Your small business needs a Facebook Page. You know it’s true. We here at WebMaxed definitely know it’s true. Cripes – we created a whole course about it!  If you’re ready to take the leap and create a Page for your small business on the popular social networking site, both WebMaxed and FB are here to walk you through it. Luckily for you, the site wants to make it dead simple for you to make one – so much so, they’ve simplified things by creating a quick three step process. And we’ve made it even easier by creating a user-friendly guide! Our latest video, “A Facebook Page in Three Easy Steps,” gives you a taste of what our free video course “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!” is all about – helping you navigate the (often hairy) world of social media marketing. Check it out below:

It’s easy, right? OK, so let’s review:

Step 1: Profile Photo

When you create a Page, the first thing you’re prompted to do is to add your profile photo. If you don’t have one yet, though, you can always add it later. Later on, I’ll give you some tips on how to make an amazing profile photo.

Step 2: Get Fans

Facebook automatically suggests sharing your page by inviting your personal FB friends, importing contacts and/or uploading a file of email addresses (usually from your newsletter subscribers list). Personally, I suggest skipping this step and moving on to Step 3. it’s best to add add as many details to your Page as possible before getting fans, because your Page is NOT complete at this point.

Step 3: Basic Info

When prompted, add in your business’ basic information – your website address and “about” text. Again, this info is recognized by search engines – which adds more visibility to your business – and is helpful to the people who land on your page. The point is to get them to do business with you, so don’t leave out the details that will help them to do just that! And don’t worry about having to write an essay on the spot – you’ll have the opportunity to add more details later.

And boom! That’s all you need to get the ball rolling. Once you complete the above steps, you’ll then need to fill out your “Get Started” page… after that, you’re off to the races! Bravo, social media maven!

Like what you see so far? If so, click here to sign up today and get access to our entire Facebook Marketing video course – like I said, it’s free! When you sign up, you’ll also get an eBook version of the course that you can follow as you view the video lessons – it contains exercises, resources, and information that will make the whole process easy as 1-2-3.

Small business and Facebook… here at WebMaxed, we’ve been telling you that the combination is a no-brainer for months now. But we haven’t gotten down to brass tacks and explained exactly what Facebook can do for your small business and why it’s so important for you to take advantage of it…until now, that is! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:

What Facebook Can Do For Your Small Business

Provide More Visibility

1. The updates you add to your FB business Page are visible to everyone who follows you. This presents a HUGE opportunity for your business to be seen everyday.
2. People share what they’re doing on the ‘Book – that includes what they buy and who they do business with. Having a FB Page helps you leverage the power of word of mouth advertising.
3. Traditional marketing teaches us that repetition matters. The more you’re seen, the better your chances are of being memorable. This is just as true online as it is in real life.
4. The more people that “Like” your business, the more chances you have to remind them that you’re in business and interested in them.

Provide More Opportunity

1. Facebook is personal, and it feeds off of one-on-one interaction. Your business’ Page provides an opportunity to interact with customers on an individual level and to start a dialogue with them.
2. FB allows you to listen to your audience. When you post the right kind of updates, you gain valuable feedback. Many businesses are now relying on this feedback as an important component of customer service; they use it to learn more about their customers and to improve their products and services.

Provide More Stability

1. Unlike traditional advertising, in which you put your message out there once and hope it sticks, your Page is a long-term investment – it has permanence.
2. Someone who follows your company on FB is a person you can connect with now and in the future.
3. The longer you use FB, the more you build a solid relationship of trust with present and prospective customers.

Ready to learn more? Check out the latest segment of our online video course, “Why Your Small Business Need Facebook Now!”

Like what you see? If so, click here to sign up today to get access to our entire Facebook Marketing video course – it’s free! When you sign up, you’ll also get an eBook version of the course that you can follow as you view the video lessons – it contains exercises, resources, and information that will make taking your small business’ FB presence to the next level a snap.

And as always, feel free to let me know how you feel about any part of the course so far in the comments below!

Dear Entrepreneur,

Hope you’ve had a productive week, and a relaxing weekend…we’ve certainly been busy over here at WebMaxed HQ! All our hard work has paid off, though, because we’re pleased to announce the arrival of our new video course, “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business…Simplified!”

This 100% FREE course will teach you how to use FB to create an online community surrounding your small business and how to get new and repeat customers as a result. The short, informative videos in this course are the ultimate DIY guide to unlocking everything the site has to offer your small business.

Posted below is our latest video, the first in the series. In it, you’ll get a brief overview of why your small business needs Facebook, how you can use it to the best of your ability, and the tools and resources you’ll need to get the job done.

If you’re ready to take control of your small business’ social media presence, sign up today to get access to our entire FB Marketing video course. Just go to our home page, enter your email address in the box at the top of the page, and we’ll send it right to you. When you sign up, you’ll also get an eBook version of the course that you can follow as you view the video lessons – it contains exercises, resources, and information that will help make mastering the site a snap. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today!

Best,
Kevin Haynes

P.S. I hope you like my latest video…as always, if you have any questions or comments about the video or about the “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business…Simplified!” course itself, feel free to post them below. I read (and appreciate) all your feedback…thanks for being part of our small business online marketing community!

Facebook small business marketing…does the mere thought of it make your head spin? Are you wondering how to establish an effective web presence for your business but don’t know where to start? Let WebMaxed help you utilize the power of social media to generate leads, customers and a pool of devoted “Fans” via our brand new “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business…Simplified!” video course!

Watch the first video in the course below.

Sign up here to get all of the videos sent to you by email.

In this video course, I’ll show you how to use Facebook to create an online community surrounding your small biz and how to get new and repeat customers as a result. Consider these videos to be the ultimate DIY guide to unlocking everything FB has to offer your small business…take that, other videos!

Our free course will teach you:

The Why

Not only why FB marketing is important to your small biz overall, but also why each aspect of it is essential to the big picture.

The How-to

The practical step-by-step application to create and implement a successful FB marketing strategy for your business.

The Tools

The essential tools and resources you need to get the job done.

For more info on our new course, check out the video below!

So…ready to be the king or queen of your company’s social media kingdom? If so, click here to sign up today to get access to our entire Facebook Marketing video course – it’s free! When you sign up, you’ll also get an eBook version of the course that you can follow as you view the video lessons – it contains exercises, resources, and information that will make taking your small business’ Facebook presence to the next level a snap.

What do you think of our new course and its eBook accompaniment? If you have any questions or suggestions related to the course, I’d love for you to share them in the area below. As always, thanks for tuning in!

Dear Entrepreneur,

Happy new year! It’s hard to believe it’s already 2012…time flies, doesn’t it? Here’s to success for you and your small business in the coming year. Speaking of success for your small business, if you’re serious about building your brand, check outlast week’s video blog, “Online Marketing Trends for Small Businesses in 2012.” In it, I detail the top three marketing  trends I predict will be the most popular in 2012 – if you take my lead and follow them, you’ll put yourself head and shoulders ahead of your competition. If you haven’t already, check it out!

In this week’s video blog, I outline my top 10 must read online marketing blogs. Reading these (free!) blogs will give you the knowledge you need to easily and effectively promote your business online. Click here to watch, or just peep it below…you (and your business) won’t regret it!

I’m looking forward to helping you reach your goals in 2012 by simplifying online marketing. My goal is to provide you a path to success with DIY strategies that you can easily use to build a strong online presence. WebMaxed has some exciting content on the horizon…my team and I are working on WebMaxedU, a series of online lessons that will get your business’ web presence rockin’! So stay tuned to our Facebook Page and this newsletter to get all the strategies we’ll be sending your way!

Best,
Kevin Haynes
Webmaxed Founder and CEO

P.S. As always, if you have any questions about small business online marketing, feel free to shoot me an email via the Questions? Ask Kevin! page. I’m here to help! And if you have any comments about this or any of WebMaxed’s other blog entries, let us know in the comment field below.

Online marketing success can happen for your small business in 2012 – you just have to know how to get it. Want a tip? It would do you well to remember the adage, “knowledge is power.” It’s cheesy, sure, but it’s true! The more you know about internet marketing, the better you are at it. (Duh, right?) The blogs I’ve compiled on this list will help your business grow and flourish in the new year…check them out!

If you’re serious about building your brand in the new year, I highly recommend checking out and subscribing to these blogs – you have nothing to lose, and heaps of valuable insight to gain! So get to it, gang! Go on, get!

Online marketing trends for small businesses…which ones are on the horizon in 2012? Let me tell you! I predict that online marketing will become a driving force in the rebuilding of the American economy and that small businesses – and there are so many who are hurting from down sales in this recession – will turn to it to revive their businesses. Why? Because online marketing can be a cheap and extremely effective solution for any business with a tight budget – and because more and more people are using the internet as a starting point when making decisions about the things they want to buy locally.

You can build a powerful presence for your small business online and start getting new customers for the price of a basic web hosting account. When you know the basics of online marketing, you can easily set up and manage an effective online marketing campaign. Following the tips in this video will help you build your brand using the three hot trends peaking this year – do-it-yourself marketing, making your online presence mobile friendly, and utilizing the power of online video. There are countless free tools available to help you build your online presence…the only the cost is your time!

Watch this video to see the three trends that will put you at the top of the pack!

Looking for a launching pad? You can start taking control of your digital presence by downloading our free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business…Simplified! It’s full of tips and tricks to get the ball rolling on your online marketing!

I challenge you to take control of your business’ online marketing in 2012.  I encourage you to go to our Facebook Page now, give us a “Like” and say hello to our small business community by posting a message on our Wall! There you can get online marketing tips, news, and advice everyday. I’m looking forward to meeting you, and to your small business’ success in 2012…cheers!

Creating a website with WordPress is a cheap and easy way to establish a powerful web presence for your small business. There are tons of benefits to using WordPress’ free blogging tools to power your website, but the following 10 reasons make it simply irresistible:

1. It’s free.

That doesn’t mean it looks like it, though. With a minimal amount of effort, your WordPress site can look virtually indistinguishable from “professional” sites that cost thousands of dollars. Literally hundreds of free themes are available and can to be customized to uniquely fit the personality of your business.

2. It can be used not only as a blog, but as the control center of your entire website.

WordPress is primarily known as a blogging platform; that doesn’t mean, however, that it’s limited to blogging. You can create both blog posts and website pages with it; you can also use it to generate your website’s navigation menus.

3. It’s easy to use SEO with WordPress.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is used to increase a website’s visibility to search engines; as such, it can make or break a site. WordPress was designed to make adding the proper SEO to your site a simple, pain-free experience; SEO-friendly themes like Thesis and Genesis built it right into their packages. Even if you don’t have a SEO-friendly theme installed, plugins like the All in One SEO pack will allow you to SEO the heck out of your site.

Small Business Tip: If you’re really committed to making sure your website has the best SEO possible, consider using Scribe. By offering one of a kind suggestions on a case-by-case basis, Scribe tells you exactly what you need to do to make your website visible to the most people and search engines.

4. It’s easy to install.

Many of the most popular hosting companies provide “one-click” WordPress installation on their servers. HostGator, for example, is an incredibly cheap one that fits this bill (it’s also WebMaxed’s hosting company of choice!). Even if your hosting company doesn’t offer one-click installation, it’s still pretty easy to download WordPress and upload it to your server–this guide will show you how.

5. It’s just plain easy to use.

You don’t need any design or HTML skills to create and maintain a WordPress site–really, all you need is a willingness to learn how to navigate the program. If you’re a total WP newbie, their own tutorials will get you on the right track. If you’ve already mastered the basics and want to branch out a bit, this list of the top ten WP tutorial sites will help you expand the horizons of your webpage.

6. It’s totally customizable.

There are thousands of ways to make your blog distinctively your own. Add any kind of content (video, photo, Flash, whatever!) you want, take advantage of all the plugins available, and select the theme you think best reflects your business.

Small Business Tip: Your business’ WordPress blog should not only house engaging, relevant content, but also be visually stimulating. This list of free WP themes from Mashable will get your blog in tip-top shape!

7. It can be instantly updated.

Producing content and then waiting for your tech guy to upload it to your FTP server is a thing of the past–as soon as you create a post or page via WordPress, all you have to do is make one simple click and it’s instantly live. The easier it is to add new content, the more inclined you’ll be to do it on a regular basis–WP will increase your productivity in this regard.

8. Updates can also be scheduled in the future.

Going out of town, but want your site to be updated in your absence? You can schedule new entries to be made live days, weeks or even months in the future.

9. You can use it anywhere.

WordPress can be accessed from anywhere; if you have an internet connection, you have complete access to your company’s website. And with their mobile apps, you can also update your site on the go!

10. It’s interactive.

Your readers and customers can comment on your posts, and you can respond to those comments.

Speaking of interactivity, what do you think of WordPress? Have you used it for your small business’ website? Do you have any questions about how it works? Let us know in the comments below!

Are you intimidated by the words “how to”? Facebook for business can be a complicated matter – if you’re an internet novice, creating a Page on the world’s most popular social media site can seem downright impossible. Don’t know where to begin? Check out our brand new, free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!” It’s packed with tips and tricks that will teach you:

1. The Why: Not only why promoting your business on FB is important overall, but also why each aspect of it is essential to the big picture
2. The How-to: The practical step-by-step application to create and implement a successful FB strategy for your company
3. The Tools: The essential tools and resources you need to get the job done

Facebook has over 750 million members; it’s the largest social networking site out there and is growing daily. Small businesses all over the world have successfully integrated the site into their marketing strategy and are experiencing fantastic results. Your small business MUST be on Facebook in order to stay competitive in your market now and in the future. If you don’t adapt, your competition will surpass you because THEY WILL seize the opportunity. Social media is no longer the future of online marketing. Social media is NOW. Failing to jump on the bandwagon will ultimately hurt your bottom line.

“Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!” will teach you exactly how to use your Page as an effective promotional tool! For more info, watch this informative video about the book, presented by its author, Kevin Haynes – the founder and CEO of WebMaxed.

Small Business Tip: When it comes to promoting your small business online, time is of the essence! The faster you create a social media presence, the faster you’ll acquire Fans… and future customers!

Have you downloaded “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!” yet? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a small business? Facebook marketing is a cheap and easy way to get your message out to the masses. You don’t have to be a marketing whiz or a social media guru to successfully promote your small business on Facebook, either. While navigating the ins and outs of the site may seem difficult at first, reading and following these 16 steps (a chapter from the new, free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!”) will make you an expert in no-time.

1. Identify your target audience:

Who exactly are you trying to market to? What’s their age, location, and hobbies? Knowing the demographic(s) you want to court focuses your attention and makes you more productive from the get-go.

2. Define your marketing goals:

Do you want to generate a new customer base, or make sure you keep the old ones? Will you use your page to provide customer service, or just tell your Fans about new products? Figure out what you want to achieve with your Page before you create it.

3. Create a Page for your business:

If you haven’t already done so, make sure to create a personal profile before building your business’ Page – you’ll need it to become the Page’s “admin.” The page creation process itself is an easy, three-step process – all you need to do is add a photo, get fans, and enter your business’ basic info.

4. Manage permissions:

Edit the “Manage Permissions” tab in the “Edit Info” section of your page to define who can see your Page and what they can post on it.

5. Edit your basic information:

Add important details about your business (products or services sold, address, contact info, etc.) to your Page via the “Basic Information” tab. Make sure to include plenty of details for visitors and search engines. You can also create your Page’s vanity URL (example: Facebook.com/WebMaxed) here.

6. Add a profile picture:

Make sure your photo is at least 180 pixels wide, high-res and brands your business. If your business doesn’t have a logo yet, this is a great time to commission someone to create it!

Small Business Tip: Like what you’ve seen so far? Download the free, brand-new eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!” for tons of tips, tricks and resources that will make your FB page rock!

7. Add new Page administrators:

To give other employees access to your Page, add them as administrators via the “Resources” tab under “Manage Admins.” Doling out duties is a great way to ensure no one gets too swamped. (Again, in order to be an admin you need to have a personal FB account.)

8. Create a Places Page:

If your business has a physical location, use the “Check-In” feature to claim its “Places Page.” Once you do that, customers can use their mobile devices to “check-in” at your establishment, letting all their friends know that they’re patronizing your business (and, best of all, providing free advertising!).

9. Create a custom landing page:

Creating a custom “Welcome Page” for your business is a simple, effective way to explain what type of content your Page offers, describe your business, and prompt your visitors to “Like” it. You don’t have to have a lot of technical knowledge to do it, either – a handful of free, popular apps can generate good looking custom pages for you.

10. Round up some “Fans”:

Invite your email contacts to “Like” your Page via the “Tell your Fans” link in the Facebook Resources tab. You can also share your Page via your personal profile – post a link to it on your own Wall or a friend’s Wall.

11. Promote your page outside of Facebook:

Add a link to your Page in your email signature, newsletters, and print material (ads, menus, signage in your store…the sky’s the limit!). The more exposure you give your Page, the more customers will come calling.

Click Here to Download the Free eBook this chapter’s from

12. Add “Like” boxes and buttons:

Adding a “Like Box” to your website allows current and potential Fans to see how many people (their FB friends included) already “like” your page – it also lets them “like” your page without actually having to visit it. Adding a “Like Button” to your site lets users share specific content (i.e. blog entries) with their friends.

13. Create an update schedule for your Page:

Creating consistently quality content on a regular basis should be your goal – you don’t want to flood your Fans with posts, but you also don’t want to let your Page stagnate. A good rule of thumb is to start with around five updates per day – once you get the hang of things, you can decide how many updates work best for your particular business.

14. Get mobile:

Use Facebook Mobile to constantly keep your audience in the loop! Set up your mobile phone and you’ll be able to update your Page no matter where you are.

15. Explore Insights:

FB’s Insights Dashboard lets you know who’s viewing your Page and what they’re accessing on it – it’s an invaluable wealth of demographic information that will help you fine-tune your marketing strategy. Use it!

16. Promote your Page with Ads:

Once you’ve completed the above steps, use Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories to further promote your brand on the site. Facebook Ads are traditional advertisements that appear on the side of the site; Sponsored Stories, however, are more dynamic, socially driven marketing opportunities.

Knowing’s not half the battle… it’s the whole battle! Follow these steps and you’ll create a kick-butt FB Page your customers (and future customers) will “Like.” For more detailed info on how exactly to follow these tips, download the free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!”

Think we left any steps out? Do you have any of your own to suggest? Let us know in the comments below!