3 Social Plugins to Gain Likes on your Facebook Page for Business (or 3 Easy Ways to Get People to Like You)

Even Scrooge "likes" it

Facebook is changing consumer behavior.  

Instead of searching online, consumers and business buyers who have a need are connecting to people they trust, and asking for referral sources. This is why it’s *more important than ever* to be connected, and Build a Facebook Page for Business. 

As I was writing this post I was trying to come up with a punchy headline, and it occurred me that maybe I ought to write a headline that would appeal to the Ebenezer Scrooge in all of us. I too, was resistant to the social media bandwagon at first, I admit it… Social Media, Bah humbug!  

One this is undeniable though–there are 500 million Facebook users and counting.  

So if you’re a small business owner these days, while you’re counting your pennies and watching every expenditure, you’re also wondering “how do I leverage my network and tap into my market that’s on Facebook?” It’s gotten too big to ignore. That’s why it’s important to know how to Build a Facebook Page for Business. 

To illustrate how this works, I’m using 3 Facebook plugins that illustrate how you can quickly and easily ”Like” your Facebook page from your website. 

3 Social Plugins to Build a Facebook Page for Business

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Do you want to promote a Facebook Page?

Don't administer promotions on the wall

Facebook is, quite simply, social networking at its finest. Not only can you use the platform to interact with family and friends, but from a commercial point of view, it’s great for marketing as well. 

It is a Marketer’s dream… You can connect with more than 500 million potential customers, you can choose your audience by location, age and interests… all with easy-to-target, self-reported demographics that are up-to-date and accurate. 

If you own a business, or are responsible for marketing one, you’re right to think about creating a Facebook Page (formerly a Fan Page) and build community around your business. And you’re right to think about using a drawing, contest, or sweepstakes to promote a Facebook Page and “gain likes” (grow your Fan base). 

How to Promote a Facebook Page: Be aware of the rules and regulations

It’s grown so much so quickly there’s still confusion about what you can and cannot do to promote a Facebook Page. 

For example, it is against Facebook’s promotional guidelines to post this offer on the wall of your fan page: 

“Like us and Win a $250 Shopping Spree (or some other prize)”

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Do you have an open mind? Or, are you closed off to new ideas?

Try new things

If you sometimes feel like you’re stuck, or that your key employees are stuck, and that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, then you’d probably be interested in a fascinating piece in the New York Times that was entitled: “Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?”

In the article, it affirms that ”brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.”

Moreover, “rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.”

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What are the Best Practices of Business Blogging?

Blogging is communicating

Blogging can be a great way to leverage social media to  position yourself as an expert–the “go-to” resource whenever someone has a problem you can solve, but to blog effectively you should follow the best practices of business blogging.

I know that a lot has been written on this subject, but I’m putting up what I consider the top 5 Best Practices of Business Blogging for your review–if you feel I’ve missed something or I’m off the mark, please let me know!

The 5 Best Practices of Business Blogging

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Could you benefit from a Website Makeover? Or should you just start over?

Does your website need to go?

When you discover you’ve made a bad hire, you usually don’t hesitate to fire the person–or to provide coaching and training to fix the problem(s), so that your employee is a happy, productive, contributing member of the team.  

The same should be true of an unproductive website. You should assess your website so that you can determine whether you can fix it with a Website Makeover — or junk it, and start over.  

Your website represents you. Some might even say, it is you. A finely tuned website could be working for you around the clock–helping spread the word about what you do, how you do it better than anyone, and creating opportunities with customers and prospects who need your products or services.  

I realize that others have put together lists of factors that create a productive website, but I put this list together specifically for small business owners to help them determine if they could benefit from a Website Makeover. If I’ve forgotten anything please feel free to add yours in the comment form!  

7 Factors to Determine Whether a Website Makeover would work for you: Read the rest of this entry

This is a “must see” video for everyone…  Check it out.  It’s worth 5 minutes.

It’s kind of mind-boggling, really…

Looking for some marketing ideas to grow sales?

So what's new?

You know the definition of insanity, right? “Doing the same old thing and expecting different results.” 

So why do so many companies keep doing the same old thing, and expect anything different? It’s insanity. 

If you’d like to break out of the same old routine, and produce some real results you need to try something new. 

Here are 12 great marketing ideas to grow sales you can try in the coming months to achieve better results. 

12 Marketing Ideas to Grow Sales Read the rest of this entry

Why do I love Infusionsoft CRM? Let me count the ways…

Direct Marketing 2.0

Infusionsoft CRM is simply the most powerful CRM/Marketing Automation tool for small business. There’s nothing better.

It’s like Salesforce.com + ExactTarget + 1ShoppingCart all-in-one.

And for two seats at $299/month, plus $59/month per additional seat, the price cannot be beat.  

Infusionsoft CRM offers you more

You will not find a better all-in-one CRM/Marketing Automation System.  It includes:  (1) CRM (2) Autoresponders (3) Web forms (4) Order forms (5) Sales force automation (6) Shopping cart (7) Affiliate marketing management, and (8) lots, lots more, and what’s best, you can get it all without spending tens of thousands of dollars, or cobbling together other systems that do parts of what Infusionsoft can do (like Salesforce.com + ExactTarget + 1ShoppingCart, which you’d probably spend 5 figures putting it all together anyway).

If you’re looking for a CRM or Marketing Automation System for your Small Business, but haven’t been able to decide which one is best for you, here are 5 good reasons to get off the fence:

5 Reasons to Get Off the Fence and Choose Infusionsoft CRM

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How do you build a Sustainable Competitive Advantage?

A good moat protects you

When Warren Buffet speaks, people listen.

Recently I happened to catch Warren Buffet on TV talking about how leaders should set business priorities.

Mr. Buffet was saying that, no matter the size of the business, you should operate your business like it’s a family business–one that you are going to hold onto for 100 years, and that the #1 thing you should think about is how to build a Sustainable Competitive Advantage, like building “like a moat around your castle.”

This is a great analogy. If you look back to medieval times, moats were excavated around castles as part of the defensive system–an obstacle immediately outside the walls–and usually they were filled with water.

A good moat made it difficult for your enemy to access your walls with siege weapons, such as towers and battering rams, which needed to be brought up against a wall to work effectively. A water-filled moat made it impossible for your enemy to dig tunnels under your fortifications in order to effect a collapse of the defenses. A good moat protected your castle and everything in it.

The wider your moat, the longer you can protect your profits. The deeper your moat, the more profitable you are.

“Understanding your customers” is key to building a good moat and creating a sustainable competitive advantage

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You want to know how to get better results?

"I don't want to..."

Everyone says they want better results.

So why aren’t companies more adventurous when it comes to trying new things? Do they want to know how to get better results?

It’s the “I hate brocolli” syndrome of marketing and business.

If you ask the average CEO, “What’s the rationale for the way you’re currently marketing your services?”  Many say: “It’s what we’ve always done.”

The sad truth is that many companies are engaging in the same old tried marketing tactics rooted in strategies that were developed eons ago (a.k.a. 2007).  They’re wasting money on tactics that are not rooted in any real, current strategy – or based on the realities of today’s marketplace.

How to get better results: Higher response rates and higher conversions

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