Category Archives: social media

My Favorite Facebook Apps and Other Useful Tools

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This list is always a work in progress, but I wanted to share with my readers some of my favorites.  Feel free to add your own in the comments.  I’m always up for learning new ways to simplify business.

APPS FOR CREATING CUSTOM PAGE TABS

22 Social is hands down my favorite! The possibilities are endless. It is not free, but you can try it free for 14 days. Their pro plan is $22 a month, or you can pay $222 per year and get 2 months free. I host almost all the apps on my Facebook page through 22 Social, especially my live webinars and virtual parties. For more info on how 22 Social can help you grow your business on Facebook, click here.

Woobox is a flexible Facebook app that has some free options for things like HTML Fangate, which is nice. The paid plans for contests and other features start as low as $1/month. But Woobox has great some free options that are great for beginners just getting started with Facebook apps. Check out THIS VIDEO on how to set up a catalog tab for free using Woobox.

ShortStack is another nifty app. It’s very versatile. You can create your own widgets or use their pre-built templates and themes to create something that looks great. The nice thing about ShortStack is that it’s Continue reading →

Monica Ramos on The Mind Aware Show

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For those in Direct Sales and Network Marketing, I wanted to let you know about a free training resource called The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers.  Some of you may have heard of this series and the host of the show, Dana Wilde.  For those who have not, Dana is the creator of Train Your Brain (TYB), which outlines the techniques she used to build her direct sales team from zero to a million dollars in record time.  For more info on TYB visit www.monicaramos.tv/tybfree (it’s the program I attribute 100% of my success to). 

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It’s the 5th season of The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers and the theme is “Straight from the Top!”  I’m excited to announce that this season, I WILL BE ONE OF THE GUEST SPEAKERS!!!!  The Mind Aware Show caters to home party-plan consultants, network marketers, and direct sales professionals looking for simple, time-saving, revenue building approaches to success.  I am very honored that Dana has asked me to be on this incredible panel of experts and industry leaders.  My interview airs on May 21st, but there are 23 other amazing leaders and trainers from various different companies being interviewed in this 4 week training series that begins May 5th.  So register right away to take advantage of this free training series.

The link to register FREE is www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite

Over this 4 week period in the month of May, Dana will be interviewing leaders from 24 direct sales companies offering their best tips on how to achieve success in this industry. If you miss an interview you will have the opportunity to get the replay as long as you are registered.  That link again is www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite and it’s completely free to listen to all 24 interviews.  The first one is Monday, May 5th.  Mine isn’t till May 21st but they are all going to be great, so register right away.  And share the link with your teams so they can all benefit from this training too!

Here are the topics that will be covered during this 4 week series:

Overcoming the Fear of Failure
Better Host Coaching
Getting Your Mojo Back
More Profitable Presentations
Sponsoring More People Faster
Getting Your Recruits Off to a Good Start
Organizing Your Office
Offering the Opportunity
Leading Your Team
Increasing Sales
Getting Bookings from Bookings
Upselling
Coaching Your Team Members
How to be Consistent in Your Business
Using Social Media
Picking Up The Phone
Running Effective Meetings
Maximizing Technology
Maintaining a Positive Mindset
Getting Outside Orders
Communicating with Your Customers
Balancing Work and Family Life
Working with Your Team
Getting a Full Calendar
Maximizing Facebook
Getting Referrals
Managing Your Time
And Much Much Much More!

If you can’t make all the live calls, you will get a replay emailed to you so long as you register: www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite

TO RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF MY INTERVIEW AS AN MP3 DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE! Limited time offer!

How to Run a Facebook Page Contest Easily, Legally, and FREE

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Things have changed recently (as they always do in Facebook World) and I have been getting a lot of questions about what can and can’t be done when running a Facebook contest since the rules were changed back in August 2013.  You can now run a contest without a third party app on your Page (not personal Profile/Timeline).  You can use Likes and Comments as a means of entry to your contest.  You can even announce the winner on your Page (something you could not do before).  But, one thing you can NOT do that I still see a lot of Page doing is ask users to SHARE in order to be entered to win.

Here’s a handy breakdown of what you can and can’t do to run a contest on your Page:
(from Social Media Examiner)

What You Can Do:

  • Require people to like a post and/or comment on a post to be entered
  • Require that someone post something directly on your timeline to enter (could be a text post or a photo)
  • Use likes as a voting method (either liking a post or photo on your timeline)
  • Require that someone message your page to enter
  • Announce the winner of the contest on your page
  • Require that to win the prize, entrants come back to your page to see who has won the contest
  • Use a Like button plugin on a website as a voting mechanism
  • Use an app plugin to post an entry to your contest directly on your page
  • Run your contest through a Facebook app

What You Can’t Do:

  • Require that people share a post or photo to be entered
  • Require someone to post something on their own personal timeline or a friend’s timeline to enter
  • Require people to tag themselves in a photo to either vote or enter
  • Have anyone who likes your page be entered to win (contest does not take place on the timeline)

To be clear on “sharing” (because this is the most misunderstood part), Page owners can encourage their fans to share the contest but sharing cannot be a form of entering the contest.  You can enter to win by liking or commenting.  You cannot enter by sharing.  Each like/comment can be a way to enter.  Sharing can NOT.  Click HERE for a link to great article by PostPlanner that gives some examples of what is not allowed.

Below are a couple of my favorite resources for running a FREE contest on your Page Timeline EASILY:

Contest Capture is an easy, free tool that lets you keep track of contest entries via Likes and Comments on a Post and export them into a .csv file.  You can then randomly select your winner by entering the total number of lines from your exported file onto a site like random.org.  Easy and free!

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Woobox is another great option for running a contest.  Selecting a winner by way of commenting or liking a post is one of their free tools.  Watch THIS VIDEO to see how to do it.

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Free is always great, but there are some advantages to using a paid app to run your Page promotions. If you are giving something away, you’ll want to capture an email address or some sort of contact information to add your contestants to your marketing list.  Most of the time, collecting emails through a third party Facebook app will mean you have to pay.  However, I will go over some FREE ways to do this (along with many other super tips) on my next free training webinar.  Sign up HERE and get a replay of my last webinar: How to Separate Business and Personal on Facebook.
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For a handy list from the awesome people at ShortStack of 5 ways to legally contact your contest winners, click on the image below:
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And, lastly, make sure your post includes the following information:
  • Your contest rules
  • A disclaimer that your promotion is not endorsed, sponsored, administered by, or associated with Facebook
  • And that anyone who enters agrees to the rules and releases Facebook of any obligation
Here are some additional resources to check out for more information:
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Any questions or comments, please leave them below.
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Commenting On Blogs As Your Business Page

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First of all, I know it has been a long time since I’ve written a blog post but I have been focusing more on my video tips lately and this poor blog site has been left neglected too long. I will eventually be moving my videos into this blog but this is a quick tip that I can do with 3 easy screen shots so no need for a video this time.

Most people know that one of the best ways to get traffic to your web site is to comment on other people’s blogs with a link back to yours. Often times you can log in via Facebook but that only links back to your personal profile, not your business page. Here’s a way to comment using the Facebook plugin, but AS YOUR PAGE, not your personal profile.

Now, not all blog sites are set up to allow this type of posting, but I’m noticing more often that many of them are set up this way.

1. When you get to the bottom of a post and you see the option to “Change” who you are posting as, click on it.

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2. You will be given the option to select one of your business pages from a drop down menu like this:

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3. Select the page you want to post as and make your comment.  You will see that you are now “Posting as [YOUR PAGE]”.

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Now when someone clicks on your page name on this comment thread they will be directed to your business page.

For more tips like this, be sure to LIKE FB4DS.COM on Facebook!

Facebook: Link Your Employer Info to Your Page

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UPDATE 12/6/14: There is a step-by-step video on how to do this using the current version of Facebook.  Click HERE to view it.
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Here’s a question that comes up a lot:  I’m self employed.  How do I change “works for” to “owner” in my profile?

The first thing you need to do is create a “page” for your business.  Click HERE for instructions on how to do that if you do not already have one.  Make sure you are logged into Facebook as your Profile, not your Page before following the steps below.  Instructions on how to switch back and forth between your Page and your Profile, and how to tell the difference, can be found in the same post mentioned above on how to create a page for your business.

1: On your profile, click edit

2: Click on Education and Work (delete anything you have there that is linking to anything other than you)

3: Type in the name of your fan page to link it. If you want you can change the title of your position to self-employed or CEO, many just leave it at “Works at…” You can write in whatever you’d like.  In the example below it says “Visit my fan page at” just before the link to the Fan Page.

How to Create a Facebook Page for Your Business

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This content is being updated to reflect the most recent changes to Facebook regarding Pages. Please check back soon and thank you for you patience.

A Facebook Page is a public page on the web that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users (aka your fans).

Name your Page

The name you give your Page is permanent, so make sure it’s the one your fans and customers will recognise.

Upload photos

You’ll be able to upload an unlimited number of photos. The most important is the Profile picture that Facebook users will see (as a thumbnail) in News Feed when their friends interact with you. A logo, storefront or group photo may work well. Make sure the image is still clear when reduced to thumbnail size.

Make it useful and engaging

What will turn your Facebook fans into paying customers, and vice versa? If you are a restaurant or bar, detailed info like address and opening hours will help. If you’re a band or a film, adding songs and videos is key. If you’re a brand or product, photos of your offering and hyperlinks to independent reviews will make an impact. Gather what you’ve got handy and you can always add more later.

 

Step 1: Pick a category and name

Pick the category that best fits what you’d like to promote on Facebook. Don’t worry if you don’t find a perfect fit, but pick the closest match since you won’t be able to change your category.

The name of the Page should be exactly the same as the name of the business, organisation, product, band or individual it represents.

Click “Create Page”.

Step 2: Add a Profile picture

Click “upload a picture” near the top and upload the graphic or photo that best represents you. Make sure that your brand is clear even as a “thumbnail”, since the image will appear at that reduced size throughout the site (for example, on fans’ Profiles and on their friends’ Home pages).

Step 3: Add information

Click “Add information to this Page” underneath the Profile picture and enter as much basic and detailed information as you can. The fields available will depend on your Page type. The more details you can add about who you are, what you do, and when and where customers can buy your products, the more successful you will be.

Step 4: Make it rich and engaging

Like user Profiles, Pages have multiple tabs. By default, your Page has a Wall tab for you and your fans to share content, an Info tab for you to share business information and a Boxes tab for application modules. You can choose to devote entire tabs to several Facebook applications, such as Photos, Reviews and Discussion Board. In addition, applications built by outside developers can choose to use Page tabs.

The more rich content you add, the more ways users can interact with it and spread that connection to their friends. Post photos of products, employees and customers. Add video clips of your bar or restaurant in action. ‘Behind the scenes’ content often works well. List an event for your grand opening or in-store sale. Write a note about forthcoming promotions. The choices are yours and all these features are free and unlimited.

You can also add applications by outside developers to customise your Page further:

  • A restaurant might add the Reservations application to let users book a table without leaving the Page.
  • A film might add Movie Times and Tickets to help users find nearby screenings again, without ever leaving the Page.
  • A small business owner might add the Visa Business Network application to connect with peers.

Thousands of applications are waiting for you. Need help? Browse other Pages in your category to discover applications that will help serve your customers.

Step 5: Publish

Click the “publish this Page” link to share your Page with the world. Unlike a phonebook listing or website, this public Profile has the power to let your customers engage their friends on your behalf.

Optimise your Page’s performance by clicking the “Edit Page” link and setting a variety of controls. For instance, you can control the default landing tab for users who are not yet fans of your Page. You can also choose whether or not to allow fans to share Wall posts, photos and more; allowing these will enrich your Page and increase its reach across Facebook.

Facebook Adverts can link to your Page, reach your exact target audience and increase your fan base. Since Facebook can automatically enhance your adverts with stories about these fans engaging with your Page, advertising your Page can generate a virtuous cycle of consumer engagement over time.

To link to your Facebook Page from elsewhere around the Web, use a “Find us on Facebook” badge. Don’t forget to like your own Page! Share it with friends by clicking the “Share” button in the lower left of the Wall or Info tab.

Step 6: Update regularly

Updating your Page regularly with fresh photos, forthcoming events and the latest promotions means your Page won’t just look like a Profile, it will feel like one, and that will keep users coming back. Facebook users are used to getting information sorted by what happened most recently. If you keep your Page active, which you can do through mobile integrations and applications, you’ll find that your fans are more engaged and more interactive.

You can also send some or all of them messages by clicking “Send an Update to Fans” in the upper-left of your Page (under the profile picture). Updates are useful for sending out announcements like promotions, sales or events. For more information on how to use Pages, please see Facebook’s Help Section.