Yes, changes are on the horizon for users and Facebook for businesses new “Offer” option just might be what does the trick for many to finally get in the game. Replacing the check in deals program, Offers will be more of a coupon that can be offered to a page’s email list. Practical eCommerce explains it:

Facebook For Businesses New “Offer” Option

Unlike check-in deals, Offers can be redeemed both in-store and online.

Facebook is now beta testing Offers with select businesses. But it promises to make the program more widely available soon, including for small businesses. To prepare merchants, here is a rundown on how Offers works.

Businesses will be able to share discounts with customers by posting an offer on their Facebook Page. Offers are similar to coupons and cost nothing to create. They can be distributed through the News Feed or promoted as Sponsored Stories.

To redeem the offer, users click the “Get Offer” link, which is located below the offer headline, and send it to the primary email address associated with their Facebook accounts.

This seems like a great way to really extend a businesses reach, and has already been used by the likes of nationwide retailer, Macy’s. I’m glad to see that Facebook is really thinking about how to make the user experience more integrated as well as plain ‘ol FUN for both the business owner and the Facebook user. The new Offer looks like a really good compromise between ease of use for the business as well as attention getting for the page fan. Growing pains are never easy to deal with, but Facebook for businesses new “Offer” option looks to fit the bill on coupon use.

You probably noticed that there were several changes when you opened up your Facebook account this morning.  In response to some of what people and business owners were finding attractive about Google+, one of the changes that was made addresses the users ability to group their ‘friends’.  This will help in segregating your posts into ones that you want your more personal connections to see and ones that are more for non-personal or business uses.  This certainly marks a new era in using Facebook pages for business and using Facebook for purely personal uses.

Users Infuriated by Facebook Changes

The news feed is the first thing a user sees when logging on to Facebook; previously, the news feed was a simple stream of information: Friends’ status updates, posted photos, shared links, etc. Facebook had been grouping similar status updates — for example, friends’ comments on a recent Philadelphia Phillies game — for a few weeks now and today made even more changes: Popular and heavily-commented topics will be at the top of the news feed when a user logs in.

In a blog post, Facebook likened the change to a newspaper: “All your news will be in a single stream with the most interesting stories featured at the top. If you haven’t visited Facebook for a while, the first things you’ll see are top photos and statuses posted while you’ve been away.”  Original Story Here.

While this article mostly talks about how users are upset by the changes, I think that it really speaks to the fact that Facebook is certainly not ready to just roll over and let Google+ have all the fun.  While Google+ certainly saw a huge jump in use and buzz at the outset, it has tapered off and now that Facebook is making adjustments…it opens up the playing field a bit. If using Facebook pages for business is on your agenda (which it should be) then you will want to be paying attention.

Of course, that depends on how you choose to see the news about the updates.  How about you? Are you happy with the changes or upset?  Let us know by entering your comments in the form below.

Oh, and Please Click The Like Button below to help others know about these changes so they can chime in as well.

Check out this article by Landon Slaughter that was posted on mlm.heavyhitterleads.com

If you are looking for online business ideas then a sponsored app through Facebook may be the answer. Just like “Farmville” or “Mafia Wars” you simply allow the application to play through Facebook. There are tons and tons of internet business ideas out there. However, the ones that have the knowledge and pocketbooks to develop an entire application through Facebook really are the best of the best…

In terms of other uses for Facebook applications and internet business ideas, there really is no limit for what Facebook can promote. With over 750 Million users worldwide this social media giant has the power to reach any target market you desire.

Facebook pay per click ads have been on the rise as well. This form of marketing has simply boomed in the past year and now what was once a closely guarded secret of internet marketers, is now becoming an internet standard in PPC marketing.

The ways that you can use Facebook for businesses may be almost limitless – it really just requires some imagination and determination.  What could you provide to your customers that would get them excited or interested in your product or service?  List your ideas below in the comments section.

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If you are ready to get started with your own free Facebook page – just click here!

As always – if you have questions, just ask – that’s what the comments section is for.

Take a look at this post by Sarah Moraes of VerticleMeasures.com

In this blog post, Cindy King of Social Media Examiner highlights 13 Facebook marketing tips from the top industry pros.

Facebook continues to be the most powerful social network on the planet with over 750 million active users. Businesses simply cannot ignore Facebook as part of their online marketing strategy. We spoke with top marketing book authors and Facebook brand managers.

Take your Facebook marketing to a new level with these hot Facebook marketing tips direct from the top pros in Facebook marketing.

#1: Give people a reason to become fans (by Richard Krueger)

“A Reveal tab offers first-time visitors a clear call to action.

By encouraging the visitor to first “Like” your fan page in order to receive a free trial, coupon or even specialized information, you can significantly increase fan conversion rates, while giving real value in becoming a fan,” says Richard Krueger, co-author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies…

#2: Stay on topic (by Daniel Sundin)

“People who Like your brand on Facebook expect your posts to be at least somewhat related to your brand or industry. Keeping your focus so narrow may seem limiting, especially if you’re the one crafting the posts each day. Instead, think of it as a creative challenge,” says Daniel Sundin, community manager at PETCO.

Sundin gave the following tips:

Write about a current event and tie it to your brand or industry.

Find and share a funny YouTube video loosely related your brand or industry.

Ask your audience to post questions, pictures or stories about your brand to your wall.

Repost the most interesting content back out as an update.

“Remember, Unliking a page is just as easy as Liking it. A single odd or off-topic post could get you booted from the stream,” said Sundin.

Believe me, you’ll want to take a look at the full article and jot down some notes as you go through all 13 tips. While some of it is just common sense, some of the tips and ideas are ones that you will want to act on right away. Using Facebook for businesses is not only a timely marketing tactic that will help your business, it is quickly becoming a necessity in order to drive traffic and sales to your website AND your brick and mortar store.

Do you have any other tips or tricks to using Facebook? For businesses to get ahead, what do you see as the most important things all business owners should do? Let us know by writing your responses in the comments section below.

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Will There Be Changes To Facebook Pages For Business?

Where it could get a bit sticky is when it comes to Facebook for businesses, as they try to connect to their customers via pages and well as other social media platforms. Then again, it might not be that bad. Since Facebook seems to be following in some of Google’s footsteps, we can probably safely assume that some plans are already in the works to address the growing business population accessing Facebook on a daily basis.

Take a look at this excerpt from an article by Ilie Mitaru of PCWorld.com -

Exactly how much the new settings are a response to longstanding user criticism or new competition in the form of Google+ is hard to discern. It does seem clear however, that without the new threat to Facebook, the company would have had little incentive to change its historically lax approach to user privacy.

The implications for businesses trying to connect on the platform are huge, as users now have a slew of new tools to control who sees what. Here is a breakdown of the changes:

1. You’ll have a drop-down menu on the upper right hand side of your Facebook page where you can choose to display things like your hometown or latest photo album. All of these options had been accessible previously on your Settings page, but this makes it much easier and clearer to control.

Facebook pages for business use has been seeing a steady rise – mainly due to the recent and ongoing changes that the Facebook executives and developers are making. We are seeing a bit of a change in who is really using Facebook as well, as a growing number of more mature marketers and savvy business people are coming on board to find a new platform to work from.

Facebook is the perfect place to gather information on their products and services, as well as a better environment to educate and enlighten their target markets regarding their wares.

How do you feel these changes to the privacy of users will effect the overall Facebook experience? Will it make it better? Chime in on the comments below and let us know what you think about Facebook for business uses.

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In this article by Chris Crum of WebProNews.com, we begin to see the emerging facets of what Facebook is looking to become – and it’s very exciting!

Acquisitions

A new report out from Bloomberg says that Facebook is planning to make about 20 acquisitions this year, which would be twice as many as last year. This isn’t a rumor. It’s straight from Facebook’s director of corporate development Vaughan Smith.

The company has already made 13 acquisitions this year, according to Bloomberg. These include: Mac app maker Sofa, mobile app creator Snaptu, group chat company Beluga, mobile ad company Rel8tion, and iPad app maker Push Pop Press. Such acquisitions are line with Facebook’s plans to focus on design and mobile, as Smith indicated in the report.

Beyond Acquisitions

There is a lot more to maintaining a solid user experience and keeping people engaged than just piling on the acquisitions. It’s what is done with the acquisitions, and what features are added (or kept or removed) that keep people around. It’s also partnerships and the developer ecosystem that make things interesting, fun or worthwhile.

This week, Miramax announced a new Facebook app that could very well pave the way for the future of movie-based entertainment on the social network. Other movie studios have experimented with Facebook movie rental, but Miramax, working directly with Facebook itself has come up with a whole new concept for this, including plans for purchasing and digital storage.

Facebook is also expected to get more music-oriented with the help of a handful of partners. The recent U.S. launch of the popular Spotify may play a critical role in that.

While Facebook faces plenty of obstacles on the competition front, it’s also facing others on the legal front. And I’m not talking about the Winklevii or Paul Ceglia. The “like” button has essentially been outlawed in Germany. But that’s a whole other story.

You’ll want to take a look at the entire article by clicking here.

There is not any danger of Facebook losing any of it’s popularity – although some of how it is used and by whom is what is going to be affected going forward. The growth and the addition of dynamic software and integrated, interactive pieces that Facebook is looking to add will really change and expand how it is used. As such, using Facebook for businesses is a really integral part of its future. What kind of features or uses do you think should be added to Facebook? Be sure to let us know by leaving your comments below!

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Hi! I’m Glenna Garcia – Your Personal Internet Marketing Champion and…

IT’S TIME TO:

• Turn Your Business Website Into A Cash Cow MONEY MACHINE
• Create Instant Customers and Laser Targeted Prospects
• Cut Your Advertising Budget by as much as 50% in Less Than 30 Days
• Chop Your Competitors off at the knees with Internet Marketing
• Have Instant Credibility and Internet Presence with Facebook and Video Marketing
• Dominate Your Niche With Your Own BOOK and become a Published Author
• Build Your Brand with Custom Web 2.0 properties

Establishing your presence online is a must.  But you already know this, right?  I know it can seem intimidating and overwhelming when you are just getting started, and I’d like to do what I can to help you and your business get started as quickly and as easily as possible.  And it IS possible! 

You don’t have to go it alone and try to learn how everything works yourself.  I’m in your corner – so let’s talk about what you need and how you can begin to properly market and promote your business today.

Just click on the “Business Consulting” button to see the available Consultation time slots!

OR…

Fill out the form in my Contact Us form here and I’ll get back to you ASAP

Social media sites are always updating and adding new feature for their users, and now that include business users like you.  This makes it very important for you to sign up and then fill out your profile completely and correctly.  Creating a business account requires that you thoroughly read the rules specific to business accounts.  Doing so will really save you a lot of stress and grief later.  Social sites can and will drop your page for violations of their rules.

Social Media Tips for Facebook

• In Facebook, the Settings section allows you to keep personal information private and only viewable by some friends.  They also allow the creation of different friends lists so that you can give one list access and not the other.
• You should always upload a clear photo of yourself and not an image of your logo.  The picture can be a professional on or be more casual, but you want to let people see you.  This association will help them to trust you and not feel like you are trying to hide.

As with most social media sites – Facebook has plenty of applications that will help you to customize your profile page and help you to promote your business.  The applications are listed in the Applications Directory and are flexible when it comes to hooking your profile page with your website or your other social media profiles.

Another great social media tips is to provide an optin form on your page so that your friends can get on your newsletter email list or can take advantage of any free offers or promotions you have.  Remember, this is prime internet real estate you have here, so make the most of it!

Now that you have your profile complete, you can start to add friends and contact.  A large following will take a little while to build up – but if you are consistent, it won’t take as long as you might think!

• Use the Facebook built in friend finder search boxes to get the ball rolling
• Now go back through your email signatures and other promotional material (i.e. business cards) and add your Facebook URL address
• You can also import your contacts list from your email account(s).  Facebook will let you know if they have an account and then you can just send the friend request.
• Posting status updates on a regular basis is important.  But only post things that you actually find interesting or helpful – people can tell if you are being fake.  If you are really there to connect with customers or potential customers, show them that you really care about helping them first.
• There is nothing wrong with looking at your friends contact lists and seeing if there are any people that you would like to add to your list.  Don’t be scared to suggest friends to others, either.  This can open up the lines of communication and further help you establish trust.  Be sure to include WHY you think they should be friends in your suggestion message.

Social Media Advertising

Even if you have a small budget – advertising on social media sites is huge right now!  Facebook advertising is highly targeted (you set the parameters for your target audience!) and it’s easy to keep to your budget.  This is a great way to test your advertising copy and then revise it as you go.

You can also set up a group centered on your product or service niche and/or set up a Fan Page on Facebook.  Both the group and the Fan page will allow you to focus more on specific products or services that you offer.

No matter what, be sure to post frequently, be interesting and give helpful information or advice.  This is what Social Media sites are built around!

Get more Social Media Tips on our main site:  www.Marketing101Pro.com  Be sure to check out the FREE video!

Karon is a Keywords Guru and has written several copy writing ebooks that will help with writing content for your website the SEO way.  She has owned her own full-time copywriting agency since 1999 and has authored three popular books that cover highly effective copywriting and SEO copywriting techniques, the strategic and natural use of keyphrases and practical methods for crafting PPC ads with high click through rates.

As she says about herself on her blog, “I have been in love with advertising since I was six years old. I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons and seeing the Frito Bandito on the screen (that ought to “date” me). I looked up at my mom and exclaimed, “I want to do THAT!”

If you are looking to improve your writing for your business, you should pick up your own copy right now.  Order your copy of “Writing With Keywords” now!  If you want to learn a little more about Karon and the kind of instructor she is, take a look at this great article, “The Best Place to Put SEO Copy on Your Web Page” from her site.

The Best Place to Put SEO Copy on Your Web Page

© Karon Thackston

It seems like a funny question to me, but it gets asked a lot. “Where should the SEO copy go on my Web page?” That question gets asked so much because there are several pieces of out-of-date information, rumors and myths with regard to text placement, when writing SEO copy.

For instance, many absolutely swear that the copy has to be as high up on the page as possible for the search engines to find it. Not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. Others say all your text has to be in one block. Also not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page.

Other statements I’ve heard regarding text placement include:

• Your headline must appear at the very top of the page.
• Copy placed inside tables throws the search engines off.
• Copy must be positioned above the fold to be found by the spiders.

None of these are true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. (Or did I already say that… twice?) This is true in 99.9% of the cases, with only some very rare exceptions.

So where is the best place to put SEO copy on your Web page? Wherever it makes sense to the site visitor!

Spiders will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page. Want proof? Here’s a test. Go to Google and type in any working URL. When the result comes up for that site, click on: “Show Google’s Cache of…” In the box that appears at the top of the next page, click on this option: “This cached page may reference images which are no longer available. Click here for the cached text only.” What do you see?

You see exactly what the search engine sees. If the text appears in this text-only cache, that means Google’s spider can read it and index it.

Put Copy Where It Is Most Beneficial to Your Visitors

Since the engines will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page, your focus should be placed on the site visitor. This is where your focus should always be. The people who have the money come first; the search engines come second.

If it makes sense for your visitors to see your headline as the first thing on the page, then put it first. If a graphic design element makes more sense, then put that first. If you use photos or other images, include captions so your visitors understand what these photos mean and how they relate to the sales message.

If you have an ecommerce site, create pages for each category of products you offer in order to help guide the visitors’ steps. Then add short copy segments that quickly describe what is offered for each specific product. Even though the copy is scattered all about the page, the engines WILL find it.

When it comes to copy placement on your Web pages, don’t agonize over what the engines want you to do. Give 100% of your consideration to what would be most useful for your visitors and place your copy in those areas. The spiders will find it with no trouble at all.

Market ’til it hurts!

Glenna Garcia

P.S. Know how to write copy, but need help with effective keyword use? Karon offers 11 clever ways to include keywords in your SEO copy without destroying the flow.  Learn to write more natural-sounding copy today with your own copy of “Writing With Keywords” .

Exactly why is communication with customers so essential? Businesses communicate to find out customer needs in order to show that they are listening and have the answer to those needs. It’s as simple as that…in theory. The truth is that effective communication requires a certain expertise to determine what the customer needs and then deliver on that information.

The fundamental skill set requires a genuine concern for that customer and their request or issue. Be sure that your content on your website is friendly, clear and easy to understand.  Whether in person, over the phone or in email or chat messages, be sure to offer help and behave as if you are happy to be helping them. If more info is needed, be polite and ask saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you,” never make demands.

Listening well could be the true difference between successful communication and unsuccessful communication. A business needs to make certain that it is truly hearing the customer’s needs and desires and not just paying attention to what they think the client want.  Use Echoing whenever possible by listening to the customer and then repeating back to them what you heard as their request or issue. This, again, is true whether you are dealing with a customer over the phone, in a chat session, via email or in person.

Take notes and make sure that you are knowledgeable about the company’s operations and also know the best ways to help or if  it is even possible to help the customer.  This will assist you to not only deal with the specific situation or request at hand, but anticipate other needs or wants which may be related.

An upset customer is the most the most difficult to deal with. Usually it’s best to have patience and allow them to vent first. Really, what they’re wanting is to be heard and to have their feelings validated. This is not personal, although the customer may use personal language. Whenever a customer is angry, this may be the time for you to really attempt to understand the facts of the particular situation by listening carefully. Be careful with your timing on using the echoing technique in these situations, as that could aggravate the client more.

Always apologize and let the customer realize that you care and are here to help. It doesn’t matter whether or not if there was no mistake made by you or your organization, the customer has to know that you care and are listening. Once you really understand the situation, you’re then in a situation to help and either explain what’s going to happen next or make it right then and there. You are able to validate their feelings and also express sympathy by letting them know that you’re certain how frustrating the situation is and that you’re sorry they are having these problems.

Try to come from where the customer is in any situation and you will succeed. Often, being attentive is the best way to understand the client and get to the bottom of their wants and desires. Once understanding has taken place, you can either explain the problem or go ahead and take necessary actions to appease the customer.

Practicing and using effective communication requires some patience and a genuine concern for finding out what the customer needs.

Market ’till it hurts!

Glenna Garcia

P.S.  Want to be sure that your email messages are read by your customers and potential customers every time?  Let Jimmy show you how effective communication is done!