Tips, Tools and Resources for Building an Online Presence – Vol. 2

Hi everyone! I post so many tips and tools and resources for building an online presence for your business over on my Facebook Fan Page that I thought it would be handy to collect them and repost for anyone who may have missed them. When you see a blog post from me with this title: Tips Tools and Resources for Building an Online Presence – it will likely be a set of past posts I’ve copied/pasted for you to enjoy! There are lots of hidden gems. I hope you look forward to these posts! Once I am done posting them from the past months, I’ll start putting them up monthly in the future. Let me know what you think! And of course be sure to become a fan on my Facebook Fan Page so you get the individual posts when they’re fresh!

Volume 2 – Items originally posted in July 2010

1. Social Media: Huge, and Here to Stay | Social Media | Internet Trends | TechNewsDaily
   http://www.technewsdaily.com/social-media-huge-and-here-to-stay-0927/ Critics may think social media is just a passing phase, but experts say it’s here to stay.
2. 1 out of 8 couples who got married in the United States in 2009 met via social media. Know anyone who did? Greg and I got married in 2002 after meeting online but it was a dating site. I guess that would be considered social media!
3. When was the last time you commented on someone’s blog post on their blog itself? Do you remember what it was about? Do this regularly and your online presence grows!
4. These are the Kinds of People I Get to Work With http://www.mybusinesspresence.com/these-are-the-kinds-of-people-i-get-to-work-with/ Just feeling all lovey dovey today about my clients and wanted to share. Maybe you do not know what kinds of services I do, or people I get to work with on a regular basis.
5. Want to learn HTML or CSS? This is a great resource: http://www.w3schools.com/
6. Have you noticed this new feature yet? Facebook Questions. Warning – if your publisher on your wall has the “Ask a Question” link (some don’t yet) just know that the question you ask goes to all of Facebook – it’s public! Could be interesting for businesses who ask Q on their Fan Pages though – some extra exposure though? You can also answer Questions and show off your expertise but unfortunately you are a ‘person’ that way – can’t answer as a fan page. Well, let’s keep an eye on this! Why Facebook Questions Could Be Zuckerberg’s Dream Come True http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_facebook_questions_could_be_zuckerbergs_dream.php
7. I have a new partnership with HyperArts, a Bay Area company. They sell Facebook Fan Page templates. If you purchase one and need help installing it let me know, or you can have them do the whole shebang! Another great resource: http://www.hyperarts.com/fbml?aff_id=businesspresence
8. Check your Google Page Rank here: http://www.prchecker.info/ You can also see it constantly on any site if you have the Firefox add on for Google webmaster tools.
9. We are up to 134 members in my North Bay Webify Your Business Club! If you’re in the North SF Bay area, come check us out! We have an evening and a daytime group. Tomorrow’s daytime group topic is Google Analytics! Want to understand it better? Join us: http://www.northbaywebify.com/
10. My referral/affiliate program is ready! You can earn 20% on referrals to me. Right now it’s mainly my books but it will also be classes and services too. Once someone enters my site through your link or button, they’re tracked to you up to 90 days each time they click! Sign up here: http://www.mybusinesspresence.com/affiliates-and-referrals/
11. How to prevent people from seeing your FB friends (and spamming them). A quick video I made! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz20VE_qQ0Q
12. Just spoke to a wise and experienced woman who said most people don’t need a life coach, they just need to get off their butts and get to work!! She’d write a business book and it would have just one page in it. Get off your butt and get to work!
13. How do you know if your fans like your posts? http://johnhaydon.com/2010/07/confirm-facebook-gut/
14. I do not recommend creating your custom tabs on your FB fan page ONLY in photoshop/graphics. Search engines don’t see those! Use tables and insert text, alt tags, title tags etc. for full SEO of your fan page! I see many “wow” fan pages that are exclusively images. They look great but why not harness the SEO of FB to help you find new customers? Same idea as websites. My 2 cents!
15. If you’re looking for some cool blogs to read, here are the top 10 for a variety of topics: http://www.blogs.com/topten/ (Hint: You learn to write blogs by reading blogs!)
16. Non-technical SEO. Great article explaining search engines: http://biznik.com/articles/non-technical-seo-using-keywords-to-get-your-sites-found
17. If you aren’t getting a lot of interaction on your fan page, make your picture a photo of you if it isn’t already. Try it for a week or two. People don’t have conversations with logos, they have conversations with people.
18. Great article, with my motto as a title! WORK HARD, PLAY HARD. Thanks to Team Connections: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410402007
19. WordPress awesomeness, listen to the WP community podcast – WordPress is great for SEO like I’ve been saying! http://wp-community.org/2010/07/20/google-matt-cutts-wordpress/
    PS: Subscribe to the podcast, it’s awesome – in iTunes search on “WordPress Community Podcast”
20. In case you need a cease and desist letter – if you find someone is copying your material (grrr!): http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-22_11-5082448.html
21. This is a testament to the power of WordPress vs. traditional website. My former business website funfelt.com which is 12 years old and has TONS of links, traffic, sales etc. is worth LESS than mybusinesspresence.com (which is a WP site) that is only just over 1 year old: http://www.websvalue.com Check yours out. I don’t know how accurate this is but it is fascinating to me that the newer site is more ‘valuable’ – I know it is due to WP and using the Thesis theme (and of course SEO related to both).
22. For the Tweeple out there: http://www.paulholmes.ca/2010/07/13/my-crappy-e-book-delivered/
23. Are you friends with Patrick Schwerdtfeger author of Webify Your Business by Patrick Schwerdtfeger ? He’s sharing some fascinating videos on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/tacticalexecution
24. I’m going to someone’s house today for an open workshop. They invite 5 or 6 of their friends, I show up and circulate while they work on blogging, Facebook, Twitter, whatever. They get hands-on help. Within driving distance of me in Sonoma County it’s just $39/person for 2 or 3 hours. Want to book one? It’s fun and as a host you get yours free! Just supply the wi-fi!
25. If anyone uses mals-e.com for a shopping cart (free) on a website, blog or Fan Page, you can set it up with affiliate links to pay out referral bonuses. It’s kind of complicated, but I found an OK tutorial for you: http://www.indie-affiliates.com/mals/
26. I just signed up as a WP expert here. You can get your urgent WordPress questions answered – looks like a great resource for us all! http://www.wpquestions.com/affiliates/register/name/karenclark
27. Is your business listed on http://www.merchantcircle.com/ ? What have your results been like?
28. Advanced Facebook Fan Page Resources: http://www.mybusinesspresence.com/advanced-facebook-fan-page-resources/
29. Remember that social networking is just like real life networking. Be the kind of person in your social networks that others would want to get to know better, hang around, or refer others to. Don’t be the schmuck at the mixer who’s only promoting himself all the time!
30. Funny – Website Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HnS_W2zA4E&feature=player_embedded
    Thanks Gerri the Sultry Social Science Geek
31. Do you use Yelp? http://www.yelp.com/biz/my-business-presence-rohnert-park
32. Some silly, some useful, FB tips/tricks: http://mashable.com/2010/07/10/facebook-status-tips-tricks/
33. Read and heed: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-reasons-facebook-trumps-twitter-for-business/ If you need help implementing any of his suggestions, let’s talk!
34. How Google Works: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/how-google-works.jpg
35. How much is your website or blog worth? Interesting! http://bizinformation.org/
36. Resources for your Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages?v=app_7146470109
37. I’m a contributing author in the Incredible Business book. Check out the chapters – what a great resource this is! http://www.mybusinesspresence.com/products/incredible-business-book/

Wow, as you can see I provide a LOT of information and value over on my Facebook Fan Page. Which one is your favorite tip from this Vol. 2 post?