Wednesday 23 May 2012

How Your Facebook Timeline Cover Can Give You The Advantage In Your Social Networking

One of the most interesting things about the new Facebook timeline designs is the large picture area at the top of the screen. This is known as the cover, as it acts as a cover page for the story of your life.

When choosing a timeline cover, you want to pick something that reflects you, whether it's a graphic of yourself, your family, or a graphic that showcases a hobby or interest of yours.

What is the Facebook Timeline Cover?

The timeline cover is an 850px by 315px graphic at the top of your timeline (formerly known as your profile). The concept behind the timeline is it gives a more structured view of your life as presented on Facebook. Every time you've added a friend, changed your relationship status or edited your profile text will be placed on the timeline.

The cover acts as the front page to this story of your life. This is what gives you an advantage in social networking and is so important: think of it as your social media first impression. This cover is especially important so everyone can get a good idea of who you are in a glance.

The cover also addresses an issue that many people who crossed over from Myspace to Facebook criticized: lack of customization . Myspace let users to create fully personalized websites, whereas Facebook only let you upload images , not edit the appearance of the profile. The Facebook cover adds a new level of customization to your page.

What should I use for my cover?

• Use a picture of that's already in your albums. If you do this, you'll want to use a big, high quality picture -- no tiny cell phone images ! This is the first thing people will see when they visit your page, and a grainy distorted graphic won't make a great impression.

• Design your own cover. If you have some graphic design chops, you can make your own cover in whatever graphic processing program you have. Use images , drawings and text to create your own work of art at the top of your timeline.

How to change your cover

1. Look at your Facebook timeline by clicking your name at the top of the Facebook page.

2. Click the "Change Cover" link. This gives you a drop-down menu.

3. If you'd like to use your own picture that's already on Facebook, click "Choose from my images ." This will present you with all your Facebook images.

4. Click "Upload a Photo" to choose an graphic on your computer to use as a cover.

5. Once you've picked your cover image , drag the cover around to reposition it if you need to adjust the position of the graphic.

6. Click the "Done".

Monday 14 May 2012

Why Is Social Networking So Important To Your Local Business?

If you are a local business and you are still pondering if you need to jump on the bandwagon to social networking sites, you need to read this article. The advantages of social networking are so relevant to big and small players alike, so ignoring the benefits is unwise. Most entrepreneurs are taking advantage of social marketing sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

These businessmen and women are also beginning to ride the power of mobile marketing. If you are still on the fence, then let this information explain why.
Social media is so important right now, especially to the business owners. In fact, the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report revealed some interesting facts. In the report, it was revealed that 67% of small business owners and self-employed individuals strongly agree that the influence of social media to their businesses is so paramount to their growth. Without a doubt, it is the most effective way to reach and service clients.

Social media platforms that are used in local businesses include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and blogs.

Mobile marketing is also gaining momentum as one of the breakthrough approaches to reaching customers. With 1 in 2 Americans owning a Smartphone, and a third of all adults in the UK using one, ignore this potential at your peril.

But what are the best advantages of social networking sites?

Low Investment Required

Yes, social networking sites offer the opportunity to provide exposure to your local business without breaking the bank. It is because social media is inexpensive that it allows you to challenge big competitors.

You have the option to use the platforms for free. Alternatively, you also have the option to make use of their paid advertising channels such as Facebook paid advertising for faster, laser targeted results. Nevertheless, most of these paid channels are still cheaper than the traditional TV or print ads. When you find the cost of starting a traditional advertising campaign prohibitive due to the small budget of your business, you need to give social media a try.

“Social Networking Sites - The Only Way to Challenge the Big Boys”

Here is the catch. Yes, you can use these social networking sites for free. However, when you want to challenge your competition, it is best to take your marketing to the next level. When you opt to use social networking sites to promote your business locally, hiring a social media expert is simply one of the smartest moves you can make. For the fraction of the cost you would pay to launch a take out a classified ad, advertise in yellow pages, or to post a billboard etc, social networking experts can reach more clients for every pound or dollar spent.

Global Reach

Indeed, the playing field is already even for everyone. With the advent of social networking sites, local businesses can now compete in reaching more prospective clients from all over the world without the high cost barrier.

“Everyone is basically on Facebook or Twitter!“

With 850 million people on Facebook alone, all within your reach, how can you ignore the power of social media marketing?

But where will you start? This is where a social networking expert can help you.

Conclusion

The influence of social networking today is simply the tip of the iceberg. Aside from the fantastic combination of low investment requirement and global reach, there are still so many more benefits to social media. I have a special affinity to Facebook, Pinterest, and mobile marketing. The potential with these sites are so overwhelming that I strongly advocate every business owner to start exploring these mind-blowing tools.

With the help of strategic marketing plans and appropriate software tools, this is definitely the key to taking your business to a new level.

With the opportunity to outsource these tasks to experts for the fraction of the cost of traditional advertising with none of hassle, what are you waiting for?

Contact me now on Skype for an informal chat, my I.D is deonbryan_otg

Friday 4 May 2012

Uncover the Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites – Surviving the Craziness of Google

SEO is truly crazy nowadays with recent updates of the Google algorithm. If you have observed the massive deindexing and the drop in the rankings of many websites, you need to pay attention. Today, social media is the flavor of Google and you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites if you truly want to survive online.

Yes, I experienced the switch from heavy backlinking to the rise of social networking sites. Without a doubt, social media is truly important regardless of the size of your business. Particularly for the small business owners, social networking is so vital that it might be the answer to taking your online presence to the next level. Let us go through a few of the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites.

Before anything else, what are these social networking sites? These are web technologies that are used for interactive communication, primarily employed to interact between individuals, groups, communities, and businesses. If you are familiar with Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, then you know what I am talking about.

People realize the need to connect with a celebrity, a business, or an important cause. In short, consumers wanted to have an interactive platform where they can voice out their sentiments and feelings. They might crave for this new dish from a restaurant or cheer for a celebrity. Social networking sites are the perfect venues to do anything interactive. As a business owner, there is a ton of benefits that you can take advantage with these technologies.

Building Traffic

It can be a headache to build traffic with the frequent updates in search engines right now. For online business owners, building traffic is the key to success and this is where social networking sites can be of great help. Through social networking sites, you can have your own site and let your customers see more about your products and services. You even allow them to comment or tell you their concerns. When you cater to your customers this way, the traffic will surely come through referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. In addition, as per the recent updates with Google, your site will be heavily favored by the search engines too.

Interaction with Customers

When you attempt to engage your customers online, you form this bond with them. In return, loyalty is fostered and you satisfy them at the same time. So, go on and try to post the updates with your latest promotions and videos about your business. Your customers will feel as if they are part of your business. Customer interaction, when properly handled, translates not only to more traffic but to increased sales too.

Cheap Form of Marketing

In this time of financial crisis, social networking sites offer a cheap way to advertise your business. The tools are mostly free. With a few minutes on these tools each day, you can reap the benefits with consistent effort. Moreover, you can do these online promotions yourself and you do not need to pay for professionals, unlike the other forms of traditional marketing.

The Disadvantages

Yes, there are a few disadvantages to the use of social networking sites. One of these problems is that it can be time consuming, especially for those entrepreneurs who are still learning these technologies. Nevertheless, this is compensated with its low price to execute an online marketing campaign.

Summary

These advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites are concepts you need to be familiar with. These concepts are important for your online business to survive down the road.

Get your 4 free ebooks in the side panel to learn more.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Taking Advantage of Social Networking With Your Online Business

Social networking sites can provide many advantages to building an online network marketing business (or any online business) if used properly; and if you have a website and you're not getting involved in these networks, you're leaving a lot of money and potential leads on the table. Here are 4 advantages of tapping into this internet phenomena:

FREE ADVERTISING

The internet is huge, with hundreds of millions of people online at any one time. Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook alone have over twenty million users each; so you are doing some major leverage of your time and reaching millions of people all over the globe.Unlike television commercials, which can cost thousands of dollars for thirty seconds, there is no cost to use MySpace or FaceBook. Furthermore, the benefits of online social networking can usually be seen quickly, making it a good investment of time and effort.

BUILDING A CUSTOMER BASE

A drawback to the vast number of people online is that it's easy to drown in anonymity. How do you get those millions to notice you? How do you know which people to target? Social networking can help on both counts. Build your friends list, join personal development and business building groups and make friends within those circles. You can then network to their online friends to reach larger numbers of people with similar interests. Suddenly, you have a targeted set of potential customers.

BRANDING

Most people would rather do business with someone they know and trust than a complete stranger. Interacting with potential customers online gives you the chance to establish a personal relationship. From these relationships, you can get feedback from your prospects about their likes and dislikes, the challenges they face and their suggestions to improve your business. By being responsive to this feedback, you can establish an online reputation as a dynamic name that values its customers and provides great service. Keep in mind that participating in social networking is for providing valuable information and service to your potential customers, not completing a saleleave that to your company website and other forms of marketing. In this circle, it's all about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry and providing valuable information to others that will help them be successful.

INDUSTRY CONTACTS

Finally, social networking sites can be used to reach more than just potential customers. You can befriend and build relationships with other people in your line of business. You can use them as a resource to learn more about your industry and customer base, to make contacts with reliable suppliers and distributors, and keep current on the latest trends in the industry.

Spread your networking out between a variety of social sites, get out there and make friends, and raise the level of discussions by actively participating in groups and forums, and you'll begin to establish yourself as a leader in your industry.

Get you for 4 free ebooks in the side panel to learn how to monetise social networking.