With a user base of 750 million users, Facebook is like a huge-unexplored market for your business. There are millions of potential customers on Facebook that are waiting for you to reach them. So, in case you are wondering how to take your business to Facebook- the method is fairly simple. As, the social network allows you to put your business out there, and even provides multiple tools to aid you in spreading your business. 

Here are the top 10 ways to use Facebook for business.

1. Create a Page- This goes without saying, that to have an impressive Facebook presence, you need to get there first, and create a 'Page' for your business. You have to choose the type of page you want to create. Your obvious choice here is the business page.

This has certain details to be ironed out-

• Facebook vanity URL, which you have to claim for unique business identity.  Initially when you create the page,  Facebook offers each Page a “Vanity URL” once the page has 25 fans or more. When you set out to select one, be very careful as once you choose a name, you can't change it.  You will be guided step by step to sign up for the URL here- http://www.facebook.com/username
  
• Static FBML- Make sure to like this page on Facebook. Then with HTML, you can create your own personalised tabs. For example, if you are a boutique- the tabs could be- Womes' party Wear; Men's Section, etc. This will make your page standout.
  

Source- Blog Design Studio

• Landing page- With the Static FBML, you can design your own landing page- which will be first thing people will see, when they come to your page.  Now making this page as attractive as possible must be your focus, only then can you be certain of getting a 'LIKE' from every visitor. Here are a few examples of exciting landing pages, that are in tune with products and their target audience too.
  

For any confusions about page creation, please go here: http://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages

2. Build Your Profile- Fill out the details about your business, location, contact details everything. Tell people what you are all about and what all services/products you offer. Fill the 'About' section completely.  One thing that completes your profile information is a picture.  The Profile Picture, has to be chosen smartly to fill in the more vertical space provided by Facebook. Here are some interesting examples.

For any confusions about page creation, please go here: http://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages

2. Build Your Profile- Fill out the details about your business, location, contact details everything. Tell people what you are all about and what all services/products you offer. Fill the 'About' section completely.  One thing that completes your profile information is a picture.  The Profile Picture, has to be chosen smartly to fill in the more vertical space provided by Facebook. Here are some interesting examples.

3. Linking Your Page- Explore the multiple Apps by Facebook to link your page to Twitter, blogs etc. Integrate your  Business Website to Facebook too. Add a LIKE button, so that people can be directed to your FB page. This is essential so that initial traffic on your website is directed to your facebook page too.

4. Explore Similar-Related Businesses- To make your presence known, search for similar pages, and LIKE them. Comment on relative posts there. Like what other people have written. The concerned parties will get a notification, that you have arrived. They will no doubt come to your page.
For example, if you are a Book Publisher Page, then go and LIKE the pages of authors you publish, interact with their fans.

5. Status Updates- What do you put up on your Facebook Page is of utmost importance. The key here is to be interesting-interactive and innovative. Do not brag about your services all the time. Involve people. Ask them a question. Invite them to share. For example, if you are a Chocolate Manufacturer- you could  put up a status update like: “When was the first time someone gifted you a box of chocolates?”  People will surely respond to that. This section also includes 'Polls' and 'Questions' and 'Notes'. Facebook has an excellent application for creating them.

Source: ideate.co.za

6. Post interesting videos. They may be related to your business, or may be something interesting you came across. The idea here is again- to generate curiosity, encourage audience participation and involvement. This also involves creating albums of your top/latest products or staff. For example, if you are a Shoe Retailer- Create an album of the latest shoes that have come in. Ask people to share them.

7. Keep Your Wall Open- Allow people to interact with you. Put out a status update, inviting them to clear all their queries. For example, if you are a Clothes Retailer, you can say, “Anything you wanted to know about our products and their warranty/exchange policies. Please feel free to ask. We will sort every query”. Allow people to interact with you, the admin, as well as each other.

8. Events- Organize events, and then promote them on Facebook with the 'Events' App. Put up pictures of these events. Spread the link as much as you can.

9. Facebook Ads- Facebook places your ads on relevant profiles. They promote it through various ways. For example, they show it as a page to someone as liked by a friend, in other ways recommending on basis of familiarity.

10. Incentives- Providing users with a reason to like your page by offering a free gift or a discount coupons works miracles. This will shoot up the LIKES on your page pretty steadily. A little investment can go a long way in creating a fan base.

Source: sincerelyfido.com

These are the basics that you must follow. However, you must base your strategy according to your target audience. Study their preferences on Facebook and work accordingly. Remember the mantra:

Interesting- Innovative-Interactive- is how your you Facebook business Page must be.

Post from: PageTraffic SEO Blog Now updated thrice a day!

Top 10 Tips To Promote Your Business On Facebook!

SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, has announced their new list of Board Of Directors for the year 2009. here is the list:

1. Jeffrey Pruitt
   Chairperson, iCrossing.

   Jeffrey Pruitt was elected chairman. He was earlier president with SEMPO and executive vice president of corporate partnerships, iCrossing.

2. Sara Holoubek
   President, Free Agent Consultant.

   Sara Holoubek, who is a very famous corporate strategy consultant, was elected president. She holds a B.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.B.A degree. from HEC in France.

3. Ron Jones
   Vice President, Symetri Internet Marketing.

   Ron Jones, president and CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing, was named the vice president of SEMPO.

4. Dave Fall
   Group product manager, Google, Inc., was elected treasurer.
5. Chris Boggs
   Director of search engine optimization, was elected secretary.
6. Jessica Bowman
   In-house SEO Consultant.
7. Massimo Burgio (A very famous and recognized expert on international online business topics)
   Global Search Interactive.
8. Bruce Clay
   Bruce Clay, Inc.
9. Duane Forrester (holds and experience of seven+ years in online marketing)
   Microsoft.
10. Gord Hotchkiss
    Enquiro Search Solutions, Inc.
11. Bill Hunt (A well-known expert in both Enterprise and International Search Engine Marketing Strategy)
    Global Strategies International.
12. Kevin Lee
    Didit.
13. Dana Todd
    Newsforce.

The newly elected officers will begin their one-year terms from April 1 onwards! For profiles of these personalities, visit: http://www.sempo.org/about/governance/board_of_directors_and_officers/

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SEMPO Names 2009 Board Of Directors

Most online marketers, especially the newbies in this field, fail to pay heed to the crucial aspect of a well-defined sales growth and assessment plan as they are more occupied with only conducting maximum sales per say. As the dictum that any and every website abides by is 'conversion', there are no two ways about formulating an optimal Online Marketing Plan that would help the online marketer realize this goal.

Allocating adequate budget to augment Search Engine promotion, followed up with effective audience-targeting are the two basic pillars upon which any online marketing plan should be founded. These basic predicaments, once achieved, in no way signal the online marketer's job done. Unless this plan is continually monitored and assessed to locate its strengths and pitfalls, consider your job only half done.

Now, how does one go about measuring the shortfalls of his / her online marketing campaign and rectify them to attain unadulterated online bliss? There are various effective parameters that can be utilized to measure the efficacy of an online marketing plan. Few parameters include:

• Measure the Monthly Traffic Click-through Rates: This is a widely used parameter to measure the success of an online marketing campaign as it keeps track of number of visitors while separating the unique visitors from the bunch, number of page views, entrance and exit pages and the number of sales too.
• Click Density Analysis: This parameter is aimed at classifying the different users across the website.
• Primary Purpose Analysis: This analytical tool helps in determining the purpose / reason that drives visitors to the particular website.
• Goal Conversions: This metric can be used to identify search engines that streamline maximum traffic towards the website. It also helps one understand those specific online marketing strategies that are turning out to be most beneficial for the entire campaign.
• Measuring and analyzing the successful task completion ratio.

An online marketer must, however, remember that the set of parameters he / she decides to base their assessment upon need to be customized in accordance with the nature and the requirements of their business, website and marketing plan objectives. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is a very effective strategy that can be employed in order to identify the suitable set of parameters. A KPI must be inclusive of the following:

• It should be assessable
• It should be reflective of the aims of the website
• It should play an instrumental role in the triumph of the website

KPIs must run parallel with the overall ends of the website and should facilitate the assessment of metrics indicating the strengths of the online marketing plan. If the KPI is really effective, it will borne out whether the online marketing campaign achieved any Lead Generation (B2B websites) objectives.

Now that we have received a fair understanding of the various parameters that can be implemented in order to measure online success, lets us focus a little upon the benefits that we will attain from tracking the effectiveness of our online marketing campaign through comprehensive assessment and analysis. An analysis helps to:

• Keep track of conversion value and conversion rate of the online marketing plan.
• Realize and separate the performing from the non-performing online marketing efforts.
• Keep up pace with the fast-changing search engine marketing processes and tweak the marketing plan accordingly.

Online marketing is a dynamic activity and an ongoing process that needs to be carefully strategized and duly implemented. Assessing the end result only, will hamper one's understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the online marketing campaign and will subsequently lead to stagnation and wasteful expenditure of marketing efforts and finances. This is the reason why the importance of consistently monitoring and measuring the online marketing efforts can never be underemphasized. How else would you track the ROI and make more money? Bottom line, searching engine marketing is all about making money, right?

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Online Marketing Plan Analysis– Your Roadmap to Online Triumph

The Search Engine Journal's 2007 Search Blogs Award Nominations have been put up on their site and the voting has already begun.

After beeing ranked as one of the best search engine resources blog by Pandia! We are proud to let our readers know that now we been nominated for two categories at 2007 Search Blogs Award, they are:

• Best SEO Blog of 2007: Blogs covering SEO news, tips and research.
• Best Search Industry News Blog: These blogs cover the search engine industry news which is happening on a daily basis.

Last year too we were nominated and had secured a good rank amongst the winners of Best SEO Blog Award. Remember that back then we were known as “Unofficial SEO Blog.” It's always a good feeling to be recognized for all the hard work.

We assume that the news, research, tips and tricks that we've offered for free on PageTraffic Blog have been helpful to all our readers in some or the other way and many business owners might have been able to add value to their business by reading PageTraffic Blog. In the future too we would continue the efforts to make PageTraffic blog enriching. If you've liked our coverage and articles then we request you Vote For Us! You can vote for us through Search Engine Journal's form at SurveyMonkey Remember Voting Ends on 4th January 2008.

We Thank All Of You! keep reading PageTraffic Blog.

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PageTraffic Blog Gets Two Nominations at Search Engine Journal Awards!: Vote For Us

Recently, SEOish compiled an article of how the biggest names in Website Marketing would market their site for a puny budget of just $100-$500.The names are truly a who's who of Online marketing today.

Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim writes:

"$100 = Not a lot you can do with $100. I’d probably use it to upgrade my server so that it was on a dedicated IP address and the domain name was registered for at least 3 years.

$250 = I’d hire a copywriter to create a great “Top 100″ list that relates to my industry. By the time they do their research and put it together, you’ve probably got at least 5 hours of work out of them. I’d probably create a press release that highlights the key points and submit on PR Web.

$500 = I’d get a $250 roundtrip ticket to my nearest SES, SMX or PubCon conference. Spend $100 for a hotel for one night. Then blow the remaining $150 buying drinks at the bar for all the SEO"

Other Experts include Aaron Wall of SEOBook, Andy Hagans of Tropical SEO , Kid Disco of CK Chung and SeoDisco fame; Lee Odden of Top Rank Results and Top Rank Blog; Neil Patel of QuickSprout; Patrick Sexton who is the biggest Google guideline geek and Todd Malicoat aka Stuntdbl.

The article is a must read for anyone and everyone interested in giving his/her site a boost.

Post from: PageTraffic SEO Blog Now updated thrice a day!

Boost Website Marketing For $100.. Really?