So your receptionist’s cousin’s friend has told you “Your business needs to be on Facebook.” Before you rush and have just anyone stumble around to set up an account, please take time to strategically plan your approach. One key thing to remember is… a premature Facebook page with little information and no plan can do more harm than good for your business. Facebook is essentially “free”… but without time and effort being invested, you may do damage to your company’s image. Check out our post I Have A Plan…….Social Media Plan, That Is… to see some details on beginning your social media plan. So where do we begin?

1.       Develop your Facebook business account. This Facebook Tutorial and Help Center will answer some of your questions about building your business account.  Be sure to take advantage of all the elements your new page offers, such as…

a.       Page Analytics

b.      User Updates

c.       Facebook Badges for your Website

2.       Begin your outreach by creating three or four “base posts” to give new users some information to view. These posts should be a part of your plan and reflect your company’s marketing goals. They should also offer some utility to your page’s users. It’s important to remember that people need a reason to “like” your company’s page.

3.       Spread the word about your company’s page. The most important part to any social media campaign is promoting it outside of Facebook. Driving traffic to the page can be done by:

a.       ‘Suggesting the page’ to friends

b.      Word of mouth

c.       Placing a link or badge on your website

d.      Facebook Ads  (recommended, but that’s for another blog post)

e.      Placing Facebook icon and personalized Facebook address on print materials (brochures, ads, business cards, etc.)

Over time, your message and plan can be changed to accommodate new directions, a more refined message, or new offerings from your business. Just remember, Facebook is always changing and you will have to invest a little time continuing your social media education. A final thought, every post may be your first impression on a potential customer. Make the most out of it…

Public Relations (PR) is often an overlooked portion of any businesses’ marketing plan. PR can offer free exposure for any business through goodwill gestures or pertinent public information. Small businesses can find many topics for press releases. One of the easiest press releases to send and receive publicity is goodwill gestures. Everyone loves a positive story and if your company regularly donates funds, time, or goods to a charity, then a press release will allow you to benefit more from the donation. What? You don’t know how to begin your “free” exposure? Let us show you…

1.       Create a Media List

a.       Contact your major media outlets (TV, Radio, Newspaper, Local Publications, and News Websites)  and inquire about where to send press releases.

2.       Use the “How to Write a Press Release” Article to Format Your Document

a.       Always remember that press releases are meant to be informative. It details the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, and why) of the event or announcement.

b.      Press releases should be written with the audience in mind. Be sure to describe the information and write the headline to appeal to the reader.

3.        Send Press Release to Media List and Other Outlets

a.       After your press release is distributed to the media list, it is important to search for non-traditional outlets. Outlets such as a company’s Facebook or Twitter pages, local chambers of commerce, or any industry publications can be an excellent place to send your press release.

4.       Follow-up Call

a.       It is important to place a follow-up call to recipients of your press release. This step will clear any miscommunications and help the media outlet relay the story.

A very important thing to remember about sending press releases is that your story may not receive coverage. Do not be discouraged if your story does not appear in any news outlet. Use these opportunities to become familiar with your media representatives and learn how to refine your writing.

“How to Write a Press Release.” n. pag. Web. 15 Apr 2011. <http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release>.

Your alarm goes off, you jump out of bed, put a pot of coffee on, take a few moments to yourself (if you’re lucky), wake the children up, make lunches, get everyone ready for work and school, and make your to-do list for the day. Then you’re off to the office for another hectic day of meetings, phone calls and trying to cross off that to-do list.

Sound familiar?

Most of us hit the ground running and don’t stop until our heads hit the pillow at night. Between home and work priorities, it is sometimes hard to, well, prioritize. Do you make several to-do lists and then make to-do lists to find where those to-do lists are? Then when you finally get them all together, you want to pull your hair out because you have no idea where to start?

If so, try this simple approach:

• Divide your to-do list into sections. The top left is URGENT (for things that must get done right away). Top right is PRIORITY (things that are important but can wait). Bottom left is for phone calls to make. Any additional NOTES go on the bottom right.
• Use a black marker for headlines, a pen for tasks and a highlighter to cross things off. (Using the highlighter, you can see it’s done but can still read it in case you need to refer back to it later.)

“Blog post” ….CHECK! Now off to the next item on my to-do list 🙂 Good luck to you and yours!

Remember the days of handwritten letters, typewriters and word processors? I once thought ‘what in the world will they come up with next? How much further can technology possibly advance?’ Then before I knew it the age of computers unfolded.

“He that can have patience can have what he will.”

Many companies establish a website and then celebrate with the big “HOORAH, THE WEBSITE IS FINISHED” party. Websites can be tedious to develop, design, and then program. It is quite an accomplishment which should be celebrated. From the first wireframes to the final testimonial comment and photo, let’s face it – it’s hard, detail oriented, time consuming work. However, we know that a website is never really “finished.” We encourage our clients to set aside a website budget each year. Some cringe, some appreciate the heads up, and some have already realized the need.

In a recent interview in Business Alabama, Betsy McAtee, CEO of Dreamland Holding Co. LLC, discussed the importance the company’s website.

“We do a lot of promotion of the website and onlines sales in our stores…….We do a little bit of both Facebook and Twitter, and we do a blog. We’re revamping our website to make it more user-friendly. You have to stay on top of your website. Just because you spent some money on your website a year ago doesn’t mean those changes are not out of date.” Ongoing Construction of a Dream Brand, Business Alabama, July 2010, www.businessalabama.net

As you are planning budgets during these tight economic times, don’t ignore your website. Add a little kick to an already powerful tool and who knows what’s bound to happen.

We meet with many new clients and one of the first things we explain is that marketing is more than an ad in a magazine, on a billboard or on TV. The best marketing plans make room for an Internal Approach. What do I mean by that?  Margaret Mead said

 “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.”

That being said, you can motivate your employees to work hard and believe in the company. If you accomplish this you will succeed. We are fortunate to work for a company that believes whole-heartedly in what we do. We all strive for the same goals and it shows that we genuinely care for our clients.  The old southern adage is “If momma ain’t happy, then nobody’s happy.” Well if your employees are not happy then it will show in their work, your customer’s perceptions, and (most importantly) your bottom line.

So please keep the angry work place mobs to a minimum. It is amazing what a little employee appreciation can do for any business.

Some great ways to garner support from your employees include:

•    Employee appreciation programs
•    A change in company culture
•    Employee incentives
•    Wellness programs

For more ideas contact us or go to these useful websites:

Article: Ideas to bring up employee morale

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/193099-ideas-to-bring-up-employee-morale/

Article: 15 low cost employee recognition ideas for the effective manager

• http://employeerecognitionideas.net/15-low-cost-employee-recognition-ideas-for-the-effective-manager/

Article: Motivational Recognition Ideas

• http://www.ehow.com/list_6743942_motivational-recognition-ideas.html