How do you introduce yourself? What information do you present in the first ten seconds? How do you finish?  Making the sale is all about how you structure your pitch. Executive coach and public speaker Kathy McAfee explains how to properly construct an introduction to maximize your time efficiency. McAfee argues that while showing excitement for your product is important, it's paramount to show restraint and tease the audience into wanting more. Once you get into the conversation with the audience, McAfee shows how to keep potential investors interested without letting them dominate the discussion.

On March 30, 2012, all Facebook Pages will get a new design. Here is a helpful video from the Social Networking Academy, and a list of what changes are coming your way.

1). Cover Photo – Some interesting restrictions have been placed on what you can and can’t have on your cover photo;
Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
  
• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section. 
  
• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features. 
  
• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”.

2). Your Profile Picture which will initially be the top part of your avatar, must be square and at least 180px wide

3). You Can No Longer LAND on a Custom Tab!!! Welcome pages and tabs still exist, but you can no longer default to land on any tabs. As with the timeline on your profile your photos and apps show in the central section in boxes, which means we can add a nice looking graphic to our Welcome pages and tabs to encourage people to click on them. Here’s what FB say about the central boxes;

Photos, likes and apps are now at the top of your Page. Photos show in the first spot, but you can change the order of everything else so people see what matters most. You can show a maximum number of 12 apps, so make sure to put your most important ones first.

I have to say I’m really disappointed that you can’t land on your custom landing tabs anymore, but somewhat relieved that we still have them!

4). You Can Pin Posts to the Top of Your Wall!The main design is the same as your profile page so as with that you can now add posts at different dates in the past, you can feature your post by clicking the star so it covers the width of your page, or you can hide it from your page altogether, but the really cool feature is being able to pin specific posts to the top, kind of like a ‘sticky’ post in forums.

5). There’s a brand new admin panel from which you can see your notifications, new likes, insights and the new private messages that people can now send you from your page! From your admin panel you will also see the Manage button which gives you access to the main editing section of your page (Basic Info, Manage Permissions, Apps and so on). Not much has changed in there apart from the Manage Permissions section which no longer has the default landing tab section! – Boo!

Also from the admin panel, you can access Facebook ads, a function to share your page and to invite friends, plus access to Facebooks help section.

6). New Message Feature! I mentioned above messages, well now your fans can message you directly! The messages will show within your admin panel and you can respond from there.

7). Tab Pages are now BIGGER! I believe the official size is 760px, I’ll keep you posted!

8). You will AUTOMATICALLY get the new design on March 30th. So jump in there and make the most of it, because it’s coming whether you like it or not!

What Does #FF Mean?
Simple Answer: Follow Friday... It’s one of a handful of abbreviations used in Twitter that confuses new users, and then they avoid using it. 

I remember the very first time I saw #FF messages. My Twitter feed was littered with them but I couldn’t figure out what it all meant. I felt left out – what is #FF? what am I missing?! So, for those of you who are asking yourself those questions right now, here’s a short guide to Follow Friday…

#FF is short for #FollowFriday. It’s a Twitter trend created back in 2009 by Twitter users that has since become a customary Friday activity.

An #FF is a shout out, a show of appreciation, a nice thing to do. Each Friday you can recommend Twitter profiles that you appreciate and enjoy to all of your followers. The idea being that your #FF recommendation will encourage others to check out that profile, generating more followers for them. 

Sooo...... long story - short, this Tuesday's Twitter Tip is to show appreciation for a profile that you appreciate, and #FF them this Friday ;)

We always appreciate the kind words, and the referrals!


Our philosophy:

• Do the job right and 'as promised'.
  
• Honesty ALWAYS.
  
• Give it your all.
  

We've built a business on that philosophy... and look forward to meeting many more individuals and businesses who are looking for an online presence with a company they can trust.

At one time, businesses used brochures as one of their main marketing techniques. When social networking and social media marketing came into the picture, printing brochures started to be considered an extra expense that just wasn’t necessary.  After all, there isn’t a printing expense when you market online? Right?  Small businesses continue to wonder if brochures are even worth printing anymore. Have we really become a paperless society?

Not completely. Small businesses usually have a small budget, and a fairly inexpensive way to market your business to new customers is by creating a brochure that can be strategically placed, handed out at conferences or at meetings.  Brochures provide valuable and quick information about your company, the product or service you provide and how to go about getting it. People sometimes forget to check online or can't remember the website. Brochures are kept in your pocket or wherever you placed it.

Small businesses can use brochures is so many ways. For instance, if you print out a brochure, a person may take it home or back to their business, and set it on their counter. Just like a billboard, the brochure immediately grabs the attention of anyone who can see it. Having something in print still conveys credibility and trust.

There are steps that you need to follow in creating a successful brochure. 

• Make it easy to read. Use bullet points, numbering, and short paragraphs rather than long paragraphs. While you want to get your message across, most people scan text, rather than actually read it. Get to the point about what your message is.
• The brochure should be attractive. Your brochure should be eye catching. Black and white is cheaper than color, but color is going to get you more attention. Unless you are severely under budget, go for the color.  
• Don’t forget the important information like phone, email and website. Tell them about your business but make sure they know who to contact and how do it. Brochures also are a great way to promote your website and your social media profiles on sites like Facebook.
  

People still like to hold paper in their hands that provide information. We are a technically-oriented society but still trust traditional ways of getting information.  Also, our population consists of older Americans who rely on print for information. Brochures can still attract new customers – old and young -- on a reasonable budget. Plus, you can always upload the brochure onto your website.

If you keep seeing a name, it starts to sink into your memory. This is basically the same strategy to increase your search engine optimization (SEO). To maximize this effort, you want to spread your company’s name on as many useful websites as possible whether it be a social networking site or maybe a search engine.

Having your company be active on different sites. This will increase the average user’s knowledge of your company. Here are some ways to do this.

Use blogs and free social networking websites to post articles about your company.
--Make comments on other blogs or social pages.
--Aside from posting articles, you should try to leave comments on other sites – especially ones that have similar interests to your company. What can happen? Users will check out your company’s profile on the social networking site and your webpage.  Make it meaningful or it may get deleted.

Wikipedia: get your company on it.
--When something comes up on Wikipedia, people assume that it is credible. It is after all the modern enclyopedia. But getting on it can be a challenge. It usually requires a Wikipedia-approved writer. Also, some people do not know that it should come from someone other than at your company and should be newsworthy. Another plus to Wikipedia is that it feeds directly into Facebook and that means more chances that people will connect to your company. Wikipedia entries often show up at the top of search results.

Sell your product on multiple websites.
--Aside from selling your service or product on your own website, why not try Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon.com? By putting your product on these types of sites, you can increase the links back to your site and increase your SEO for organic search.

So, just like commercials, the more information about your company available to internet users, the better it is for business. Of course, the information can’t be a jingle; instead it needs to be helpful information on history and service. By doing this, you will increase awareness of your company and reach a wider pool of potential clients.

Facebook set the Internet on fire when they announced that today would be the day they'd make a huge announcement. They are planning to change social networking forever. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

You may be wondering what all the fuss is about. You weren't even using social networking, you say. So what?

The big "so what" is that you should be social networking. And you should pay attention to Facebook. It is the most trafficked website online so that alone makes it relevant. But what is social networking?

Social networking is using online websites like Facebook to meet new people, build relationships, draw connections, and entice people to do business with you. All without leaving the comfort of your small business executive desk. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

It is fun, and it's profitable - if you do it well. 

I don't know what Facebook has up its sleeve (I'll find out, like a lot of people, this afternoon), but I do know that they've been battling it out with new social networking site Google+ for a couple of months. And I wonder just how Facebook will change social networking forever. You should wonder too.