When was the last time you used the Yellow Pages to find a local business?

Nowadays, people are using the Internet to find what they’re looking for; making the phone book almost obsolete.

If you’re a local business owner and you’re trying to figure out how to utilize Social Media, I’ve created this short list of Social Networking accounts you should include in your overall marketing strategy to help potential customers find you.

1. GOOGLE MAPS. With the majority of the people using Google to find what they’re looking for, it would only make sense to list your business on GOOGLE MAPS. Sign up for an account and get your business listed within 24 hours. Take the time to upload a few pictures and, if you have them, a couple of your videos. Spend a few moments to fill out your profile in its entirety.

GET STARTED HERE: http://bit.ly/j7lc7

Here’s a picture of my own listing on Google Maps:

2. YELP. This is the first place I go when looking for highly rated businesses in my area. Yelp is a User Reviews and Recommendations directory. In other words, customers become reviewers.

Their comments and testimonials can become one of the most effective types of marketing your business can generate: word of mouth.

Create an account, list your business, and review your favorite local picks.

Sign up page: http://bit.ly/sGFZy.

3. FACEBOOK PAGE. Your business Page on Facebook gets indexed on Google. This means that, in many cases, your Page will rise up farther on Google than your own website. My Page on Facebook drives almost all of my business.

Go to http://google.com and type in “Virtual Assistant Facebook”.

My Facebook Page—not my website—generates the majority of my inquiries.

Assuming you have a Facebook profile, you can create a Page by clicking through this link while you are logged into your Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php.

If you don’t have a Facebook account, you’ll need to create one before you can create a Page. If you need help setting up your profile, check out my QUICK SET UP GUIDE for Facebook Profiles: http://acumenva.com/e-products/. If you already have a Facebook account but need help setting up your Page, check out this link for details: Creating and Optimizing Your Facebook Page.

Pick optimum keywords when naming your Page. You can name it after yourself: First and Last Name. You can name your Page after your product. You can have multiple Pages, if you wish. (I recommend one and focusing all of your attention on it.)

Think about what people will type into a search engine when they attempt to find you. I recommend running a search within Facebook AND on Google to see if any of your competitors show up and what keywords they’re using in their Page titles.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t find any Pages in your search. Business owners are JUST starting to realize the significance of Pages for search engine purposes.

4. TWITTER. If you’re currently using Twitter, than you already know the power of micro-blogging and its ability to connect people from around the world. If you’re not on Twitter and you want to find out what the fuss is about, I recommend jumping on board. Here’s a link to help you do so: http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/.

Once you’re set up and ready to go, if you want to use Twitter to help promote your local business, here are some applications that will help you find potential customers in your area: http://twitter.pbworks.com/Apps.

Scroll down to Directories to find these links below. Take a moment to create a few accounts on the applications you like the most.

Once you’ve had a chance to connect with locals on Twitter, eventually, you’ll have an opportunity to meet up with them in person. We call those “TweetUps”. This is a great way to establish a growing connection with other like-minded business owners in your area.

While not everyone will become a customer, they can become, what I lovingly call, “referral machines,” referring you onto people who might need your services.

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Social Networking success comes from consistent maintenance. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for my newsletter at the top of my homepage and you’ll receive my once-a-month newsletter filled with tips and suggestions on how to maintain your online energy.

Stick with it and you’ll see business opportunities increase by engaging others through the use of Social Media. It’s not a fad. It’s here to stay and with more and more people using the Internet to find what they’re looking for, it’s the perfect time to jump on board.

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Take advantage of Facebook’s new widgets, enabling you to drive more web traffic from your site to your profile.

LIVE STREAM BOX

PHOTO BADGE
Mia Chambers | Create Your Badge

Create your own: http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/.

Thanks to all of you who were able to attend my call yesterday with Ron Hudson, of Immediate Influence Blog.

We discussed my new 15 MINUTES-A-DAY MAINTENANCE FORMULA for Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to download.

Here’s the replay information.

Simply click on the widget for Video Recording and Transcripts.

If you’re viewing this blog post as a NOTE on Facebook, you’ll need to click through to my actual blog to view the widget.

The good news is that the links work.

The bad news is that I forgot to record the phone call.

Yep, you heard me right.

I remembered to hit the video RECORD, but not the audio RECORD. Darn it!

You should still check out the cool and nifty widget from DimDim.

If you attended the call, I would love to hear your thoughts on the entire process.

Again, thanks so much for your interest.

This has been a wonderful learning experience for me and I am grateful for the opportunity.

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You can also find Ron Hudson on Twitter.

Thanks to you, Ron, for inspiring me to do this. I appreciate the nudge!

So you’ve set up your Facebook and Twitter accounts—now what?

This Tuesday, August 25th at 11:00am PT/2:00pm ET, I’ll join Ron Hudson to present:

THRIVE ONLINE: Simple Steps for Facebook and Twitter

Click on embedded video for details or this link: http://su.pr/1LfCfP.

Register for the event using this widget:

♥
♫ Happy birthday to you! ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you! ♫
♫ Happy birthday, dear Jaaaay-son ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you! ♫

If you like the idea of using symbols in your posts (and you have a PC), take a peek at this link and it’ll show you how to use ALT codes: http://su.pr/1zr2yI.

If you’re a Mac user, you can still use these symbols, you’ll just have to copy and paste them, instead of using keyboard commands.

To obtain an ALT Character:
1. Make certain that the Num Lock key has been pressed to activate the numeric key section of the keyboard.
2. Depress the Alt key.
3. While the Alt key is depressed, type the proper sequence of numbers (on the numeric keypad) of the ALT code from the table above.
4. Release the ALT key and the character will appear.

Voilà!

If your keyboard doesn’t have NUM LOCK on the keypad, check out this link for a possible solution: http://bit.ly/1vSFIy.

http://www.miafacebook.com
http://www.virtualassistantfacebook.com

The majority of my clients find me through my Social Networking efforts.

I implement New Marketing techniques and Web 2.0 etiquette to attract like-minded people and potential clients.

In learning how to do this for myself, Social Networking has become my #1 client service. At this moment, I use Facebook as the corner stone for building a solid online presence for my clients.

I customize and maintain Facebook Profiles by pulling in additional online components to create a continuum of information.

I use a combination of professional and personal details to create an in-depth online presence, helping clients stand out in a sea of faces.

This is a summary of what I do for my clients on Facebook:

SET UP

The set up process of a Facebook Profile page can be a little confusing. There are a lot of behind the scenes settings that need to be adjusted in order to maximize professional exposure without offending a list of Friends. I adjust settings and notifications to avoid that virtual overwhelm.

I strategically place a limited amount of links throughout clients’ Profiles in order to maximize click-thrus to their websites.

I minimize the information throughout their Profiles so visitors don’t get overwhelmed with details, but rather, stay focused on pertinent links.

I craft HTML OPT-IN BOXES to increase sign ups and build lists. I use RSS FEEDS to pull in blog posts and increase exposure and blog traffic. I create and link a TWITTER account to enhance the opportunity and disseminate information. I use the status bar to promote websites, blogs, and events without being tacky in the process. I create GROUPS AND PAGES to further extend clients’ professional presence. I use a select amount of APPLICATIONS to reach out and engage interest.

I set up and PROMOTE TELESEMINARS using a simple and straightforward approach, minimizing details so that attendees understand how to properly register. Facebook doesn’t have autoresponders so I use an effective timetable to ensure attendees show up and show up on time.

MAINTENANCE

Daily maintenance is essential to create online energy around a website and a blog. Clients need to settle in for the long haul to yield optimum results. Consistent maintenance ensures networking success and creates more traffic around a website and a blog.

Social Networking success is more about a proper mindset, than it is about technology. It’s about reciprocity and providing useful information in a permission-based manner. I maintain virtual energy around my clients’ online presence by managing all of the steps involved in the process.

If you have the time and interest to set up and maintain your own Facebook profile, I’ve created a free e-book filled with step by step instructions on how to do it yourself.

If you’re a business owner or a Virtual Assistant and you’d like to find out how I can help, I encourage you to email me so we can discuss some options.

I wish you the best of luck in 2009!

If you’ve wanted to join the Facebook craze but weren’t sure where to start, I’ve created this nifty QUICK SET UP GUIDE for small business owners.

A personal Facebook Profile page can be easy to set up, but if you’re interested in marketing your business online, you need to know the ground rules and how to navigate efficiently.

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE >> http://acumenva.com/e-products/

As a small business owner with an online business, I had to find a way to market myself in a virtual setting.

I’ve had the most success with Facebook and I’d like to show you how.

I created a Two Part Teleseminar series called FACEBOOK: Simple and Straightfoward aimed at answering all of your basic questions and showing you what to do next.

I want to show you what I’ve learned and, more importantly, I want to share my successful strategies on communicating authentically and with integrity, without annoying people with unsolicited emails and heavy-handed tactics.

Please click for details and to register: http://acumenva.com/e-products/

Have you heard about FACEBOOK and SOCIAL M-E-D-I-A NETWORKING but you don’t know what where to start?

Are you intrigued enough to create an account, but don’t know what to do next?

As a Virtual Assistant and owner of an online business, Social Networking has been an invaluable tool in marketing myself and my business in a virtual setting.

After deciphering the rules of Social Networking engagement, I began to get inquiries from potential clients (PCs).

Once those PCs became my clients, customizing and maintaining their Profiles became one of the ongoing projects I handled for them.

A new client service was born.

As more people approached me to help them with their own profiles, I realized I couldn’t keep up with the one on one demand.

I created a Two Part Teleseminar series called FACEBOOK: Simple and Straightfoward aimed at answering all of your basic questions and showing you what to do next.

I want to show you what I’ve learned and, more importantly, I want to share my successful strategies on communicating authentically and with integrity, without annoying people with unsolicited emails and heavy-handed tactics.

As a bonus, I’ve created a in-depth guide to help you figure out Facebook’s most important features.

I’ve trimmed away the extras to give you a quick start.

These calls will be geared toward those who need to start with the basics and add on from there, step by step.

If this is something you might be interested in, please click for more information: http://acumenva.com/e-products/

Thank you kindly.