Following on from my last post about how to set up a Facebook Fan Page, this post assumes you have set up your fan page and you want to add extra functionality to your page. Fortunately there are lots of free and paid apps that you can use to really pimp out your page.

	Facebook Static Fan Pages For static pages you can use the Static HTML: iframe app. It’s pretty simple to use and I have written about this app in a previous post called how to add a Facebook Fan Page.
	Facebook Fan Gate Want a Fan Gate? Maybe you aren’t sure what that is. A fan gate is a system that asks you to hit the link button before the content on the Fan Page is revealed (a reveal tab). Typically there will be some link bait that arouses your curiosity or offers a special deal if you opt-in. The iframes for pages app by Wildfire will throw in a FanGate for free if you use their app. Be warned the app is free until 7th June so I recommend grabbing it now.
	Facebook WordPress Pages Similiar to the other two plugins above, the FanPage Connect plugin allows you to set up a fan page that actually shows a page that is on your WordPress powered blog.  This means you can give your Fan Page the look and functionality that WordPress offers without all the coding! The Networked Blogs app also helps bring your blog to Facebook but it connects to Facebook via Networked Blogs. The Facebook Tab Manager is a wordpress plugin allows you to create landing pages and other types of content to be displayed within Facebook. This provides a way of putting more interesting layouts and functionality into your Facebook pages, without the need to get too deep into fancy programming.
	Mini Website In Facebook The iwipa app allows to you to set up a mini website inside your page page. It means have a mini website that requires content added to it but if you are smart, you can link some of the pages to your main website.
	You Tube, Twitter, Photogallery and Flickr Apps Some other great apps that are available include those that allow you to add YouTube Videos, your Twitter stream and so forth. Currently, Involver have a large selection of apps available. There are about 7 different applications but you can choose two for free.  Available applications include Static HTML, You Tube, Twitter, Flickr, RSS Feed, Photogallery and Scribd. Whilst most people would be aware of Twitter, You Tube and Flicker, many may not be aware of Scribd or RSS. The Scribd app enables you to showcase PDFs, Spreadsheets, Documents and Powerpoint files. The RSS Feed enables you syndicate the content on your blog to the news tab so you leverage existing content to widen your reach and encourage people to join your conversation.
	Facebook RSS Apps Speaking of RSS, another useful application is RSS Graffiti. This nifty little application periodically checks the RSS feeds that you specify and posts any new entries it finds to the Facebook Walls that you specify. This means you can post to multiple walls. A huge time saver.
	Facebook Tab Apps If you want to include tabs at the top of your Fan Page, you can can check out TabSite. Otherwise, the team at North Social have a whole suite of apps worth considering but these are not free.

If you feel overwhelmed and feel that setting up a Fanpage is too technical, you can try Lujure which enables you to drag and drop elements into your Fan Page.

How to Add More Functionality to Your Facebook Fan Page is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

Related posts:

1. How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page So you want to know how to set up a...
2. Should You Put Your WordPress Blog on Facebook Most people focus on how to add their WordPress Blog...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Most people focus on how to add their WordPress Blog to Facebook but no-one seems to ask if they should. Recently someone asked that question. They wanted to understand what was the point of putting their WordPress blog on Facebook. It was a great question.  It stimulated a lot of debate. So here is the summary of the pros and cons that ensued of adding an iFrame of your WordPress blog on Facebook.

1. You get the control of owning your own domain and content, so when people visit your Facebook page, they also interact with your website – it is just within Facebook.
2. Your customers get the security and comfort of staying within Facebook.  This is good as research indicates that people don’t want to leave Facebook. So having your blog in Facebook means you  can keep them inside of Facebook but still browse your website.
3. WordPress makes it easier to use than creating straight HTML pages. Being able to control and update both your website and Facebook Pages from the one interface has a lot of appeal. You can replicate your entire website inside of Facebook if you wanted to.
4. It provides another way to drive traffic back to your website (assuming you have interesting content of course).

Should You Put Your WordPress Blog on Facebook is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

Related posts:

1. How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page So you want to know how to set up a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

So you want to know how to set up a Fan Page? Well read on and learn from our mistakes and successes.

Facebook made some changes in March that meant that the old way of making Fan Pages with FMBL became obsolete. In fact, I was in the middle of creating a page when I got wind of all the changes. It brought my facebook fan page plans to a grinding halt. I waited until I could get information on how to go about setting it up the new way.

The only issue is that the training I purchased sat unexplored for a while. You could say we got sidetracked on another venture (it was worth holding off). In any case, once our focus was back on Facebook, we decided to give our team access to the training so they could do the job for us. Only we didn’t tell then what we wanted to achieve in completing the fan page. Needless to say, our team did a great job but really they had no strategy or idea of what our vision was for the fan page so the page whilst it looks good, lacks something – ok it lacks strategy.

So my first piece of advice is, don’t start a fan page because it s trendy, start it because you have a plan and strategy in place for what you want it to achieve. Begin with the end in mind. Define what it is you are going to offer and follow that course of action. It works the same way when you are setting up a website. Decide on what you want first before you start to create.

Once you have the plan in mind, implement it and setup your fan page (or outsource it to someone).

So below is a video I found on setting up a fan page in Facebook. It is simple and easy to understand and highly recommended.

After you watch the video, check out my tips before you get started.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Quick Tips Before You Begin

1. Make sure you have a strategy in place before you set up our Facebook Page
2. Decide if you really can commit to managing the page and keeping the content interesting, fresh and engaging
3. Make sure you have a Facebook personal account before you begin.
4. Once you have your personal page, you will be able to set up a Fan Page
5. Set up your Fan Page as seen in the video above
6. Invest in a good graphic designer. Kompozer will help you set up your page but professional looking graphics make a big difference. Remember that your profile image that appears on the left hand side of the page should be no larger than 200px wide and 600px high.  A good size for any images in the wall area is 500px x 500px.
7. Once your page is set up, make sure you get more than 25 likes so you have get a vanity URL. This means you can have a URL that is people friendly and doesnt have all the numbers at the end of the URL.
8. Check out some of the apps – there are literally hundreds to choose from and they will help you upload videos, show your twitter account, your blog and even your photos.
9. Consider using Facebook Ads to target your ideal customers
10. Make sure you aim to engage readers. It is not enough to tell them about your weekly or daily specials. You want to encourage interaction. A good way to do this is to make comments, ask questions and post images. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
11. Visit your fan page daily. You want to make sure there is no comment SPAM. You page needs to be loved and nutured. If you can’t get to your page daily, make sure you go to your page at least 3 times a week as a minimum.
12. Take the time to like readers comments and make comments back
13. Set up your privacy settings so you can control what views your customers get

How To Set Up A Facebook Fan Page is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

There has been a lot of hype about Facebook and for good reason. Facebook now refers more traffic than Google. This has been driven by the roll out of their Like Button. Adding to this are some massive changes that Facebook have made that are game changing.

How Marketing Has Changed
The power of Facebook has meant that marketing has fundamentally changed from one way advertising to two way. Marketing is becoming much more integrated. As a Brand Manager, we used to talk about the TV campaign matching the point of sale so that all communications were integrated but modern marketing is now more than this. Marketers must integrate all channels to create a fan base. Sadly many businesses are missing this opportunity.

There is a need to think outside of traditional channels or “the website” and expand your marketing via Facebook Fan pages, email marketing, and friend referrals. Doing this will help you have a super engaged audience. In using social media in this way, we will see a whole crowd becoming a larger crowd faster than traditional means. The social movement creates a ripple effect.

Word of Mouth Like Never Before
We all know that word of mouth is one of the most powerful means of marketing. The Facebook Like button means people are referring friends to fan pages and other websites. At the click of a button people can share content instantly and drive qualified traffic. The most interesting thing is that these referrals are not search driven.  The whole power of this is that people tend to associate with other people who have similar interests. A friend who refers a friend to another site is most likely going to have an interest in what has been referred which means you can now target very specific segments of the market.

Local Business Marketing With Facebook Places
Facebook has launched Places which means it has taken on ‘Foursquare.’ This could be the death knell for Foursquare.  This locational style marketing will help local business by virtual of referral and word of mouth.  Businesses can also now interact with clients and users by establishing a reward system. This is a great opportunity for shops and restaurants and wil become a game changer.

Your Website Doesn’t Need to Look Lonely Anymore
You can now use the Facebook connect feature to bring Facebook into your site. When used on your site visitors will see the faces of your friends. This provides social proof – like a mini testimonial that provides assurance.  This is a great scenario. Visitors will find it hard to forget about you.

Ecommerce Now Possible on Facebook
You can now integrate Facebook with Paypal and the Visa network. People will now be able to do business on Facebook. They no longer need to leave Facebook to do business. You do not necessarily need a website to do business.

Some Facebook Marketing Tips
Understand that Facebook is not about marketing. People are there to socialise not be marketed to.  You need to create relationships and offer real value and solutions to problems.  You don’t need to get a massive amount of people joining your page.  It is much better to have a smaller targeted group as these will grow your business much faster.

With 5.4 Billion subscribed to fan pages you need to have one. One way of attracting fans is to locate a bestselling product that relates to the services you offer and target those fans.  For example, if you are operating in a food niche and want to attract people who love cooking you can use the settings in Facebook to target people who like a particular recipe book and invite them to become your fan.  The great thing is that you are targeting people who have proven that they already have an interest in a particular area.  They will refer their friends if they like what you are offering.

Once you have a group to target, here are some ideas about what you can do:

• Get a custom made landing tab with your unique brand that offers great content.
• Offer a compelling incentive to encourage people to join.
• Keep adding interesting content to keep your fans engaged.
• Give away something really really cool for your community.
• Solve problems and share other peoples cool content
• Spend a few weeks sharing great content and then ask for help share the word.
• Don’t always sell – offer good value and then sell every now and then.
• Hold events like teleseminars, webinars and information sessions. Use these events for telling and selling.

Why You Need To Pay Attention To Facebook is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

On Christmas Day Facebook became the most visited site in the US on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to Hitwise. This is the 1st time a site has surpassed Google as being the most visited site in a day. Such is the power of Facebook.  A quick look at the statistics tells me that Facebook now has over 350 million active users and 50% log into Facebook on any given day.

With those sort of numbers, Facebook has become a powerful tool for marketers to harness. It provides one of the best low cost options for marketers. It excels at connecting friends and people with common interests together.   The trouble is that many companies still don’t understand the power of Facebook and are reluctant to become involved.  Why? There are are number of reasons but two of the biggest are:

1. Companies are fearful that they will lose control of their marketing. Marketing is now in the hands of your potential or actual customer.
2. There is a business cost to hire staff to monitor and respond to comments on Facebook.

The fears and concerns are valid.  However, by not playing in this space companies are missing out on a powerful opportunity to connect and engage with consumers. This fear and the reluctance to join in a social conversation creates a wonderful opportunity for smaller and start up businesses to start up a conversation and build trust providing they play by the new rules of engagement. Some stunning upsets will occur in this new world of social media networking. Brands better be prepared and should start to consider how they join in and be part of the community.

Some powerful tools within Facebook that are relevant to marketers include:

1. Profile – Setting up a profile with strong keywords in the interests section of your profile
2. Groups – you can join or create groups
3. Pages – you can create pages and users can become fans, you can also become fans of other pages. Pages can also be used as a powerful viral marketing tool as they appear more prominently on peoples profiles
4. Events – this feature can be used to push marketing events, product launches, sponsored gathering
5. Advertising – there are a number of ways to advertise on Facebook.  There are 2 main ways – via the news feed and via using ads.
   • The New Feed
     • Posting items from external sites
     • Posting items with the Share on Facebook button
     • Posting items from Partner Websites
   • Using Ads
     • Click through ad
     • Social Ads

The main benefit of using Ads on Facebook is that you can target demographics with unparalleled precision. No other advertising medium I know of comes as close to Facebook in terms of demographic precision.  The benefits of this are enormous if you have an in depth understanding of your target audience.

Facebook: A Powerful Marketing Tool is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A wonderful tool to help you with your websites off page Search Engine Optimisation is Only Wire. This wonderful little program,  Only Wire, is 100% automated and is designed to hep  you boost traffic, save time and accelerates your rank with search engines.

So once you have your social sites set up, one click of a button will have your site will be submitted simultaneously to any of your social sites.

As a full time marketer, that is great news!!!  It means I have more time to do some strategic thinking instead of doing all the implementing.

Automate Your Content and Bookmarks is a post from: Learn Internet Marketing Effortlessly

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.