Location, location, location…Facebook Places 101

A common cliché in the real estate industry is location, location, location. Now that cliché applies to Facebook too.

Location based services are big conversation pieces in cyberspace and the mobile world. Thus, it makes sense that Facebook  jumped on the bandwagon introducing Facebook Places. Despite initial privacy concerns, Facebook places will have advantages for your business. The limits for your business will be your own creativity.

If you’re already using FourSquare, or Gowalla; Facebook Places will seem very similar. Here are a few ways you can boost your online visibility with this new tool:

1. Whether you have a brick and mortar office, work remotely or are attending an event, use Facebook places to let others know where you’re at, add a description of your business, tag friends (clients are good, pending their approval) and increase your visibility.

2. Make sure to declare your business “place.” The geo-location features will pull nearby places. However, you most certainly can add your place via name and description.

3. Always a good idea to express what you are doing. For business, use it just like you would any other social media tool. Engage, educate and entertain.

4. Get creative. Offer incentives. You might offer discounts, free promotional items for coming to your place of business and “Checking In”, calling you or just being a part of your business by paying attention to your Facebook Place through comments and testimonials.

Remember, like any other social media tool, it’s all about visibility and content. What you can do with this new tool is up to your imagination.

To access Facebook Places, use the Facebook app from your mobile device or login at touch.facebook.com via your browser.

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Tips For Reducing Stress

My last few of weeks have been highly stressful and I’ve found myself thinking lately about how I can reduce stress in my life.  I received this email this week and just had time to read it. I thought I would share it with you.

I can honestly say that I think this system will work better than any 12-Step Program. Some of the tips, I have been using already and didn’t even know it! Here are a few ways to maintain a healthy level of insanity:

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom at work! Don’t disguise your your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks at the office. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addiction, switch to espresso.

5. In the memo field of all your checks, write, “for marijuana”.

6. Skip down the hall rather than walk. See how many looks you get.

7. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face. [With a lemon!!]

8. Specify that your drive-thru order is “To Go”.

9. Sing along at the opera. 

10. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can’t attend their party because you have a headache.

11. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream ‘ I Won! I Won!’  [This will make you feel like you've won the lotto each time you go to the bank!]

12. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling, “Run for your lives! They’re Loose!”

13. Tell your children over dinner, “Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go.”

14. Pick up a box of condoms at the pharmacy. Go to the counter and ask, “Where is the fitting room?”  [This works especially well for women.]

In conclusion, the lesson of the day is: MIX IT UP & HAVE SOME FUN!!

What are YOUR best Tips for Reducing Stress?

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The Social Media Manager

Many small and midsized business entrepreneurs, have realized they simply do not have the time to learn how to build, manage and profile themselves in the Social Media circus. And a circus it is but… unfortunately not getting involved means doesn’t seem to be an option any longer.  Just watch the evening news, commercials and yes most of your favorite TV shows and movies, and you will see their follow us on Facebook and Twitter “social media buttons”.  Same goes for your favorite Magazines and the products you buy.  If they even list their website any longer, it is listed after the “social media buttons”.  Do you want to lose out  because your competitors are either more internet savvy or understand the importance of engaging with customers on social media.

Here is some eye-opening information about Facebook today; isn’t the third largest country (if it where a country) in population with a little over 500 million users, responsible for over 40 billion sign-ins per month and well over 500 billion human interactions. Twitter is a distant second, but is gaining momentum regarding interaction and messages sent and ranks now as the 6th largest, traffic wise, website in the world while YouTube, not strictly a Social Medium, is adding 25 hours of video per minute, 24 hours a day, as people and businesses are getting into “high gear” of their personal branding.

Foursquare, Flickr (yes even them), Google Buzz are gaining traction in the circus and with more than 220,000 iPhone apps of which a good 20% are geared towards social media, as well as the development of social Android apps, the forest is growing into a jungle where trees are becoming more difficult to uniquely identify.

What tools to choose? Which networks to follow? How much time is needed to maintain the social media status? How to push the products and services in the social marketplace? All good questions and this is where the Social Media Manager and thus their services come into play.

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Holidays, Time and Half?

I’ve been asked about how I structure my days, what my calendar looks like, when I work and all that jazz. To tell you the truth, I work the oddest hours.  That includes late nights (after the family has gone to bed. “Cookie”on the other hand usually isn’t happy with me. But if she’d learn to sleep somewhere other than between my legs; just saying); early Saturday mornings (while they’re still asleep); and yes, even holidays. 

“Why?” you ask.

The answer is simple: It’s quiet.

And by quiet I mean: the phone is not ringing, no text messages coming in, emails are slow, only my die-hard friends are tweeting

I can focus with minimal distractions. And I love it!

This morning is a perfect example. While everyone is offline enjoying that paid-day-to-do-nothing, I’m here plugging away and getting those “I never have time for you projects” done. (Heck – I even wrote a blog post!)

So for me, holidays, late nights, early mornings they’re all time-and-a-half, because it seems like I get a day-and-a-half worth of stuff done!

And who doesn’t love THAT?  Here’s to our Country and Happy 4th of July!!!!!

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? Social Media Manager

You’ve heard of it, but still not sure what the role of a social media manager is all about. First off, Social Media is simply not Twitter or Facebook. There are lots of different forms of social media which     include blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Fan Pages, videos and much more.

A form of social media that individuals do on a daily basis is social bookmarking. When folks visit a website or blog they enjoy, they will mark the RSS feed or Digg or Delicious (like favorites) and that is all part of social media. It’s amazing the different forms of applications available for users to share content on social media.

Now that makes you think, doesn’t it?

How can social media be used effectively to build your business. A Social Media Manager can help you in your quest to building your business larger than you ever expected. A Social Media Manager is available to help promote your business and manage the social media outlets and avenues that you may not be aware of; making it possible for you to focus on your business and products.

Social media is like a large party where folks are learning and meeting about different people and their interests. If you would like to compare social media to a huge party, then the Social Media Manager is considered the ‘party planner’. The role of the manager is one that researches individuals and particular contacts as well as companies that may be an asset to you and your business.

As you can tell the role of a Social Media Manager is one that is greatly needed for your business’ growth process. Let us do the time-consuming part and connect you to the right individuals as well as research the correct circle of influence to target for your success.

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