Let’s start the showcase with the Twitter background. Important things I needed to include: Randi’s photo, Uncommon Threads jewelry logo, the fabric from the website and examples of the jewelry she creates.

Next up is the Facebook fan page that I set up for Uncommon Threads Jewelry. For the profile or “wall”, I combined her logo, website info and most popular piece of jewelry. I also uploaded a photo album of her top pieces and set up her blog to automatically publish onto her Facebook page:

Lastly, I mentioned above that I also created a custom Facebook landing/welcome page. Not sure what a landing page is? You can set up Facebook  pages to direct all potential “fans” to land on a custom tab. This tab is basically a mini-web page that can include – links to your website, any special promotion, and sign-up for your e-newsletter. Very cool!

If you are a regular reader of my website, you’ll know that I think that Facebook is a great tool for your small business. To build on that concept, I have debuted new social media package pricing for your small business. But hurry, the pricing is only available April 20 – May 20.

Social media for small businesses can be confusing. After all, as a small business you are most likely in charge of many different areas and don’t have a lot of free time. You may be wary of Twitter and Facebook and view them as time wasters. So, how do you become involved with social media and not get sucked into the wasting time vortex?

Have an online marketing strategy

If you map out general topics that you are an expert on throughout the year, you’ll never have a moment of “what should I write about today?” To find out how to create your own, read “How to create an online marketing strategy.”

Use free social media software

Use free software, such as Tweetdeck or my favorite, Hootsuite. You can update Linkedin, Twitter, a Facebook profile and a Facebook fan page all at once. No more having to login to 3 different sites to send a message. Plus, Hootsuite tracks how many clicks your links receive, shrinks your long URL’s and can track keywords. Another feature that will save you time – you can also schedule when your message goes out. In another words, if you know your week is fully booked, you could potentially set up the entire weeks messaging in one hour a week.

Just remember if someone comments, retweets or sends you a direct message make sure you still make time to respond. Social media is all about building relationships and interacting is part of building that trust.

Need help with your online marketing strategy? Don’t hesitate to email me with your questions at becca@bauerhaus.com.

Many times when I am meeting with a small business or startup and we are talking about their business online, I’ll ask if they have a Facebook fan page. Most, do not. They find the process confusing and don’t know where to start. Plus, its just one more thing to do on top of their long to-do list.

Why do you, as a small business or start-up need one? Check out these stats from Facebook:

• Facebook has more than 350 million active users
• 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook

Think about this: your clients are not going to log onto your website everyday, but more than half of all users log on to Facebook in any given day. That is over 175 million people you could potentially reach with a daily status message. Plus, a Facebook fan page offers these advantages:

1. Fan pages are visible to even those without a Facebook profile account. If you send a Twitter message or email  with a link, anyone can view the page.

2. Fan pages are indexed outside of Facebook. Meaning, if someone does an online search of your company, this is one more link that will come up.

3. Not sure who your target market is? Facebook fan pages can help you figure that out. Each page keeps statistics of who your followers are and who is participating. It will tell you if they are male or female, their age range, where they are located and what language they speak.

4. With a regular Facebook profile you are limited to 5,000 friends. With a Facebook Fan Page the number of fans is unlimited. This might not be a huge thing if you are just starting out, but always plan for your growth.

5. You can further establish your brand. People do business with people they trust. Social media is all about building the trust over time and Facbook is a great way to do that.

Do you have a Facebook fan page? Has it helped your business?

Now that you have discovered why your small business or start-up should have a fan page, move onto my next article – How to create a Facebook Fan page.

Create a page

To start setting up the page, go here to Facebook’s Fan page. Click on the green “create a page” button.

Categorize your business

Pick out what type of company you are. Are you a local company, like a restaurant? Are you a brand? Or a public figure? Take time to look through all of the options and pick which one suites your business best.

Pick your fan page name

Enter in your small business name. Tip: Make sure you type in the exact name you want to have, because you cannot change your name at a later time. This name will show up in your Facebook URL and be indexed by search engines.

Customize your page

Once you click on the blue “Create page” button it will take you to an empty page. Your page is now registered with Facebook, but before you make it public let’s customize it.

Add an image

Mouse over the top left box and the option to “add a picture” will pop up. Browse and select your company logo or if your business is known by you the owner, post a picture. Make sure the logo or photo matches all of your other branding.

Enter your company’s details

Next, click on the “info” tab at the top and enter in your business details. Tip: The “company overview” section will be the wording that Facebook uses to promote your fan page, even if you don’t pay for advertising. How? If several of your friends are fans of a Facebook page and you are not, your ad may appear on the right in the “suggestions” area saying “Jane Doe is a fan. Become a fan.”

Edit your page

On the left, just under your fan page picture or logo, click on “edit page.” This will take you to a page where you can edit who can see and post on your page, edit events, enable updates from a mobile number and much more.

Posting on your page

You can now start posting on your page. What should you include?

• New photos of your work or service
• Recent events
• Import your blog’s RSS feed
• Post video
• Import your Twitter feed

To get other ideas for your Facebook page you can browse other fan pages or look at my Bauerhaus Design page.

Make it public and invite friends

Now you are ready to make it public and invite friends. Tip: Don’t invite all at the same time. Do invite 10 or so per day. That way you are more likely to show up in the free ad over several days, not just one.

Remember Facebook is fun! Social media is all about building trust. Don’t hard sell, instead ask people for their opinions.

Need help setting up your page? Want a custom designed Landing page, like this one I created for Uncommon Threads Jewelry? See my special package pricing for details.