Do companies really need a full blown, completely interactive website to differentiate themselves from their competition?  If you have the money to spend on such an endeavor, more power to you.  As I was watching TV this weekend I saw (on more than one occasion) an advertisement for Honda and what struck me as different was the call to action at the end of the commercial.  Instead of promoting local dealers in the area or suggesting you visit their website for more details, they simply had “facebook.com/Honda” on the screen.  When you visit their Facebook page, you’ll find an interactive tab titled “The Experiment” customized to tie in to their commercial (see screenshot below).

There was a time when you had to convince businesses to “attach” their website address to their offline marketing plans.  Those days are gone, but it was refreshing and a little surprising to see a large company like Honda using Facebook in their TV ads as the main hook.

With the advancements Facebook and other Social Media sites have made to attract businesses, there seems to be no limit to what you can do in these channels.  You are no longer constrained to customized promotions tied only to your website or dedicated 800 number.  You can create interactive and customized marketing plans without having to make major changes to your website.  I wouldn’t suggest scrapping your website, you still need that anchor to provide valuable company information for those looking to do business with you.  In addition, Search is still king when it comes to how people find companies today.  If you do not have a website, the overwhelming impression people will have is that you are not a legitimate company.  But Social Media channels are evolving to cater to businesses looking to attract a larger audience.  Social Media sites are not just for individuals looking to connect with their “friends”.  They are developing into mainstream marketing channels that can take your business to the next level.  Remember, even if you do not personally use Social Media sites, millions of others do every day.  There is a built in audience for businesses to promote their products and services within Social Media channels.  Marketers have touted this fact as justification to recommend Social Media marketing to their clients.  Sites like Facebook “get it” and they continue to provide avenues for businesses to leverage technology and new marketing ideas in ways that wouldn’t be open to them with their current website.  Not every business has the financial backing Honda has, yet they still see the benefits of leveraging Facebook for their current marketing strategies.

With new Facebook pages popping up every day, it is important that your page stands out from the rest, especially from your competition.  It seems that many Facebook pages are only utilizing the basics.  Customizing your page further will help to make it more appealing and can encourage more fans to interact with the page.  Below are a few ideas that you can use to help your Facebook page to be more noticeable.

Custom Tabs
Utilize custom tabs to give your fans something unique.   When a Facebook page is created, the standard Wall, Info, Photo, Notes and Video tab are included.  While you can post some great information in these tabs, creating a custom tab is a another way to get fans interested in a newsletter, promotion, contest or webinars.  Each custom tab you create can also incorporate HTML, so you can lead viewers off of the page through the addition of links.  Adding some creativity to your page will give you something that your fans may not be able to find on a competitor’s page.  Below is an example of a custom tab utilizing HTML.

With the explosion of social media channels, it is easier than ever for consumers to share their experiences about companies or products. With Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn, people are talking.

This is where companies get scared. “What do I do when I get negative word of mouth via social channels”, they ask. Taking a more proactive approach, as opposed to a reactionary one could help confine negative comments. There is no way to stop people from sharing their thoughts but, as a company, you can take steps to minimize the negativity.

It’s best to have a plan in place for these situations before they even happen. Also, make sure you are on the social media channels where your audience may be having conversations related to your brand or products. Engage participants within these channels and build your following.

It is important to listen to what is being said. Don’t just spout your message with no regard to what your audience is saying. By listening carefully, you can then better respond in the most appropriate manner. It is vital to measure the success of your reputation management strategy in social channels. Is what you are doing to minimize bad publicity working or should you try a new approach?

Most important is to approach reputation management in social media channels with professionalism and courtesy.

If your website is missing a blog, you are not taking advantage of valuable opportunities like branding, achieving additional organic results, an increase in site visitors and the list goes on.

I often hear from clients that they just do not have the time to maintain a blog. At the risk of sounding impolite, this is simply not a good excuse. There is always time to write a blog post, especially being that it can be on any topic which is relevant to your business or industry. Let’s face it; you know your business better than anyone! Here are some questions I commonly get asked when the subject of blogs is brought up in conversation:

How Often Should I Update My Blog? It is recommended to update your blog at least once at week with original content. This is basically how it works: Search Engines love new and fresh content. The more updates your blog has, the more often the engines will come back to crawl it. The more often the engines crawl your blog, the more organic results you will potentially garner. It’s as simple as that.

In addition, updating your blog frequently will ensure that your visitors/readers have fresh content to read and also makes your blog (and your site) appear to be more credible.

How long should my blog post(s) be? This answer is somewhat debatable. Some experts will say anywhere from 250 to 500 words. We typically suggest approximately 250 words. You want the blog to be short, sweet and to the point.

Does it matter if my blog is onsite or offsite? It does; especially from an SEO perspective.  It is preferred that the blog be placed within your domain to achieve the best results possible.

What type of blog software is recommended?  There are several blog software options available depending on your specific site setup. We typically recommend Word Press and utilize this solution on our own blog.

Implementing a Blog is a fairly simple and fast way to start generating new and relevant content to your website. Happy Blogging!

Social media interaction has increased tremendously in the last year. Many people have signed up for social media accounts to share with friends and family and give the world their opinion. However, social media is a double edged sword. It should be handled carefully by all who choose to use it. 

Social media exists on two different playing fields. There are personal accounts created by users and there are business accounts being developed by corporate and small to mid-size businesses. The danger is when these two playing fields cross or intersect with each other. If a user is online chatting with family and friends about cleaning their room or visiting the zoo, nobody seems to really care. However, when a user starts to share an opinion about someone or a corporation, that’s where the social media sword can cut.  Let’s take a look at an example.

Recently, Slashfood, posted an article about a waiter named Jon who works in California, where seeing celebrities is the norm. Jon tweeted on his Twitter account about the celebrities that he saw or waited on from day to day. It didn’t become a big deal until he made a comment about a particular celebrity that skipped out on their bill. When the celebrity’s representative paid the bill, Jon tweeted that there was no tip. According to the article, he was out of a job shortly thereafter.

Social media is blurring the lines between social and business. It is a tool being used to express opinions and thoughts. However, employees need to exercise common sense when sharing about work and important people. Even when an account is private it could be dangerous. Many people have private accounts, but hundreds of friends. Who’s to say one of those friends isn’t related to the person or company you’re writing about. Social media is a valuable sword, and if used wisely it can cut through the clutter and help you reach people. On the other hand, if one is not careful, they could end up cutting themselves.

Most of us don’t have the time to update one of our social media profiles, let alone all of them. Myspace has recently implemented a two-way syndicated function between Myspace status updates and Twitter tweets to assist in making multiple social media updates easier.

This application works both ways. It updates whichever social media profile status update or tweet that is the most current. So if you’re on either Myspace or Twitter, you have the option of dual updates. Users can decide if they want status updates to be one-way or two-way.

When users post a status update on MySpace, it syndicates to their Twitter feed. Twitter will show “MySpace” as the service the tweet originated from, similar to its display of TweetDeck, Twitterfeed, and other services that allow users to update their streams away from the site.

So far, MySpace’s Twitter sync is in beta. Myspace said that they will be adding other networks soon. For now, you can try out the Twitter sync in your MySpace profile by inputting your Twitter credentials under the “sync” menu in account settings. Once the accounts have been synced, all you have to do is simply update your status on MySpace as you normally would (from the Home page, Status and Mood page, or your mobile phone).