The Net Impact

TNI and XG-AD Combine Forces to Create Website for Premium Motorcycle Comfort Seating System

AIRHAWK, a comfort seating system for motorcycles manufactured by ROHO Group Inc., announces the March 18, 2010 launch of their website, www.airhawk.net. The Net Impact and XG-ad, a full service advertising agency specializing in print advertising, combined services to create the website design for the comfort seating system’s website, which is powered by the Auctori, web content management system (WCMS) built for search engine optimization.

AIRHAWK’s parent company, The ROHO Group Inc., approached our team to work with AIRHAWK’s print advertising agency, XG-ad, to create the web design for the premium product’s website. We took XG-AD’s Phohotshop design work, and made it web ready before placing it into the Auctori web content management system. The Auctori solution provides AIRHAWK with the opportunity to strengthen their Internet presence and their overall brand reputation by giving users a cutting edge yet professional site as well as the power to maintain their content in real time.

“This was one of the smoothest web launches I’ve managed.  We had the best of both worlds for design and internet marketing utilizing The Net Impact and XG-Ad.  The design is edgy and fresh while the back-end that I oversee is so user-friendly, easy to understand and of course, completely search engine optimized.  These two companies made a great team and in the end, produced a fantastic site that we are very proud of and excited to promote,” said Rebecca Heckert, eMarketing Coordinator, The ROHO GROUP.

Read the Full Press Release!

“The New Decade of Social Relationships”

Join a great lineup of marketing specialists, including Steve Thomas, President of The Net Impact, St. Louis-based Internet Marketing Company, on February 26th, 2010 at Maryville University, for a 1/2 day seminar presented by the American Marketing Association - St. Louis Chapter.  AMA-STL’s annual student conference is well known as one of the premier marketing conferences in the Midwest. Connect with hundreds of students and marketing professionals and learn from the experts at this year’s seminar -  ”The New Decade of Social Relationships”.  Register today!

Here’s some Internet Marketing and Web Design Yuletide Cheer from The Net Impact …

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all cross the ‘net,
Marketers were hoping, Click-throughs, their site to get.
The stockings were hung by the modem with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas would leave new software.

The retailers were twittering instead of in their beds,
While visions of last minute shoppers danced in their heads.
The online forums were busy with commotion,
as I had just settled down for the latest Facebook promotion.

When in my email inbox there arose such a buzz,
I logged off my Facebook page to see what this fuss was.
Then what to my tired eyes should appear,
But an inbox packed full of late holiday cheer!

O’ how my Google analytics had flew,
So many hits, I didn’t know what to do!�
With visitors and goals increasing so quick,
I knew in a second it had to be the pay per click.

“Now Google, Bing and Facebook searches are mounting!
My metrics are filled with clicks to be a counting!”

Now my search engine rankings on a daily basis fly,
I’ve never had so many potential clients interested to buy.
So many visitors’ my website did attract,
I knew all this online success was due to The Net Impact.

My web design looks great on every PC,
This has caused quite the jump in visit frequency.
TNI knows great customer experience is all in the details,
This is why I am bringing in the sales!

The Net Impact’s wish is this: may your site bring you gold,
And may all of your holiday wishes end up above the fold! 

The Net Impact’s Holiday Gift to You!

Interested in learning more about Google Analytics?

In light of the Holiday Season, The Net Impact would like to offer 2-hour Google Analytics training sessions for only $99. Our specialists will train your employees on the Google Analytics system and on how to use the reporting for success. Training sessions can be arranged as webinars or off-site meetings based upon your company’s needs. Contact The Net Impact to find out more about our training session special and how to take your analytics to the next level!

What’s been going on at The Net Impact? – Check out our December Newsletter to find out!

 The presentation focused on:

-Understanding your Google Analytics Dashboard

-Navigating the Google Analytics report suite

-Defining the metrics that matter most

-Setting up goals to track conversion

The engaging conversation highlighted all of the advantages, latest features and benefits of Google Analytics. One of the topics covered was tracking social media traffic. Erica emphasized the importantance of tracking social media sites on the campaign level to effectively gather and analyze social media analytics.With Google Analytics, you can thoroughly analyze results using the various filters and components Google Analytics offers.  For example, tracking social networking sites will show you social media traffic sources in relation to your overall site traffic. This will in turn give you a good idea of which social media tools are working most effectively for your brand.

Web Account Manager, Erica Sharinghausen leading the discussion on understanding your Google Analytics Dashboard

What is a good bounce rate for my website?” …. “How do I track my Facebook Advertising? … ”What metrics should I pay the most attention to?”

These were just a few of the questions answered “at The Net Impact’s Introduction to Google Analytics seminar, which was geared to introduce business professionals to the basics of web analytics. Erica shared valuable insights on how to utilize Google Analytics to optimize online marketing, improve website performance and increase conversions.  Attendees left with a better understanding of how Google Analytics works and what tools and reports would best serve their individual business.

The Most Important lessons learned from the presentation

- Adjust spending on paid keywords that have high bounce rates

- Identify your problem – unpaid keywords with high bounce rates

- Identify landing pages that need to be more relevant or need stronger calls to action

-Setting up goals to track online success

The Net Impact Team would like to thank everyone who participated in the Introduction to Google Analytic Seminar and we are  looking forward to having many more interesting informational sessions to come!

Check out these great photos and videos from Wednesday night’s seminar!

Online public relations increases search engine visibility

Until recently,  companies and PR Firms wrote press releases in a very uniform fashion designed for the eyes of the traditional journalist. But the evolution of online public relations has created an entirely new approach to the writing and distributing process of press releases.

The purpose behind most online public relations efforts is to increase overall online exposure, which will in turn direct more people to visit your targeted website.  Increased online exposure can lead to greater brand development, a stronger relationship with your public, increased interest from the media, more connections with potential partners and increased lead generation causing greater revenue.

Any topic that will be of interest to prospects, the media and potential partners (such as a new product launch, industry news, events, community activities, etc…) can be used to construct a press release that is search engine optimized and distributed online. Then, distributing optimized press release via newswires has the power to directly reach millions of Internet users, generate inbound links to your website and raise search engine visibility of your website. The Net Impact’s most often used press release distributor is PRWeb, an excellent proven third party partner for publication of your online press releases, with an average charge of $200 per release.

Most newswire services offer you an exact report on how many people accessed your optimized release. This is an essential tool in gauging your reads and impressions.  In addition, through other analytical tools, such as Google Analytics, you can determine when someone follows a link to your targeted website through your optimized press release.

Now that online news sites such as Yahoo News and Google News contain such an abundance of press release content and RSS feeds, it is easy to syndicate news. An optimized press release can get you a page one SERP result for your relevant keywords in the search engines, news engines and news websites. So we see that press releases are not only an effective tool for distributing content to the media and consumers, they are easily syndicated creating an excellent opportunity to attract organic traffic and incoming links.

 A well written online press release has the ability to:

1.) Capture the attention of editors, journalists and bloggers looking for compelling topics for news stories

2.) Live on the web indefinitely. Press Releases are  published to various websites and blogs, giving your content a long shelf life as the content is never deleted creating enduring links.

3.) Create conversation on social networks.The press release link will be shared indefinitely through social media marketing, such as Twitter and Facebook

4.) Be viewed by new prospects – your target audience.

*As a result of all of these activities, hyperlinks will generate that will point back to the release creator’s targeted web site.

How to re-purpose a press release.

Once the press release has been released, there are still opportunities for increased exposure. The Net Impact Recommends:

-Writing a company blog post with the press release content

-Sharing the announcement using Twitter                                                                                        

-Posting an update on the press release on your Facebook                                   

-Adding the press release to the news page on your company website

-Posting any media collateral on other social sites

-Sharing the press release on your company newsletter

-Distributing the press release internally so associates can share it with their friends and business partners

Lastly, creating a calendar for PR that plans a regular expectation for your potential publishers is important.  Frequent and consistent news will generate more interest in your pieces as publishers begin to rely upon them. 

 Don’t forget, the best public relations strategy is to find a worthwhile angle to a story and create excellent content that is visible to your target audience. Combining creative ability and optimization skills to create compelling, keyword relevant press releases will only prove to be a rewarding public relations effort for your company.

 If online press releases sound like something your company should be doing but you do not know the right approach,  have the time or the resources, Contact The Net Impact to help you begin your online public relations effort in an organized manner. The Net Impact’s public relations services include press release copy-writing and press release submission through third party online platforms.. We can help you implement a successful public relations strategy into your overall marketing plan.

 Yes, even lawyers can be social

Just a little over ten years ago, lawyers saw websites as simply another entry point to their firms, the other entry points being their office phone and of course, their firm’s front doors. But today’s overwhelming increase in the activity on social networks by legal  professionals, has created an exponential number of entry points for law firms. According to the recently released, 2009 American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey Report, one in eight firms uses social networks. The report also stated that tools that use the Internet are significantly increasing the productivity of lawyers and decreasing their wasted time.

When used to a lawyer or law firm’s best advantage, social media has the power to serve as an effective public relations tool that has the power to increase awareness of a lawyer’s expertise, knowledge or experience in their practice area. In addition social media has the ability to create and build on relationships that will make a positive impact not only on a lawyer’s image, but also on their overall career.

Four ways legal professionals can benefit from social media
 

1.) Enables the exchange of valuable information

The consistent exchange of information is the essence of social media. An example of this would be reading or writing a blog post. Blogging is particularly useful for enhancing one’s legal knowledge. An attorney who commits to maintaining a blog, or frequently participating in conversation on social networks,  builds credibility as they  develop and refine substantive expertise in their area of practice through their online content. Discussing developments through writing and online interaction requires a very concentrated effort and is an ideal way for a lawyer to share their expertise and establish themselves as a leader in their area. In addition, most blogs allow readers to leave comments in response to posts, and many bloggers use this feature to carry on dialogue with readers.

Due to the possibility of user-generated content and ongoing communication, a single blog post can function as an excellent learning tool for a number of people. Many lawyers may reference their own blogs or the blogs of others in their field to research daily questions that may arise. Another positive benefit is if someone is looking for a lawyer in your area of expertise and sees that you are committed and are passionate enough about your career to blog regularly on the topic –  you may be placed a step above your competitors in their minds. Apart from gaining substantive insight and sharing valuable information, social media sites, such as  Twitter, can function as a great resource to find people who are talking about a very specific topic.

In the October Issue of Missouri Lawyers Weekly, I recently came across an excellent article that shared an example of how lawyers can use  Twitter as a tool to find out where a  certain conversation is taking place . According to the article by Jane Pribek, entitled “Twitter Tools for Tech-Savvy Attorneys”, Milwaukee lawyer Sean M. Sweeny, of Hailing & Cayo S.C., utilizes the popular twitter application.”You can enter search terms, and it will create categories where there are posts with only those terms. For example, I’ve been interested in the Milwaukee sick leave ordinance lately, so I entered that as a search term and some some interesting posts on the topic,”  said Sweeny. 

2.) Expands your professional network and opens up opportunities

Social media will put you in touch with others who are interested in your subject area, and getting to know these various groups online will provide you with possible collaborators, employees or employers. Through this personalized means of communication, you can connect with other attorneys, students, reporters and of course reconnect with old and new friends, and each new person you connect with has different value and potential.

According to a LinkedIn spokeswoman, there are 90,000 attorneys with LinkedIn profiles, and 212,000 people registered there as being in the law practice industry. With numbers like this, it is becoming increasingly easy for lawyers to utilize social networking tools to effectively network. For example, a partner at a firm may be looking to hire a lawyer and may come across your LinkedIn profile and present you with a job opportunity, that may not have presented itself had you not developed a strong presence on.  Also, since social networking sites are search engine friendly, don’t  be surprised if you get a phone call from a member of the press asking you to provide insight for a story or to publicize a recently won case.

3.) Social media has the power to humanize your firm
People want to hire other people, not businesses. While it is vital for your firm to have a  website to establish credibility and to provide all of the necessary information, it can be advantageous for attorneys to cultivate a uniquely individual online presence through social media. The overlap between social and professional makes lawyers more personable and more approachable. A major asset to social media is the ability to establish rapport online. Potential clients may be less intimidated to pick up the phone and call or email you if they feel like they know you. Sometimes being able to match a name with a face can increase their trust and comfort level, and put you a step above a competing firm that is a not as personable. People want to be able to speak with a specific person, and many times social networks can place a face with a name.

For example, a Facebook profile demonstrates you have a life outside the law office, and reminds clients that you are a person just like them. What’s more, your use of social media can benefit the profession by functioning as a public service. It is a simple fact that people looking for legal information go online. If you have written about or discussed some topic on which someone needs help, you have in a sense, provided a pro-bono service.

4.) And last but not least, social media can attract potential clients.
One thing we have uncovered through our experience in creating legal websites, is that social media is bringing profound change to law firm marketing. Word of mouth marketing, the leading source of work for the best lawyers, now ocurrs on the Internet. Due to social media sites. clients, potential clients and other attorneys alike can post comments on an individual lawyer or firm, and due to the unique characteristics of social networks, these comments are highly visible in search engines.

Building a positive reputation online and off, is the most effective public relations tool there is and brings in the best clients. Social media has the ability to spread your reputation far and wide to a variety of projects that may have otherwise not been aware of services.    

In conclusion, lawyers who successfully leverage social media tools to communicate, collaborate and network have a distinct advantage over those who do not. The most effective way for lawyers to use social media is to talk to people, not at them. Engage in conversation with others, don’t simply advertise your services or firm. Share information about your yourself and your personal experiences, and most Importantly, don’t be afraid to take off your  “attorney hat” and talk like you would in everyday conversation with friends, social media should be fun too! 

Legal web design and marketing,  is one of our specialties at The Net Impact. Whatever look and feel your law firm desires of its law firm’s online presence, we can help you accomplish it. We are confident that our skills in attorney marketing, social media and web design, can help your law firm’s web site reach the top. Contact The Net Impact today for a complete law firm marketing solution that is customized specifically to meet your law firm’s web site objectives.

A Website can Function as a Credible Marketing Tool for Law Firms

 The Internet is overflowing with law firm websites that all present a very similar message. For this reason, it is extremely important that your law firm has a creative, yet professionally designed website that captures the interest of visitors and holds their attention long enough to convince them that you are the firm that can meet their specific needs. Simply building a website for your law firm is not enough. The website has to be built in a fashion that is user-friendly, professionally designed, visually appealing, informative and also search engine optimized. A poor overall appearance combined with confusing navigation and outdated content will leave your potential clients clicking away to your competitors.

From an internal management perspective, too often a legal website is static, meaning even the simplest changes to the website can get bogged down in an IT to-do list or create added expense from outside technical services. An excellent solution to this problem is using a content management system to build your law firm’s website to have a professionally designed site that can be updated at anytime, from any location by the lawyers and other staff themselves. Content management systems are expediting communications on the company web  among law firm personnel.

How will using a CMS benefit my Firm?

-Content management systems are customizable software solutions. Designed specifically in accordance with the discerning needs of the corporate infrastructure, CMS is all about ease, convenience and the utmost productivity.

-It’s secure. The CMS assures that the right departments and people are authorized to review and add content.

-CMSs deliver efficiency. Partners who are out of the office or working from home can receive and respond to time sensitive information.

With a CMS, you are not only  simplifying interdepartmental productivity. In the marketing sphere, content management systems multitask as a viable marketing tool.

3 ways content management systems can function as an effective marketing tool:

Establish a firm’s credibility in a specific area of law.
A website serves as a firm’s online portfolio. It is a place to announce new laws, litigation scores and other unclassified client-case information. Having the  access to keep this information fresh and updated will send the message out to potential clients that your firm is up-to-date, well-organized and a step above a competitor.

Expose a law firm to media visibility.
Content management systems are developed to syndicate news and events to search engines, ultimately disseminating information among media outlets. Whether it’s a high profile case or a law firm’s achievements, a CMS makes it easy to publish and firm updates and legal victories.

It will be easier for potential clients to seek you out on the web.
Most people refer to the Internet to research legal services. Many web content management systems are built specifically for Search Engine Optimization purposes. This will increase that a potential client will come across your website in search of legal services.

Not all new software integrations are a nightmare. The transition to a content management system is non-intrusive. It does not impose any network outages or require daily operations. Content management systems are customized to accommodate a law firm’s unique communication requirements, making the adjustment and simple and worthwhile process. As for the learning curve, CMS training is minimal. Once the functionality and design decisions have been determined, it is easy to start inserting content and images.

In the end,  using a CMS to market your firm’s area of specialty is an economical and user-friendly marketing tool – well worth the return on investment.

A law firm’s website should attract new clients, communicate with existing ones and aid in the sharing of information among the lawyers of the firm. If an attorney website is skillfully constructed and has regularly updated content, it can prove to be an effective tool for marketing your firm and presenting your business in a professional manner. Law firms should view their website as a living, ever-changing and interactive space for their communities, as opposed to a place to simply lump articles, biographies and press releases. A content management solution may just be the simple solution your law firm needs to meet all of it’s online needs.

The Net Impact’s CMS solution of choice  for law firms is Auctori:Law founded upon the Content Management System Auctori. Unified Development, Inc. (Unidev®) designed the CMS in association with several law firms to give attorneys and legal professionals an easy to use, but powerful system to update and maintain their professionally designed website. To see two excellent examples of Auctori:law™ in action, please visit The Stolar Partnership, LLP www.stolarlaw.com and Paul J. Passanante, PC & Associates at www.passanantelaw.com.

The value and significance of the legal industry demands a certain website environment that The Net Impact has been able to perfect. The Net Impact Team fosters an understanding of your profession and the aggressive marketplace that you are competing within. Contact The Net Impact today to learn more about how we can help your law firm enhance their online prescense!

Are you finding a huge discrepancy between your Facebook Analytics and your Google Analytics?

You are not alone. As social media advertising opportunities continue to emerge, the emphasis on the importance of reliable web analytics is more important than ever. Web analytics are a pillar of any successful social marketing campaign. Analytics provide an accurate report of traffic coming from networking sites on which you are conducting marketing efforts, and serve as a vital tool in aligning traffic results with your marketing goals.

Facebook Ads are a very low cost and deeply targeted social marketing option. While Facebook  is a brilliant platform for matching your product to a niche market, advertisers are coming across a common problem in consistency when tracking Facebook Ads via Google Analytics. The clicks advertisers are paying for from Facebook are not matching the recorded hits from Facebook on Google Analytics.

So what is the problem? Google is not tracking the traffic source as Facebook. It is likely that your ads are going through a redirect or a rewrite that is causing both the referring data and the URL parameters to be stripped off. Facebook redirects users when sending them to the site. Therefore Google Analytics does not trace the source back to Facebook, due the redirect striping from the referring code.

Is there a way to effectively monitor my Facebook Traffic using Google Analytics?

 The answer is “Yes”. Don’t worry Facebook is not scamming you.  There is a simple solution to this frustrating problem, tag your Facebook Ad itself with the source so that it can be captured when someone comes to your website. Luckily, these can be quickly generated using Google’s URL Builder Tool.  Appending a unique identifier to a link, tells Google that, “Any actions by this visitor should be attributed to this particular campaign.” By linking a Facebook Ad to a tagged URL, you are classifying the traffic for Google Analytics.

If your Google Analytics Account has been linked to an active Google AdWords account (Google’s PPC Advertising platform) there is no need to tag your AdWords links. When someone hits this page; the tracking script automatically pulls the information in and categorizes it.

Another option for tracking Facebook Traffic using Google Analytics is using a unique landing page for your Facebook ads. Google analytics will then show you which hits come from your Facebook ad and let you analyze bounce rate, unique visitors, click numbers etc. Then visits to this unique landing page from Facebook would have the source and campaign name set as “Facebook”, and the medium set as “social”.

Although the tracking of Facebook ads does not have to be complicated, many advertisers may not be aware of the restrictions of tracking social media using Google Analytics. All of your tracking and campaign management efforts can go to waste if basic analytic maintenance is not accurately recorded.

In order to have a successful marketing campaign that includes social networking efforts,  the campaign must be consistently and accurately monitored. The attention to detail when reviewing analytics is necessary to produce realistic and actionable data –  a cornerstone in analyzing the impact of your social media marketing campaign.

Contact The Net Impact for more information on Google Analytics Consulting or for assistance with tracking your online campaigns.

Become a Fan of The Net Impact on Facebook!

Integrating Your Website With Social Media Exposes Your Brand to the Masses

Just a year ago, it was unheard of to combine microsites with social media to get your message out to current clients and potential customers in a more effective and cost-efficient way. What respectable business had a Facebook site and who in the world tweeted?  But, 2009’s explosion of social media has generated many techniques to create dialogue and receive feedback in  ways never before imagined.  Yes, your firm can Facebook and tweet in a professional and productive manner.

In this generation of user-generated content, companies are realizing they cannot only expect consumers to find them through the major search engines. While this is still fundamental and a website functions as a primary means to entice the consumer to “meet” the company, many businesses have also invested time in using social media networks to go directly to where their consumers “meet”. Especially in today’s economy when many companies are looking to cut back on their marketing budgets, the low cost of creating a social media site to establish an online brand presence and generate leads is a quick, inexpensive and effective solution.

So does the growing popularity of social media sites kill the need for a website? ….We don’t think so.

An effective marketing strategy integrates your website with a variety of media approaches, social media networks being an important piece of this puzzle. The benefits of having a company website are endless, and websites are a marketing tool that social media sites simply cannot match. The real time attribute of a social media site occurs when a social media profile is viewed as a tool to enhance a website. Updating your company’s web page and your social media profiles at the same time, can produce links with indefinite visibility, which in return has the potential to increase overall traffic and conversion to your site. Social media sites can also enhance the visual appeal and overall feel of your website by providing a more interactive experience for visitors. By incorporating social media features, such as YouTube videos or blogs, into your website, you can create your own brand focused community that allows for user generated content.

Think of social networks as a friendly gateway to your company website or microsite. Seeding your site with social networks spreads content far and wide through search engines, as well as through contacts who are already a part of your social networking communities – places where rapport has already been established. People tend to share their experiences, good or bad, with their social networking communities – people they have built a connection with. So find out where your audience’s conversations are taking place and establish a strong presence. When social media sites are operated effectively they have the power to steer your audience to your website, resonate with your visitors, humanize your brand and deliver content to the masses in the click of a mouse.

Social media sites function to grab your visitor’s attention and leave them wanting to come to your site to learn more; so, make your messages intriguing, your profile informative and the look of your social media site attractive. Every photo you put up on Facebook, every message mashed into 140 words on Twitter and every story-telling video posted on YouTube reflects your company’s image and message, and may just be the “link” that drives the next big business deal to your website.

• The King and Prince Resort
• Retrowonders
• Artistic Sensations

The Net Impact can help you incorporate social  media into a creative and well-designed marketing campaign which encompasses the planning, listening, understanding, engaging and monitoring of your company’s social media accounts.

We understand that in this economy, many companies are cutting back on their marketing efforts. Contact The Net Impact to learn how we can help you expose your brand without breaking your budget!

Will Having a Facebook Presence Really Help my Business?

I remember when my University got Facebook my freshman year in college. Back in the good ole’ days, when Facebook was strictly for college students, I would have gotten in some serious trouble for trying to check my Facebook Page during class. Back then I would have laughed if someone would have told me that an important part of my future job would require me to make daily Facebook updates to my company’s business page. But wow has Facebook has changed dramatically in the 6 years since its birth. Recently reaching 300 million users, Facebook is no longer a virtual community for college students to share information with friends (and “friends”). The social network has rapidly evolved into a networking platform for individuals as well as businesses to share information from the trivial to the vital. This global phenomenon has left businesses large and small asking the question: “Does my company need a presence on Facebook?”

More and more businesses are hitting the ground running with Facebook, as analytics continue to prove this social networking tool to be a successful and inexpensive way to reach your target audience. It is quick, easy and completely free to create a Facebook page. You can make your page viewable by everyone and anyone, whether they are members of Facebook or not.  Once the page is created, invite your clients to join and interact with them frequently by posting videos and photos, updating company news, publicizing discounts, initiating and taking part in discussions, and developing custom applications.

A great way to get a an idea of how powerful a tool Facebook can be to establish a strong online brand identity, is to check out some examples of business pages that have found a way to successfully utilize the medium. Pizza Hut, Atlantis Resort and Coca-Cola, are all examples of major companies that have used their Facebook Page to create a genuine community for “fans” of their brand. Another great example of Facebook Business Page we are currently working on here at The Net Impact is The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort Page.

A few benefits of using Facebook for business include:

Increased Exposure: An important reason to invest time in creating an engaging page is each and every activity of your fans (this includes anything from becoming a fan, to posting a comment) gets shared with a greater network – giving your business increased visibility. You can also link your Facebook page to your other social networking sites, your company site and even on your email signature to personalize your brand.
 

Targeted Advertising: Facebook ads allow you to advertise a website, event, company or content you manage on Facebook. Facebook allows you to target the reach for your ad by location, gender, age and interests. As you add these customized filters, Facebook will automatically update the count of people fitting your criteria so you can gauge the size of your target market on Facebook.
 

Increase traffic to your company site: You can use your Facebook Page to link through to your company website. As a Page grows in fan base, traffic to the website will also increase. In addition, Facebook Pages also show up in search engine results.

Develop Credibility: Facebook Pages provide a form of dialogue between customers and the brand, this unique opportunity gives companies the chance to build better relationships and to show consumers that they care about their opinions. Facebook also allows for the companies to gain a deeper understanding of how they are perceived online via direct contact with consumers. Each business Facebook Page should showcase the value of their individual brand and share valid information to emphasize the company’s position as an educated leader in their industry.

 
If you have the time to devote to building and using your social media for marketing, Facebook may have unlimited potential for your business. Before you consider how you will leverage your contacts on Facebook, it is important to learn the etiquette appropriate for social networking. Unlike traditional advertising and marketing, you do not want to simply broadcast your message, but instead influence your fans by grabbing their interest and developing an active community to enhance your brand.  

Here are some important things to remember before creating your Facebook business page:

-Set Boundaries- It is a good idea to have a code of ethics guideline available to all employees to use as a reference for their social activities online. Also remember the importance of transparency and establishing honesty and integrity up front while interacting online in association with your company. Once you lose your credibility, it is pretty hard to get back.

-Create an Effective Profile Page - Give users a reason to want to become a fan of your page and to become an active member. Take advantage of applications such as the discussion board or YouTube video box to add appealing content to your page.

-Be Consistent and Frequent- The most successful and credible social media campaigns promote a strong message that is frequently heard and consistent in tone and voice. This helps consumers connect the dots from a series of your company’s marketing efforts; this leads to an increase in sales potential and sharper brand awareness.   

- Measure Analytics-Tracking these metrics over time can help you measure the ROI of using Facebook and be smarter about how to utilize Facebook as an ongoing part of your overall marketing strategy.

Bottom Line: Facebook has quickly transformed from a fad to a highly effective business tool. If you are willing to commit the needed time and effort to develop a Facebook strategy, go ahead and build a Facebook presence and start the conversation. What do you have to lose? You never know where your next business deal may come from!