In the world of Facebook, change is the only constant. True to form, they recently announced yet another set of changes – this time relating to Pages. Here’s the 411 on what you need to know:

• Pages will be swiched to the Timeline format on March 30th. You can make the change now, or you can play with it now and make it live later in the month.
• You’ll have the large (851×315 px) “Cover Photo” image at the top of your page. Also, your profile picture can no longer be a long, horizontal banner – you’ll now have to squeeze it into a 125×125 px square.
• Your Cover Photo can no longer have a call to action or contact information listed. Big minus in my book!
• You can now make certain posts “sticky” for 7 days, forcing them to show up at the top of your posts.
• You can no longer force visitors to see a certain tab (landing page) when they visit your Page. Your custom tabs are still there though and you can highlight 3 tabs at the bottom of your Cover Photo.
• Your fans can now direct message you from the page – potentially a big plus for leads & customer service.
• You can add items & dates to your timeline, highlighting your company’s history and accomplishments.

Here are some resources for you to learn more:

• The official scoop from Facebook on the changes.
• A summary of changes from HyperArts.
• Ideas on using your Cover Photo creatively.
• Using your Timeline effectively.

Facebook Secrets for Small Business:

10 Secrets of Facebook + 1 Critical Mistake You Need to Avoid

Join me on this free Teleseminar and discover:

10 reasons your business needs to be on Facebook

 The businesses that benefit most from a Facebook presence

 1 critical mistake to avoid when setting up your Facebook presence

 The difference between a Profile, a Page and a Group

 Tips on balancing the personal and professional use of Social Media

 10 Secrets of Facebook success

What our past attendees have said:

“Wow! You have a real gift for making the unknown look comfortable and approachable!” (Walt)

“Cindy – your “Social Media” seminar has already exceeded my expectations and we aren’t even half way through! You rock!” (Debi)

“Cindy’s approach to teaching is stealing away my fears and anxieties. This class is opening my eyes to the potential of Social Networking.” (Dan)

Join me on Friday, March 2 at 11:00 am MDT (1:00 pm EDT)

The class is free, but you do need to register below!

Can’t make the live call? Don’t worry - everyone who registers will receive the class recording at no cost!

As a bonus, you’ll also receive a free copy of our “Essential Guide to Facebook”.

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I look forward to helping you expand your business’ online reach!

Cindy Opong

Many small businesses have discovered the benefits of using Facebook to connect with their customers. Yet many of these same businesses have made a critical error in setting up their Facebook presence and as a result, run the risk of their presence being shut down for violating Facebook’s Terms of Service.

What is this common mistake? Setting up your business as a Profile instead of a Page or a Group. There are 2 easy ways to check:

1. Do you have to log out of your personal profile and then log back in under your business email?
2. When a non-friend or non-fan visits your Facebook profile or page, do they see an “Add Friend” button?

If either of these is true for your business presence on Facebook, then you are likely in violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service and are not taking full advantage of having your business on this popular social media platform. Facebook is set up for a Profile (where you have a unique login/password and can have “Friends”) to be used by actual people only. So a brand such as “Creative Assistants” cannot have a Profile.

So what should we do instead? Create a business Page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php). This Page is totally separate from your personal profile and your personal profile is set as an “Administrator” for that Page (you can name other admins too). You do not have to friend everyone who wants to connect to your business (a huge plus for those of us who post personal info on our Profiles!). You will not run into friend limits if your brand is popular. You will have more opportunities for marketing, advertising, and customization of your Page.

It’s a common mistake, but one that can be remedied – the earlier the better!

Chances are, you have a Facebook account. It’s a great place to keep up with family and friends, or maybe a way to see the more personal side of clients or colleagues. As a business owner (especially if your customers are consumers), you may be realizing the value of having your company on Facebook too and building a following there. So you should probably create a separate Facebook account for your business, right?

Hold on! Before you create a second Facebook account or start using Facebook for business, there are a few very important things to know:

You can only have 1 Facebook Profile

Each individual may have 1 Facebook Profile (i.e. login). You cannot have a Facebook Profile for a business. Check out Facebook’s Terms of Service or FAQ on this subject if you want more information.

So what is a Facebook Profile? This is your main Facebook account, the one where you can accept people as “Friends”, post your vacation pictures, play games, and talk with your friends about… anything that you like. You can set your privacy settings so that only your Friends can view what you write on your wall, the comments you make to friends, the pictures you post, your personal contact information, etc. While many people do indeed post work related items on their profiles (I do frequently), your profile is really a place for you to be personal.

How do you use Facebook for business?

The way to get your business on Facebook is to create a Facebook Page. Although you have to create the page from your personal Profile, those who “Like” your Facebook Page won’t see anything from your personal Profile unless they’re already your Friends.

A Facebook Page is the place for you to talk about business. Anyone can connect with your page without seeing all your personal information and posts. Your connections can grow to unlimited numbers (the limit on your Profile is 5000 friends). Some things you can do on or with your Page:

• Talk about what you do and the services you provide.
• Give readers tips and tricks on your area of expertise.
• Encourage contacts to sign up for your newsletter.
• Run contests.
• Conduct polls.
• Start discussions and interact with those who Like your Page.
• Create a custom landing tab where you educate new visitors about what you do or direct them to a special.
• Update contacts quickly and easily (you can only message 20 people at a time via your personal Profile).
• Create a Specials tab that only those who have “Liked” your Page can see.

A Page is like a website – anyone can visit and get information about your business. Your personal information and posts are protected unless you decide to Friend someone from the Page.

What about Facebook Groups?

Facebook Groups are designed more for groups of people with a common interest.  Things like a church group, participants in a class,  alumni of a college, etc. Groups can be private (only members see group activity) or public and you can choose to restrict/moderate membership. Groups can email up to 5000 members at a time but have limited functionality when it comes to customization and applications.

Here’s a great breakdown from Mari Smith on Pages vs. Groups.

If you’re new to Twitter, you may be a bit perplexed about how it works and why you should bother using it for business. You aren’t alone if you have that deer-in-the-headlights look!

The good news is that you can learn it and get up to speed pretty quickly. A lot of this will come by way of following and watching what others are doing.

Here are some tips to get you started on Twitter:

1. Sign up with a user name that represents your brand or uses a keyword. It should be memorable, but not too long as length matters in the Twitter world!
2. Next, fill out your profile completely. In your bio, let people know about you & your personality. Mix business with pleasure a bit – we want to know that you’re human. Include your city so others nearby can find you.
3. Post a few updates before you start following a bunch of people. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, but the early tweets are a good time to let others know what you’ll be posting in the future, what your interests are, etc. Resist the urge to self-promote or sell your products in the beginning (and when you do later, do so sparingly!).
4. Start following people you know, businesses you like, colleagues, etc. Look for the Twitter icon on webpages you visit or search sites like http://twitterholic.com or http://mrtweet.net.
5. Once you’re up and running, work on making connections and building relationships with others daily. Just a few minutes a day can catapult you to Twitter success.

Here are 2 great free ebooks that will help you get started on Twitter:

www.twitterhandbook.com
www.geekpreneur.com/twitter-ebook

And here’s what you need to know about Twitter Etiquette:

http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Twitter+Etiquette

For more direction and resources on Twitter, download my Essential Twitter Guide. I’ve sorted through all the online noise to bring you the top tools and resources for Twitter that you need to know about! And of course, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter – you’ll find me @copong.

This is a great post by blog guru Denise Wakeman on why you should have a blog even if you’re an avid Facebook user. Great food for thought and a reminder that you need to back up your content, regardless of where it resides!

http://www.buildabetterblog.com/2009/07/why-blog-when-youve-got-facebook.html