Michigan Web Design

7 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be On Facebook

R & R Web Design LLC — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:17:24 +0000

You may have heard that many businesses are using Facebook pages. A number of large brands including Starbucks, Coca-cola and Nike have Facebook business pages, but is having a Facebook page beneficial to your small business?

A Facebook presence for small business is a great opportunity to connect and interact with both potential and current clients. With relatively minimal effort, you will be extending your presence on the Internet.

Compelling reasons for taking the leap and having a Facebook Page for your small businesses include:

Your customers are probably on Facebook.
With more than 845 million active users, your customers are most likely using Facebook. Facebook is popular across all age groups. Being in the same arena as your customers provides tremendous opportunities for your company to interact by communicating on the same playing field.
Facebook business Pages are public and visible to all.
Your Facebook page can be visible to everyone on the Internet. It can be seen by those customers who do not have a Facebook account depending on your settings.
Facebook pages appear in Google’s search results.
Your business page will appear in Google’s search results enhancing your Internet presence.
Facebook allows you to directly communicate with those who “Like” your page.
As a small local business owner, you may be concerned about the number of “Likes” your page may actually get. Concentrate on quality over quantity. Your business Facebook Page is not about the number of “Likes” your page gets. It is about the quality of those “Likes”. With a smaller number of Likers, you will be able to communicate with your audience on a more personal level.
Customer engagement is increased with a Facebook Page.
A Facebook Page gives your company an edge over your competition by allowing you to be in direct contact with the people who like your page. It fosters the development of personal relationships with your customers.

According to the study, One Café Chain’s Facebook Experiment, by Utpal Dholakia and Emily Durham that was published in the Harvard Business Review, “Facebook changed customer behavior for the better” and that customers who liked the Facebook page in the study made in-store visits more often after liking a page.
Facebook inspires word of mouth advertising.
As a low cost investment, a Facebook Page for your business provides an opportunity to spend time to interacting with those people who Like your page on a daily basis. Engagement is the key. A socially connected customer whether online or off is more likely to recommend your services and/or products than an unengaged customer.

The recent study, Nielsen: Global Consumers’ Trust in ‘Earned’ Advertising Grows in Importance, revealed that “Ninety-two percent of consumers around the world say they trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising”.
Facebook Pages are easily managed.
One of the biggest reasons we hear for small businesses not having a Facebook Page presence is that the business owner does not have enough time to manage the page. The beauty of a Facebook Page is that you can share the management of the page by assigning an administrator. By delegating one or more administrators to the page, management is spread out in time efficient manner.

A Facebook page is a beneficial niche tool for small businesses to engage with customers, enhance relationships and inspire word of mouth recommendations. Are you ready to take the next step and set up your business Facebook Page?

Questions?
Do you have questions about how to set up a Facebook Page for your business or organization? We are happy to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

Top U.S. Search Engines March 2012

R & R Web Design LLC — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:29:37 +0000

It is no secret that the search engine giant, Google, dominates the majority of the U.S. search market share. When a small business is deciding on where to maximize online marketing dollars, it is important to analyze the market and to fish where the fish are swimming. To determine search engine activity, it is essential to examine statistics compiled by the top experts in the collection and analysis of Internet behavior compiled by companies such as comScore, Compete, Statcounter and Hitwise.

The official top U.S. search engines for the month of March 2012 were reported by comScore, a leading expert in the measurement of Internet behavior. The results indicate that the U.S. online population performed an astounding 18.4 billion online searches in March 2012 – a 5% increase over April. Google continues to lead the race with 66.4% or 12.2 billion search inquiries.

Leading Search Engines in the U.S. in March 2012

The leading search engines in the U.S. for March 2012 according to comScore are shown in the pie chart below by percentages of search share.

According the Compete’s Web Search Market Share and Volume report, the market share of the major engines varied slightly:

Google Powered – 66.3%
- Google – 65.5%
- AOL – 0.8%
Bing Powered – 33.7%
- Bing – 18.0%
- Yahoo! – 15.7%

Statcounter provided yet another set of statistics for the U.S. search engine market share:

Google – 80.06%
Yahoo – 9.04%
Bing – 9.30%
AOL – 0.75%
Ask Jeeves – 0.71%
Other – 0.15%

Hitwise reports on a rolling 4 week interval. The following statistics are for the 4 weeks ending on April 7, 2012 for the industry ‘All Categories‘, ranked by Volume of Searches:

Google – 65.22%
Bing – 10.94%
Yahoo! – 10.76%
Ask – 2.73%
AOL – 1.72%

Even though the data varies, it is clear that Google has the number one position locked for the top U.S. search engine for March 2012 according to all reports.

To Pin or Not to Pin – Is Pinterest Right for Your Business?

Melissa Hyder, R & R Web Design LLC — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:19 +0000

Everyone is talking about Pinterest, but is jumping on the bandwagon the best thing for your company? Pinterest recently rewrote their “Terms of Service” to not include the ability to sell user’s content, so businesses may feel more comfortable using the site. Coupled with Pinterest’s record breaking growth, it could feel enticing to join. Although, that doesn’t mean Pinterest is right for you.

To completely ignore it would be a mistake, but there are a couple of things to think about before you jump in head first. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Is your business the right fit for Pinterest?
This social media site is geared for visually stimulating content that appeals to do it yourself projects, home design, recipes, and style. It is also important to keep in mind that Pinterest users at this point are about 80% female. If you have a business that sells crochet patterns like this adorable hat by Elizabeth Alan found on etsy.com you may find a lot of benefit with using this site.
Are you willing to be creative and flexible?
Due to the style and savvy users of Pinterest, you need to approach promoting your products in a more creative and highly personal way. Purely trying to sell items will not get you very far. Finding ways to inspire your clients by using your product could transform your company. For example, if you are selling mulch, pinning photos of home designs where mulch was used to make a landscape pop, could be just the inspiration your followers are looking for.
Do you have the time?
Like all social media sites, it takes time and energy to see success. To jump in without a without a strategy could be a disastrous. Creating content and photos that fit Pinterest could also be extremely time consuming. Be mindful of your time. Do other social media sites do a better job for your time?For many companies, using Pinterest could change your business, but it might not be a great fit for all. If you’re still not sure if Pinterest is right for your company check this out. A company called “Intuit” came up with a clever “Decision Tree” to help you decide if Pinterest is the right fit for your company.

via: Should Your Business Be on Pinterest? Find Out [INFOGRAPHIC]

What do you think? Is Pinterest right for your business?

Meet Melissa

Melissa Hyder is a Social Media Marketer at R & R Web Design LLC.

Top 10 Social Network Sites – March 2012

R & R Web Design LLC — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:59:13 +0000

Social media marketing offers a gold mine of opportunities for companies and organizations to interact and connect with customers and supporters. With more than 845 million users on Facebook alone, social media marketing is one tool that should not be ignored.

The top ten social media networking sites for the week ending March 24, 2012 according to Hitwise are shown in the pie chart below.

Should your business be involved in social media marketing? Do you have questions about how to implement an effective social media marketing plan for your business or organization? We are happy to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

iPad 3 Review – Worth the wait for iPad 3?

Melissa Hyder, R & R Web Design LLC — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:25:55 +0000

If you are anything like me, you may have been watching the iPad for some time. What’s not to love about a slick lightweight computer in the palm of your hands? My husband and I struggled to decide to go ahead and buy the iPad 2 or wait to see when the rumored iPad 3 would come. We decided to wait.

When the date for the iPad 3 was announced we preordered and even engraved our names for free, a special Apple touch, on the back of our new devise. Just a few weeks of waiting and our new iPad 3 finally arrived. So, was it really worth the wait? Is it really that much better then the iPad 2? For us, the answer is yes. There are many additions the iPad 3 has over the iPad 2 such as a better Bluetooth, a better processor, 4G, better battery life, and lighter in weight.

However, two things seem to stand out that made it worth the wait and worth the upgrade. First, the video and camera quality are significantly better. The iPad 2 has the still Camera of 720p HD and video Camera 0.7 megapixel with 5x digital zoom and 30 fps. The iPad 3 has the still camera 1080p HD. The video camera is transferred into 5 MP, still maintaining the 5x digital zoom and 30 fps and the rear camera is auto focus. My video and pictures won’t have that grainy look to them that stood out to me in the previous model. The memories captured will be more crisp and clear.

In addition, the quality of the display has improved. The iPad 3 now has the display of 9.7 inches with a multi touch retina display with LED backlighting. This gives the iPad 3 a resolution of 2048×1536 which gives it a much higher resolution then the iPad 2. This impacts all aspects of your viewing experience. Specifically for me, I found this very helpful with apps designed for the iPhone, which when expanded to fit the iPad become grainy with the iPad 2, but remain crisp with the iPad 3.

While I think more improvements can be made to the iPad, I have found this was certainly a good investment and am glad I upgraded. The additions were not only worth the wait, but are worth the extra $100.00 it takes to upgrade. So, I guess the saying is true, patience really is a virtue.

Meet Melissa

Melissa Hyder is a Social Media Marketer at R & R Web Design LLC.

Facebook Business Pages Timeline Mandatory March 30

R & R Web Design LLC — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:30:40 +0000

The countdown to the mandatory Facebook business page Timeline migration has begun. Facebook has officially announced the “Timeline-Day or T-Day” for Timeline implementation on business pages for March 30.

If your business has a Facebook business page and you have logged in today, you will see the official notice. You will be able to preview what your page will look like in the new Timeline format.

As the clock ticks down, you will have thirty days to ensure that your business Facebook page presents well in the new Timeline format. One major change is the elimination of the custom “Welcome” landing page. Previously, you were able to specify which landing page to whatever tab you liked. With the new Timeline feature, you no longer have a choice. The Timeline will be your default landing page. Custom tabs will still an option, however, you will no longer have the ability to design and select you own landing page.

According to Facebook’s official guidelines on choosing a photo for your new business page timeline, cover images must comply with the following rules:

Use a unique image that represents your Page. This might be a photo of a popular menu item, album artwork or a picture of people using your product. Be creative and experiment with images your audience responds well to.

Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:

Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”

Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section

References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features

Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

All cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your Page will be able to see the image you choose. Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties’ intellectual property. You may not encourage or incentivize people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines.

According to TechCruch, “Overall, Timeline should inspire users to spend more time browsing Pages and reading their feed stories. However, it removes the ability to set an app as a default landing page, which could reduce engagement with signup widgets and contests.”

You are able to upgrade your business Timeline today. Tips for your new business Facebook page include:

Cover Photo: Business Facebook page cover photos are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. If you upload an image that’s smaller than these dimensions, it will get stretched to this larger size. The image you upload must be at least 399 pixels wide.
Profile Photo: Business Facebook page profile pictures are square and, depending on the size of someone’s screen, display at 125×125 or 150×150 pixels. The photo you upload must be at least 180×180 pixels. It is recommended that you upload a square image of your brand’s logo. If you upload a rectangular image, it will be cropped to fit a square.

For more information, check out Facebook’s video introducing Facebook Timeline for business pages.

What do you think of Timeline for business pages? Is it a game changer?

Google+ Hits 90 Million Users – Larry Page

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:54:49 +0000

Google’s social network, Google+, has reached 90 million users according to Larry Page, Google’s co-founder and CEO. Previously an exclusive “by invitation only” social media network, Google opened up Google+ to the general public four months ago.

Page revealed the statistic in the company’s fourth quarter press release:

“I am super excited about the growth of Android, Gmail, and Google+, which now has 90 million users globally – well over double what I announced just three months ago,”

“By building a meaningful relationship with our users through Google+ we will create amazing experiences across our services. I’m very excited about what we can do in 2012 – there are tremendous opportunities to help users and grow our business.”

Launched in June 2011, Google+ has shown impressive growth. New services and features have been added and more are foreseen on the horizon as the new social network challenges Facebook and Twitter.

Google also announced that the Internet giant had its first $10 billion quarter, with revenues of $10.58 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, representing a 25% increase over fourth quarter 2010 revenues of $8.44 billion.

Google “Search Plus Your World” – Search Engine Ranking Implications

R & R Web Design LLC — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:08:32 +0000

Google introduced “Search, Plus Your World” on Tuesday which incorporates social media and new personalized search features into search results conducted on the world’s largest search engine. There has been a great deal of speculation on how “Search Plus Your World” will impact the way people search. Does “Google Plus Your World” have search engine ranking consequences?

The answer may be daunting. As a website owner, you have no control over the choices Google+ users make. Some users will embrace “Google Plus Your World” with open arms, and others will not.

For those Google users that do choose to have personal results included in search results, the first page of Google search results will be filled primarily with information from their own Google+ social circles. Former well ranking articles or pages that previously placed in top positions on Google search results may actually be pushed down significantly.

Performing in a Social Search Environment

For years, R & R Web Design LLC has emphasized how essential it is for website owners to include quality and unique website content. The consequences of not doing so can be significant for search engine results placements. Last year’s Google Panda rollout was a jolting wake up call for many. Google Plus Your World is changing the playing field once again. To optimally perform in this new social search environment, it is more crucial than ever that website content is compelling, and sharable.

To capitalize and benefit in the social search arena, follow these guidelines:

Be Distinct: Provide unique content that you have crafted.
Engage: Include well written and engaging content that is free of grammar and spelling errors.
Inspire: Select thought provoking topics or tackle the topic from an unusual viewpoint.
Be Congenial: Use a friendly and knowledgeable voice in your content.
Authoritative: Choose content that you are an authority on and present it in an easy to read style.
Be unique: Inform your web visitors about something that they do not already know.
Encourage interaction. Motivate readers to comment to leave a comment by asking questions at the end of your article or post.
Encourage sharing: Include social media icons such as Google+ and Facebook buttons with your content to make if convenient for your readers to “Like” and share.

Your thoughts?

What are your thoughts about “Search Plus Your World”? Do you think that it will negatively effect search results or have a positive effect? If you don’t currently have a Google+ account, will you set one up now? If you are a business owner, have you set up your business Google+ page yet?

Google Rolls Out “Search Plus Your World”

R & R Web Design LLC — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:26:26 +0000

Google rolled out the company’s newest search feature called “Search Plus Your World” this week that is changing the search engine results arena by integrating the social network, Google +. The search engine giant explains that it is “transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships”.

Search Results Now More Social

“Search Plus Your World” is an exclusive club for those who are in the Google+ social network. When a Google+ account user is signed into their Gmail account and conducts a search on Google, they will be served search results that are based on a combination of Internet results integrated with what they and their friends have been doing on the Google+ social network.

Google took this huge step in the social search direction by introducing the following three new features that include:

Personal Results, which enables users to find information personally tailored for them. For example: Google+ photos and posts—both from the user’s own Google+ and those shared specifically with them will appear on the results page that only the user will be able to see;
Profiles in Search, both in auto complete and results, which enable users to immediately find people that they are close to or might be interested in following; and,
People and Pages, which help the user find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable the user to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.

Search Your Way

Google does provide users the option to show or hide personal results. You may enjoy seeing search results integrated with personal results. If you do not want to include the personal results for any given reason, you may simply click the “hide personal results” icon.

How to turn off and on Google+ Personal Results

Share your thoughts

What do you think about Google’s new “Search Plus Your World”? If you haven’t signed up for Google+, has this inspired you to do so? Will you be including the personal results in your search results?

For the entire Google article, please see:

Search, plus Your World

Announcing new website: Tigon III Enterprises, Inc.

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:27:08 +0000

R & R Web Design LLC, a Michigan Web design company, announced that the newly designed website for Michigan Class III Firearms Dealer and ATF/NFA Transfers, Tigon III Enterprises, Inc. has launched at www.tigon3.com.

Serving Western and Central Michigan for nearly 10 years, Tigon III Enterprises, Inc., is a federally approved dealership for fully automatic weapons, suppressors, AOW’s (“shorty” shotguns), pistols, rifles, and shotguns. The company is a stocking dealership for most of our featured items, minimizing the wait-time for NFA approvals.

In addition, Tigon III Enterprises, Inc. is a very affordable transfer facility for ATF and NFA transfers, serving Michigan residents who have purchased firearms from out-of-state; needing to legally bring them into Michigan.

The custom designed website features a Content Management System, custom logo, blog, secure online contact form and includes a mobile website version. The site provides the following product categories with photos and descriptions:

It was our distinct pleasure to work with Tigon III Enterprises, Inc. to meet the company’s Internet goals. For more information about Tigon III Enterprises, Inc., please visit the company website at: www.tigon3.com.

Adobe Stops Flash Plugin Development for Mobile

R & R Web Design LLC — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:10:32 +0000

In what appears to be a surprising news to many in the Internet community, Adobe has announced that the company will discontinue development of Flash plugins for mobile browsers. The innovative software development leader will instead concentrate efforts on HTML5.

Adobe has provided the Flash Player for mobile device browsers for the last two years. According to Adobe’s official announcement published on the company blog, the software giant explains that the programming language, HTML5 is “now universally supported on major mobile devices, in some cases exclusively“.

The company will continue to develop mobile apps for Adobe AIR and Flash for desktop browsers. The announcement also states that security updates and bug fixes for current mobile versions will continue to be released, however, the forthcoming Flash Player 11.1 for BlackBerry PlayBook and Android will be the last official release.

Flash on Apple mobile devices including the iPhone have long been a controversial topic between Apple and Adobe. Matt Rosoff of Business Insider stated, “This would be a sort of moral victory for Apple which has famously refused to support Flash in its mobile version of Safari. Steve Jobs cited several reasons, including tests that showed that Flash was slow, unreliable, and drained battery life.”

What seems to be ground breaking news is actually the gateway for future website development. Microsoft announced in September 2011, that Internet Explorer 10 will not support Flash. Microsoft’s IE team leader Dean Hachamovitch stated:

“Running Metro-style IE plug-in free improves battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers. Plug-ins were important early on in the Web’s history. But the Web has come a long way since then with HTML5. Providing compatibility with legacy plug-in technologies would detract from, rather than improve, the consumer experience of browsing in the Metro-style UI.”

What are your thoughts? Do you think that Adobe’s move to stop development of Flash plugins for mobile devices will impact the way you browse the web?

Top 5 Social Networking Sites – November 2011

R & R Web Design LLC — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:34:20 +0000

Social media marketing offers tremendous opportunities for companies and organizations to connect with customers and supporters. With more than 800 million active users on Facebook alone, there is no question that Facebook is the Goliath in the social media arena. However, Facebook does not stand alone, and marketers are taking advantage of a number of social media opportunities by implementing an assortment of social media initiatives at an escalating rate.

The top five social media networking sites for the week ending November 12, 2011 according to Hitwise are shown in the pie chart below.

Would you like help with your business Facebook page? Do you have questions about how to implement an effective social media marketing plan for your business or organization? We are happy to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

Facebook Business Page Tip – The Call to Action

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:00:22 +0000

One overlooked Facebook business page strategy is to present a clear call to action on the landing page. This landing page is the first impression that your non fans or people who do not “like” the page see. The main objective of this landing page or “welcome” page is actually two-fold.

First, when a new visitor visits your business Facebook page, you will want to capture their attention. A customized welcome page portrays a professional appearance and may include your company or organizations top products, services or objectives.

The most important aspect of the welcome page is to convert your visitors into fans by inviting them to “Like” your page. A “call to action” should clearly tell your visitors what you will like them to do. This can be accomplished on your business Facebook welcome or landing page with a graphic that prominently asks your visitor to “Like” your page.

Example of a clear call to action

How will the “like” benefits your fan?

Clearly explain the benefits that your visitor will receive by “liking” your Facebook page and your “like” conversions will increase. Will you be offering valuable tips and insights in your industry or vocation? Provide an appealing incentive that will be beneficial to your visitors and motivate them to follow you by liking your page.

An effective Facebook call to action is an essential step to a successful Facebook business page and includes utilizing best practices in creative visual design. Done correctly, your fan/likes will increase and inspire potential new business.

Questions?

Do you have questions about implementing a clear call to action on your Facebook welcome page? We would love to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

Google’s Freshness Update – the freshness race

R & R Web Design LLC — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:47:03 +0000

Last week, Google confirmed that the company had launched a new algorithm update that focuses on freshness. The search engine giant’s newest algorithm tweak builds on the momentum of last year’s Caffeine update that was designed to index fresher content more quickly. How does Google’s freshness update impact your website and marketing efforts?

According to SEO experts and from our own observation, Google’s freshness update:

Affects 35% of search queries
Prioritizes “recent” and “timely” results
Is based off the 2010 Caffeine update.

Observations about Google Freshness from the SEO Community:

More restrained than Google Panda
Appears to help a number of “date-specific” content and not simply the hyper-new
Appears to show some new annotations/result types in the head brand queries.

Take Aways

What can you do now to monitor and take advantage of Google’s new freshness update?

Watch your most important SERPs for signs of fresh news and time-stamped content. Specifically, watch the things that drive the most:
1. Conversions
2. Traffic
3. Engagement
Implement content marketing by investing in a blog, news or articles. Stay on top of your topic.
Monitor whether or not Google grabs time-base content.
Invest in social media. There is evidence that Google Freshness will take into account social media metrics by giving preference to Google + and other social media sharing.

The bottom line is that it is imperative that companies and organizations focus on delivering quality news content that searchers will like and Google will serve in the search results. For the average business site owner, the Google Freshness update will most likely mean that you will need to examine how often your website content is updated. The addition of fresh new content has unquestionably become an essential part of your overall marketing strategy.

For more on Google Freshness, see the official article, Giving you fresher, more recent search results, by Amit Singhal, Google Fellow.

Questions?

Do you have questions about Google Freshness and how you can take action to stay above the fold? We would love to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

Google+ Launches Business Pages

R & R Web Design LLC — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:32:31 +0000

The world’s largest search engine has finally launched the long anticipated Google+ business pages. Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google officially announced the search engine giant’s newest social networking vehicle would be rolling out worldwide on the company’s official blog at Google announced the launch of Google+ Pages.

Although the business pages have been initially been made available to a few select businesses, Google+ indicates that soon any organization will be able to create their own pages at http://plus.google.com/pages/create.

Google+ Business Pages are similar in design and feel to Facebook Business Pages, in that businesses and organizations are able to leverage the social network to connect with their audience, promote their content, spread their messages, and generate leads. Below is a overview video from Google:

Features of Google+ Pages

Google has not revealed all of the capability details of its new Google+ Pages, however, the search engine Goliath has disclosed the following features:

Google+ pages help you connect with the customers and fans who love you
Fans are able to recommend your business page with a +1.
Fans are able to add your page to a circle and subscribe to your page’s updates.
Fans are able to can actually spend time with your team, face-to-face-to-face.

Marketing Takeaway

Google+ Pages will be available to everyone soon. Although Google has not provided the exact date, marketers need to monitor when their accounts become active and take advantage of the power of Google’s networking with 40 million users strong by setting up a Google +1 business page as soon as possible.

How do you know if your account is enabled?
To find out if your account is enabled, visit http://plus.google.com/pages/create.

10 Practical Tips for a Successful Facebook Business Page

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:04:41 +0000

As a small business owner, you may feel overwhelmed with finding the time to keep up with your business Facebook page. You know that a Facebook business presence is an important piece of your company or organization’s social media marketing strategy, however, you may find it difficult to know what to post or how often to post updates.

Here are ten practical Facebook tips to help you devise a comprehensive plan for your Facebook wall posts so that you can sucessfully connect with your those who “like” your page.

Devise a Comprehensive Plan for Your Facebook Wall Posts

Schedule Time
As with any business venture, scheduling the time to accomplish a goal is essential. Your business Facebook presence does not have to take an enormous amount of time of your business day or your free time. Make a commitment to schedule one hour a day – or several days a week to work on your business page.
Be authentic and personable
Your Facebook page reveals the personality of your business or organization. People tend to interact more readily if they are able to relate with authentic and conversation inspiring messages.
Make it appealing
Post appealing information that is useful and informative. Posting commercial-like posts tend to be redundant and may not inspire engagement. Plan to share an assortment of content that includes interesting and helpful information in your niche. Ask yourself the question, “What would my readers want to be informed about?”
Make a commitment to be active and update often
Plan to post fresh insights, news or announcements at least two to three times a week. The schedule will help keep your Facebook audience informed about what you’re doing. Do you have new product photos or upcoming events? Post pictures of the new products, your plans to the upcoming events or what is happening in your office.
Keep it concise
Tailoring your messages to present simple, concise and attention grabbing posts will capture attention and inspire engagement.
Include links for more information
If your post is an extension of a specific page from your website or blog, add external links to support your message and offer additional information.
Engage your audience
Make a commitment to not simply post messages, but to engage your fans. Ask questions, and if someone posts a question on your wall, reply back immediately. Encourage people to ask questions and post feedback on your services and/or products.
Listen and address
There may be times when your customers post negative comments. Address this immediately and offer to rectify the situation. Customer comments may provide insightful information on how to improve an aspect of your business and improve customer relations. Make it a standard practice to respond to messages within 24 hours.
Check your page frequently
Plan to monitor your page and check it on a regular basis. There are spammers out there that will post inappropriate messages your business Facebook wall. Delete the spam as soon as possible.
Express Gratitude
If someone “likes” your Facebook page, post a personal thank you message to show your appreciation. The golden words, thank you, are not simply good manners. According to positive psychologists, one positive aspect of expressing gratitude can actually strengthen social relationships.

A Facebook business page does not have to be an overwhelming task for a small business owner or organization. With a comprehensive plan and the commitment to implement that plan, your social media marketing goals can be achieved.

Do you have questions about a business Facebook page and how to implement one for your business or organization? We are happy to help! Please call us at:

248-889-0266

How to Crop Your Facebook Profile Thumbnail Picture

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:07:20 +0000

Have you wondered how to crop your Facebook profile picture thumbnail? Facebook’s recent updates have made it less difficult to manage and crop profile pictures for the thumbnails that appear on your wall and posts. The process is seamless once you have the directions to help you utilize the benefits that Facebook offers. The following is a comprehensive visual tutorial to help you capture attention and market on Facebook.

Using the three profile photo examples from Make the most of your Facebook profile picture, we will visually illustrate how profile photos will look when Facebook automatically crops them. Each of the profile images are 180 pixels in width. The heights are various sizes with the tallest being the Facebook maximum of 540 pixels. During the cropping process, Facebook will auto crop an image directly in the middle no matter the height and create the thumbnail image of approximately 50 pixels by 50 pixels. Below is an example of one of the profile photos in our previous examples with Facebook’s cropping area shown in yellow. Note that the margins are 15 pixels on each side of the yellow transparent box.

Below are examples of Facebook’s auto cropping of our profile photos from our previous examples. The results are not compelling and are not what one would desire for a thumbnail photo.

Example 2

How to custom crop your Facebook thumbnail photo

Step One
Open your Facebook page and place your mouse over your profile photo. A link will appear in the upper right hand corner entitled “Change Picture”.

Step Two
On the next page, you will see your current profile picture. On the bottom of the photo, locate the “Edit Thumbnail” link.

Step Three
A box will pop up that provides you with the ability to edit the thumbnail by dragging the photo with your mouse inside a small box to change and crop the profile photo.

Custom Facebook Profile Picture Thumbnail Cropping

The results of the custom cropping for the Facebook thumbnail photos from Example 2 above are as follows:

Custom Facebook Design

Facebook has given users the ability to customize their profile images and thumbnail images that appear on their posts. This tutorial has been prepared with the intent to assist users in creating custom Facebook thumbnail images. With creativity and with the right tools, the Facebook profile and thumbnail image can be a fabulous marketing tool to capture attention and promote your brand or cause. The profile and thumbnail image enables you to maximize that valuable available real estate on your Facebook page for your company or organization.

Do you need help with your Facebook profile or thumbnail image? We are happy to help! Please call us at:

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Facebook Marketing Strategy – Make the most of your Facebook profile picture

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:52:11 +0000

A presence on Facebook is a valuable part of a business social media marketing strategy. One effective strategy is to make the most of the available real estate with your business Facebook page’s profile picture. The profile photo can capture attention and promote your business or organization.

Facebook currently recommends that profile images have a maximum dimension of 180 pixels wide. Heights of the images may vary with a maximum of 540 pixels in height. By maximizing this important Facebook real estate coupled with creativity, the profile picture can have an influential impact on a business or organization’s social media marketing strategy.

Below are three examples of profile pictures with various heights.

Facebook profile picture examples

Facebook Marketing Strategy – Make the Most of the Top 5

R & R Web Design LLC — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:47:08 +0000

One highly effective Facebook marketing strategy is to make the most of the top five horizontal photos at the top of your business Facebook page. These five photos can be harnessed to effectively display and market your brand in your way. For example:

Specific Examples of What Type of Photos

A service orientated company may present five photos of their top five services.
A corporation may choose to provide photos of well-recognized faces of their brand.
A vendor may opt to display five photos of their latest and/or top selling products.
A freelancer such as a photographer or graphic designer may give a quick preview of their most recent photographs or designs.
A nonprofit organization may prefer to exhibit its top five photos of programs and/or upcoming events.

How to select the Top Five Photos

The top five photos are automatically chosen from your Facebook business page’s photo albums. To select the five images that you would like to appear in this top real estate area to best represent your brand, follow the following steps.

Step 1: First, go to your Facebook business page and click on Photos.
Step 2: On the next screen, select the Upload Photos button.
Step 2: Next, click the Select Photos button and upload photos from your computer.
Step 3: Create a new album by entering an album name if you like while the photos are uploading.
Step 4: After you have entered any details about the photos, go to your page’s wall. If you have more than five photos in your albums, you can select the photos that will appear in the top five positions. Place your mouse over the unwanted photos and click on the X to remove them.

Questions?

Would you like to learn more about how to effectively market your business Facebook page? Please contact us or give us a call at:

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Facebook Requires SSL Certificates October 1, 2011

R & R Web Design LLC — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:19:43 +0000

On October 1, 2011, Facebook will require that all pages and applications that are externally hosted and embedded into Facebook to have a valid SSL Certificate. Without one, embedded content will not be seen.

What is a SSL Certificate?

SSL is an acronym that stands for Secure Socket Layers. A SSL Certificate is a data file that digitally binds a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. It acts as a padlock ensuring that transactions between a web server and browser are secure, protecting the user’s private information. The “https” in the browser address bar indicates that a SSL certificate is on a website’s server and it is commonly seen on eCommerce and banking websites.

Why would Facebook require SSL certificates?

Facebook is requiring SSL certificates for the user’s protection so that personal information is not compromised. The company has made security a priority for users, and this is one more safety measure to ensure security.

What does this mean to you?

If you have a business Facebook page that has embedded photos or pages from your website, you will need a SSL certificate on your site’s server in order for that content to be viewed. Any links in that embedded content will be required to contain the use the Secure Sockets Layer protocol, “https”.

Where to obtain a SSL Certificate and the cost

Many reputable companies offer SSL Certificates including VeriSign (now Symantec) GeoTrust and Trustwave. Some web hosting companies for example Godaddy, also offer SSL Certificates. The cost of certificate varies in the range from $49.00 to $150.00 and more for additional security options.

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248-889-0266

Facebook Requires SSL Certificates October 1, 2011

What is a SSL Certificate?

Why would Facebook require SSL certificates?

What does this mean to you?

Where to obtain a SSL Certificate and the cost

Example of unsecured embedded page (no SSL certificate) on a Facebook business page

Example of unsecured embedded page (no SSL certificate)
on a Facebook business page