boat

Cake by Melissa Thomas of Frosting

Invitation

Candy Bar

Cupcakes by Frosting

Hostesses with the mostestes and Mommy-to-be

Pinterest also worked as a great collaboration tool since we all live in different cities. Once you create a Pinboard, you can give other pinners access to pin to it too. Just click Edit Board and you'll get a window like this:

We discussed the theme and then each began pinning ideas that we liked. Check out our inspiration pins here.

Using Pinterest for Business Promotion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Are you pinning yet?

Most people I talk to fall into one of three categories when it comes to Pinterest:

What is Pinterest?
Yes, but its artsy and creative and I'm not
Yes and I'm totally addicted - How do I use it for promoting my business?

1. What is Pinterest?

Pinterest defines itself as “virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, request an invite."

2. Yes, but its artsy and creative and I'm not

I started looking at Pinterest because I wanted to share recipes, but initially I felt like it was just for creative and crafty people. I really just ignored it for a while but people just kept talking about it all over the place, so I dug a little deeper.

I started "pinning" (think of it like bookmarking) my blog posts and found that I was getting more blog traffic from Pinterest than Facebook or Twitter! (Simply put: more people were clicking on my links posted to Pinterest than those posted on Facebook or Twitter.)

3. Yes and I'm totally addicted - How do I use it for promoting my business?

First, build your personal boards - Use the getting started guides and start pinning things that interest you. I have boards for Weight Loss, Social Media, Organization, Home Decor, etc.

Second, follow your friends (the getting started guides will help you find them) and others whose pins interest you. Also be sure to comment on others pins. This shows them that you have similar interests.

Next, start thinking like your target market (Simply put: the people you want to attract to your business). What are your ideal clients interested in? Home school? Scrapbooking? Weight loss? Workouts? Fashion? Party planning? What kinds of things would they appreciate? Time saving tips? Money saving tips? You get the idea. Take 5-10 minutes each day to pin things that would be helpful or interesting to these particular people you are interested in reaching.

So, how do I promote my business?

This comes last because I don't want you going into Pinterest giving your self a bad rap right off the start. Well, I don't want you doing that at all. By bad rap, I mean I don't want you to look like a slimy marketer.

Once you've established some followers and built some interesting boards, start pinning for your business. Perhaps just adding some pins to the Products I Love board to start. Don't add every product or service you offer all at once, spamming your followers with sales pitches and don't forget to keep building on your other boards too.

Ready, Set, Pin!

Facebook for low-cost and no-cost promotions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:31:00 +0000

I was recently invited to speak to a group of Direct Sales professionals in a Business Bootcamp series and make some recommendations on low-cost and no-cost promotions, specifically, using Facebook and other social media for promotions.

I've decided to touch on using Facebook for networking not selling, as well as how to effectively use Pages and Groups. I'm also going to introduce them to Pinterest as a promotional tool.

I'll be writing individual posts for each topic over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

If you're looking for something to chew on in the meantime, here are some links I suggested for this audience consisting of social media users at varying skill levels.

FREE Facebook 101 tutorial

Forbes Magazine, Facebook 101 for Busy Business Owners

Enhancing your Personal Profile for Business Purposes

Top 10 MIstakes Direct Sellers Make in Social Media

If you have specific questions about how to use Facebook or other Social Media tools to promote your business or organization, please post them in the comments below or on my Simply Social FB Fan Page.

Facebook 101 - March 3rd, Lake City, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:36:00 +0000

Great news! I've heard your requests and I'm making it happen!

I'm starting a local Social Media Training Series!

This is going to be very detailed, in-depth, but simple training program where I will show you how to promote yourself or your business online using the most popular social media tools available for free.

The first course, Facebook 101, will focus on the largest social network in the world. With 800 million users, Facebook is the ideal place to start social networking and spreading your message.

This course is going to dig into the how-to's of Facebook, from signing up for your account to optimizing your profile for self or business promotion.

Learn how to:

Sign Up For A Facebook Account

Set Up Your Bio & Timeline

Add Friends & Create Lists

Navigate and create Wall And News Feed

Create Events

Manage Account And Privacy Settings

Pick the perfect Profile Photo

Upload Photos And Videos

Message Friends

What you’ll take away:

Optimized & professional Facebook Profile

Color Step-by-Step instruction guides

Professional looking profile photo

20% off training voucher for FB201*

Things to bring:

Laptop with Wi-Fi capability

Notepad & Pencil

Desire to learn

You can get this 4 hour, interactive, hands-on course at an introductory price of just $50 with lunch included. Classes will be kept small to insure that each participant gets one-on-one instruction and leaves with a complete and professional Facebook Profile.

Registration is first come first serve, so don't wait! Contact me immediately to register. Call (386) 623-0476 or email me.

Payment can be made by Check, Visa\Master Card, or Paypal. Checks should be mailed to the following address and received no later than February 25th. Refunds for cancellations will be given up to February 25th with a $10 cancellation fee.

Timeline Details

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:29:00 +0000

I hear people talking more and more about the new Facebook Timeline. Like most all previous Facebook changes, there are those who love it and those who hate it. Here is a visual explanation of the newTimeline layout. I hope you find it helpful. If you have any questions, post them in the comments below.

Click to Enlarge.

Facebook Timeline: Don't be afraid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:34:00 +0000

I'm so embarrassed. Its been way too long since I've posted here. (Not recommended if you want people to actually follow your blog.) Truth is, I've been busy being "social" offline. But here we are and its a new year. In the last 3 or 4 months, I've been shifting my priorities around to make room to spend more time helping you all with your Social Media needs. So here we go!

First order of business: Facebook Timelines!

At the time of this posting, only 9% of my friends have signed up for the new Timeline. What are you waiting for? As a Facebook Developer, I setup my timeline back in September and I love it!

There's no reason to be afraid!
Once you get timeline, you'll have 7 days before anyone else can see it. This gives you a chance to get your timeline looking the way you want before other people see it.To help you get started, your timeline includes some of your top photos and stories. Hide or highlight whatever you want and add anything that's missing.

A preview of the Timeline Preview!

Privacy
Any privacy settings you've already set will still apply to the Timeline interface. So the photos of you laying on the beach that day last summer when you called in sick are still hidden from your boss.Only the people you originally shared a post with can see it on your timeline. If you want, you can go back and change who sees a post, delete it or just hide it from your timeline. To hide stuff, just click the pencil icon at the top of the post, then choose “Hide from Timeline.” Simple!

Simply hover over the post, then click the pencil to edit, delete or hide post.

Personalization
Timeline is all about you telling your story! You can even start from the beginning, as far back as when you were born! To add a historical stuff to your Timeline, simply hold your mouse pointer over the line in the center of the page until it turns into a plus sign, and shows you the option to add status update, photo, place check-in, or life event.

Simply hover over the center line to add new (or old) stuff.

So, what are you waiting for? Go, get busy! Embrace the timeline and make it yours!

Say what? Making sense of the Social Media Jargon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Every industry if full of jargon. Speaking as a "techie" who didn't even know what a hard drive was when I started providing technical support for a HUGE computer manufacturer in the '90s, I know how frustrating it is when you don't "know the language". Because I'm here to serve those of you who are brand new to Social Media, I want to provide you with a list of terms you may have heard but have no idea what they mean.

Social Media Marketing Terms to Know

Blog - Blog comes from “web log”. What you are reading right now is a blog. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual "blogger" with regular, informative or opinion posts, descriptions and pictures of events or videos. Posts are usually in reverse-chronological order (the newest stuff come first ). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add stuff to a blog. So, as I write, I am a blogger blogging on my blog! Say that 3 times real fast! I use Blogger, but a lot of people like WordPress.

Delicious - Delicious is a free online bookmarking service that lets you store your bookmarks (aka Favorites) online. You can also share them with friends and see what others are bookmarking.

Digg - Digg is a social news website that allows people to submit and vote for articles. Articles with the most votes appear on the homepage of the site and get seen by the largest portion of the site’s membership as well as other visitors.

Facebook - Facebook is the largest social network in the world with more than 750 million users. It connects people with friends, family and others who work, study and live around them or around the world. Its giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Facebook is probably my favorite! Connect with me there - www.facebook.com/savvybfly.

LinkedIn - LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 120 million members in over 200 countries and territories. More than half of LinkedIn members are currently located outside of the United States. I'm there too: www.linkedin.com/in/amypolk

MySpace - MySpace was the most popular social networking site in the United States in June 2006 but Facebook really took it over in popularity in April 2008. I haven't logged into my MySpace account since January.

Search Engine - A search engine is what you use to search with, whether its Yahoo, Bing or Google. You type in what you're looking for and you get a list of links about your topic.

Search Engine Optimization - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the content on your site or blog so that is shows up in that list of links I mentioned above.

SlideShare - SlideShare is an online social network where you can upload slide show presentations. You (and others on the site) can mark them as favorites, embed them into your blog or website as well as share them on other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. I like SlideShare and have used it, but have not taken the time to upload many presentations yet.

Skype - Skype is a free program that allows for text, audio and video chats between users.It's great for long-distance communications.

Social Media - Social media is simply people having conversations and sharing ideas online through any number of social media platforms (ie Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogs, Delicious, etc.).

StumbleUpon - With StumbleUpon, you tell them what you like and they give you videos that others who like the same things have shared or liked using the StumbleUpon button you ad to your web browser. About the cutest thing I've ever StumbledUpon is this video.

Twitter - Twitter is considered by many to be kind of like mini- or micro- posting. You only get 140 characters to share your message. Other people can “follow” you to see your messages. Additionally, you can use the @username command to direct a message towards another Twitter user. Follow me on Twitter - www.twitter.com/amympolk

Vimeo - Vimeo is a popular video sharing service in which users can upload videos to be hosted online and shared and watched by others. Vimeo differs from YouTube in that the videos are often more "artistic" and the service does not allow commercial video content.

Webinar - A webinar is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. I'll be offering some great webinars soon, so be sure to sign up for my newsletter over on the right-hand side of the blog to get notified first!

YouTube - YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. YouTube is the largest video sharing site in the world. People love videos, many say they'd rather watch a video about something than read about it. I am on YouTube and will be building our channel more and more in the next few weeks. www.youtube.com/amympolk

Now, if none of that really makes sense, it's okay. There is hope. Here's a funny story to prove it:

As I mentioned before, I once worked for a HUGE computer manufacturer providing technical support. It was in a call center where we took calls from customers who had technical issues with their computers. I was in my mid 20s but the smartest "technicians" were these young guys straight out of high-school. I was always asking them for help. One night a guy called in having trouble with his modem. I didn't really even know what a modem was. I asked my co-worker who tricked me into telling the man it sounded like the flux-capacitor on his modem was bad so we'd send him a new modem. Now, if this sounds completely reasonable to you, it did to me too. What I wasn't quite nerdy enough to know was that the flux capacitor is the core component of the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future.

True story, I promise! So, if you're still confused about social media, there's hope, just hang on and stay tuned.

Remember, I'm here to help and glad to do it! Post your questions below or contact me privately for help.

How to avoid a Facebook virus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:17:00 +0000

It's probably happened to all of us. A friend posts a link, we click it and then it sends the same link to all of our friends. What a nightmare! So, how can you tell if the link is real or if its a virus?First you need to recognize that spammers and scammers often take advantage of major news events, like the death of Osama bin Laden, to trick people into clicking on links that contain malicious software. They also tend to use phrases like "you won't believe..." or "I can't believe this..." Often when you click these links, it seems as if nothing happens or its a bad link, butin actuality, the link installed a Facebook virus and started sending out the infected links to your friends. If they click the links, they get the virus and the vicious cycle continues.

The best way to avoid getting a nasty (and embarrassing) virus is to pay attention. Before you click on a link, think! Is this the type of link this person would typically share? If not, don’t click it. If you’re tempted to click, first hover your mouse over the link and look in the lower left corner of your internet browser. You’ll see the URL attached to that link. If it’s not a URL you’re familiar with, don’t click the link. If the link has a lot of symbols or characters or is not real words but just a bunch of gibberish or contains a .info link, I would not click the link. As a general rule, I teach my family not to click any links to sites they've never heard of.

Here are some examples of suspicious activity:

If you do get a virus, the first thing you need to do is change your passwords and notify your friends. I'll go into more details about the clean up in an upcoming post, so stay tuned. Please share your virus stories or feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Creating a Facebook Page for your business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:08:00 +0000

So, you're in business and you absolutely love it! It's your passion and you want to tell the world about it! You've been telling everyone on Facebook about it but all of a sudden you notice you're being "un-friended". What is happening? Could it be that not everyone wants to hear all about your product or your opportunity? While that may be unfathomable to you, it is a good possibility. Don't worry, it happened to me in the beginning too.

What you need is a Facebook Business Page. This is going to be the foundation of your Facebook marketing. It's going to allow you to draw in more of your target audience by sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and still keep your friends.

Here's a great video that will give you basic instruction.

For direct sales professionals or consultants, I recommend using your own branding and not your company name. For example, if your name is John and you sell widgets for Tommy's Tools and Widgets, do not name your page Tommy's Tools and Widgets. Instead, consider something like John's Handy Household Tips or John's Toolbox, something relevant to the business you are in, but uniquely identifying you.

Once you have your business page set up, you should share tips, tricks and other information that your target audience will find interesting. Make a few posts there and then invite your friends. Those who like what they see, will click Like to join and continue getting your business updates. Be sure to check out my Facebook Business Page and click Like if you like what you see!

I'll go further into what to share and how to do it without spamming in an upcoming post. Be sure to subscribe to this blog to get all the newest updates as soon as they are available.

How to Create a Facebook Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:59:00 +0000

I recently conducted a Social Media Marketing session for a 22 year old, well established company that has many seasoned distributors who are brand new to social media. I recommended that they get started by utilizing Facebook. I started this post with the intention of creating a tutorial on how to create your personal Facebook profile, but found that there was "no need to re-invent the wheel". There is a great tutorial and video already available from AllFacebook.com.

Take a look at the link and video below and let me know if you have any questions. I'm here to help and glad to do it!

Facebook Tutorial: How to Create a Facebook Profile

Remember, you can also connect with me on Facebook for daily Social Media tips and tricks and subscribe to this blog to get the latest news first!

Enhancing your personal profile for business purposes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:05:00 +0000

The Queen and First Lady

I have a confession to make. I judge businesses (and/or professionals) by their Facebook profile. Be honest, don't you?

In social media, this is where you make your first impression. I want you to think of your profile just like you would your business card. When you meet someone on the street, you introduce yourself, shake their hand, chat with them and hand them your business card. When you connect with someone online, it's really the same. Today, I want to give you some quick tips for keeping your personal profile professional.

Use your real name. You wouldn't introduce yourself to someone new by saying, "Hi, I'm Tommy's Tools and Widgets", would you?
Use a picture of yourself. People on social media sites want to connect with YOU, not your dog, not your kids, not your Christmas tree. We want to do business with people we can trust. In real life we connect and build trust by looking people in the eyes. We need to do the same thing with our profile pictures. If you don't currently have a photo like this, take one. Make it a head shot, just your shoulders and head, look into the camera just like you would look into the eyes of a person you've just met on the street as you introduce yourself.
Link to your website. If you own your business or are a direct sales professional, you most likely have a website. As long as you are conducting yourself professionally and representing your company in a professional manner, link to it. People who are interested in you, want to know what you do. Your website gives them that information without you having to tell them all about it. Check for typos and make sure the link works. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a dead link (ok, well maybe there are somethings that do).
Check for spelling and grammar. I know we live in a world where texting and Twitter have created some "acceptable" abbreviations and lingo, but poor grammar and spelling are still recognized as unprofessional. Take the few extra seconds and make sure it says what you want it to say. This is a big deal, please take it seriously.
Skip the copy and paste statuses. If you've been on Facebook for any amount of time, you know what I'm talking about. "Copy and paste this if you love Jesus, hate taxes, think FB needs a dislike button" etc. These statuses are unprofessional and may cause others to question your credibility. When you really believe in something that strongly, take real action towards it, not a Facebook status.
Hide the game and app sharing. That means your Farmville requests, your daily horoscope, quizzes, etc. Do not allow these things to post to your wall. It looks unprofessional, clutters up the news feeds of all of your friends and may prevent your business contacts from taking you seriously. If you absolutely must have these things, you can control who sees the updates in your privacy settings under "Apps and websites".

These are just a few suggestions. There will be more in the very near future. Subscribe to this blog to get the latest information as it becomes available.

Social media and the Queen...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:48:00 +0000

The British Monarchy on Facebook

Over the weekend, I caught a bit of "The Queen", a movie about the royal family's response to the 1997 death of Princess Diana. Before now, I haven't followed the royal family and didn't watch the royal wedding, so I was a bit surprised by the way the movie portrayed Queen Elizabeth II's dislike for Princess Diana. But, what I really found interesting was how the film emphasized that the people wanted a public expression of grief from the royal family, as if they wanted to be included in the family's grieving process or at least know how they were grieving.

Could this have been the start of the "social media revolution"?

At the end of the movie, the Queen states that times have changed and that the monarchy must "modernize". I started wondering how all of this would have been different had it happened now, 14 years later. Of course we could compare it to the royal wedding fanfare, but weddings are a time of positive publicity and celebration, not the grief and controversy around Diana's death.

In the film, the Queen is appalled at the desire of the people to have a public funeral. I wonder how would she have felt if it had been broadcast on Facebook like Michael Jackson's funeral, (which I did watch parts of on FB)? Even with her recognition that there was a need to modernize (according to the film), it wasn't until last year that the British Monarchy joined Facebook.

So, why does any of this matter and what does it have to do with anything? I simply found it interesting since I work with people from many generations and backgrounds with varying "attitudes" towards Social Media, some with concerns about the transparency of it all, and some who just don't understand why people want to know what you're doing all the time. For the most part, I think its just another example of how "we don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it." (Erik Qualman)

What do you think? Feel free to post your comments below.

Facebook found my lost dog twice! Well, almost...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:56:00 +0000

A few months ago, when my dear husband was away on a hunting trip, I forgot to latch the gate and our dog roamed away from home while I was gone to work. When I returned after work and a meeting at church, the dog had been gone for about 14 hours. Immediately, I started calling anyone I thought might know anything about his whereabouts. Before I started roaming the neighborhood with a couple of my husband's co-workers, I posted a photo and frantic BOLO message on Facebook. Since I am FB friends with many of my neighbors, people who work in the area and my mail lady, I thought someone may have seen him as they were out and about during the day.

The response was overwhelming, everyone nearby was willing to keep an eye out and some friends even offered to come help with the search. It was after 10 pm, we drove around everywhere calling out "Jack, Jaaaack, Jaaaaack". No luck. We called off the search, hoping someone would spot him the next morning. As my husband's partner was headed home, he stopped to ask some folks out in their yard if they had seen our "big yellow dog". Indeed they had and he was able to find Jack nearby.

So no, Facebook did not find my dog this time, but listen to what happened the next morning.

My dear husband, sitting in a tree stand 400 miles way, doing what all hunters do in the stand, checking Facebook from his DROID, sees this picture of our dog! Not my picture, but a picture from the sweet young lady who picked up our dog in the parking lot of a facility near where we live, (the same facility where my dear husband works).

Now, if you can believe it, our beloved Jack went on yet another adventure yesterday afternoon. Annually, when we go away on vacation, my aunt, and renowned dog-sitter, who lives about 30 miles from us in my hometown, takes great care of our baby boy. We were due to pick him up yesterday afternoon. Around 2:30 pm, he darted out of the yard while he was out on a bathroom break. A search ensued and we arrived on the scene around 6:00 pm. We searched everywhere and of course, I put out another BOLO on Facebook, asking everyone in my hometown to re-post his picture and my contact information.

Around 8:00 pm, I received a call from yet another sweet young lady who had found Jack in her yard. She got my number from a store clerk I had stopped to inform of my missing pet.

Again, Facebook did not find my dog, but listen to what happened later:

When we arrived on the scene where Jack had been located, the lady said she had go down to the store and just happened to ask the clerk if she knew anyone missing a dog. The clerk gave her my information. She was elated to have found Jack's owners. She said in the process of searching for us, she had posted his description on Facebook! I did not know this young lady and we are not connected as friends on Facebook (yet), so chances are I would have never seen her post. However, my other aunt, also a member of our search party, had re-posted my BOLO. A friend of this aunt's is the daughter of the lady who found Jack!!

So, yes, Facebook almost found my missing dog twice and I believe given a few more hours, I could remove the "almost"! Currently, I am researching GPS tracking devices for him!

Facebook How to: Block wall-posting apps from your friends

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:45:00 +0000

Scrolling through the news feeds this morning on Facebook, I noticed a friend asking how to block an app that was posting on their wall. You know the kind where one of your friends asks a question about you or picks your best picture. Those things seem to be coming up more and more lately. So, here's how to get rid of them:

1. Move your mouse pointer to the right-hand side of the post you want to remove and/or block. A small X will appear.

2. Click it and you will see a drop-down menu similar to the one shown below.

3. You may remove the post, which will take it off of your wall, but will not prevent the same application from posting to your wall again. Or you may Block the application, which is the second option in the list above.

4. Once you click Block, you will get a confirmation window like the one below:

5. Click Block and this will prevent this particular application from posting to your wall ever again.

Unfortunately, this will not prevent all applications from posting to your wall, but you can cut down on the most viral ones pretty quickly by doing this a few times as the posts appear.

Have more "How to" questions? Post them in the comment section below and we'll get them answered for you.

7 Simple Facebook Questions Answered

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:29:00 +0000

Here are answers to 7 commonly asked Facebook questions that I have found that I tend to get when I start talking to people about Facebook, whether its at church, with family, or at a business meeting.

If you have a burning question, post it in the comments section below and let's get the answer!

Q: How do I tag my friends in my status update?
A: Status Tags - If you want your friend's name or a Page to be a link in your status update, simply type the @ sign before you type their name (no space, i.e. @DrJoe in the example below), and then choose their name from the list. Once you click the Share button, it becomes a link.

Q: How do I find my privacy settings?
A: Facebook Privacy - To access your Facebook Privacy settings, click Account in the upper-right corner, and then click Privacy Settings.

Q: How do I get a personal link to my Facebook page to print on business cards, etc?
A: Facebook "Vanity" URL - If you want your own Facebook web address, aka a "Vanity URL" (i.e. http://facebook.com/suddenlyslim) for your Profile or Page, go to http://facebook.com/username. You can set it up there. NOTE: Pages must have at least 25 fans to qualify for a vanity web address.
Q: How do I get back to a page that I 'Like'?
A: Accessing Your Facebook Pages - To navigate to a Page that you're a fan of, type the name of the Page in the Search bar at the top of your screen. Then you'll be able to select it from the list.

Q: How do I create a Facebook Page?
A: Create a Page - To create a Facebook Page, navigate to any existing Facebook Page, and click Create a Page for My Business at the bottom of the sidebar on the left.

Q: How do I make my links click-able?
A: Creating Web Links - You have to type http:// in front of any web URL that you want to be a link, when sharing it in your status update. renewedyounow.com won't do. It has to be the full URL: http://renewedyounow.com.
Q: How do I share something with just one person or a group of people, but not everyone?
A: Sharing Updates with Specific Friends - If you only want specific people or friend lists to see something, add your content and then click the lock icon next to the Share button. Choose Customize, and then select Specific People from the drop down list. Enter the names of people or lists that you want to see the message. Click Save Settings, and then click the Share button. Only the people you specify will be able to see the content.

Why Social Media? Why Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:35:00 +0000

If you're still asking yourself why you need to get involved with Social Media Marketing, here is a wonderful demonstration of the impact Social Media is having on today's culture.

Click here if you can't see the video above: http://youtu.be/3SuNx0UrnEo

Compare the data from the video above with this one to see the growth in just two years!

Click here is you can't see it: http://youtu.be/NhPgUcjGQAw

5 Simple Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:45:00 +0000

While Social Media can be an excellent networking and business marketing tool, there a few basic rules that everyone should follow, whether promoting themselves or their business.

Rule One: Think Before You Post.
Know that anybody can and will GOOGLE you. Many posts show up openly in Google searches and anything can be copied, pasted, shared, re-tweeted, etc. Don't post anything that you don't want your mom, your friends, your employer, your clients, your professor or a recruiter to see. It's that simple.

Rule Two: It's not all about me!
If all you do is post about what you had for lunch and complain, you will not get much benefit from these tools. The best way to be successful with social media sites in general is to be engaged. It's a two-way conversation. So, actively go out and "engage" with people who have similar interests to you. You never know where that online conversation may take you.

Rule Three: Don't Drink and Post!
This is pretty self-explanatory. The same goes for positing and driving. Posting and drinking and posting and driving are downright stupid and can be dangerous. If you're not sure about this one, refer to Rule #1.

Rule Four: Use Good Grammar.
I know it's often hard to express everything due to the limited characters allowed. That's why certain symbols and abbreviations have become common shortcuts. But that being said, there's no reason to have ugly grammar errors.

Rule Five: Don't Be A Debby Downer!
Be positive! There's enough doom and gloom in the world, so don't add to it with a whole bunch of negative posts and complaints.