WSI Buzz – News & Information on Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing and More

Building your fan base in Facebook can be done quite easily and in a number of different ways. The easiest is done by adding a social “badge” to your website. A social badge can look like this,  but there are numerous variations:

This badge will link back into your Facebook Business Page, giving visitors to your website the opportunity to become a fan of your Facebook Page. If you’d like to increase the number of followers, or people visiting your Facebook Page, try adding something valuable which will encourage people to become fans. It could be a promotional offer, or information which can only be found on your Facebook page.

When you offer people something they find useful, they will keep coming back for more.

Another option is include Facebook directly in your website by utilizing Facebook Connect. This will allow people to post to Facebook directly from your website, commenting on your content and spreading awareness of it for you.

Additionally, if you have the budget, you could advertise directly on Facebook, giving people the option to become a fan of your Page. This method will allow you to target your exact demographic and build out a quality fan following.

Now, you can also invite your friends on Facebook to become fans of your Page, provided they have interest in it. Look around for Facebook Groups which are about topics you are trying to market to also. You can normally get a decent number of Fan’s from these groups, provided you engage the community. Provide them with something of value, I cannot stress that enough, and you’ll hear me say it numerous times! Social Media is all about word of mouth, so give people a reason to start talking!

In Part 3 of “Social Media Optimization The Easy Way”, we’ll discuss how you can leverage Twitter for brand building and management, as well as increasing sales.

If you don’t know what social media is, you’ve obviously been living in a cave for the past few years. We won’t hold that against you though. But, I digress! Social Media Optimization; what is it? How do you do it? Is it difficult?

Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. It is created to be shared with a community or network of individuals, and social media optimization is the process by which we ensure your message or content is seen by the people!

So, how do you do it? Is it difficult?

It is actually very simple, and I will show you how to do it the easy way, but first, let us break down some different elements of social media.

Types of Social Media

• Social Bookmarking (Digg, Del.ici.ous, Reddit, SumpleUpon, etc.)
• Social Networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Naymz, MySpace, etc.)
• Social Blogging/Micro-Blogging (LiveJournal, Blogger, WordPress, Twitter, etc.)
• Video (YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, Cafepress, VIMO, etc.)
• Podcasts (Podcast Alley, NPR, Podcast.com, etc.)
• Photos (Picasa, Flickr, etc.)

Now, these are by no means the only forms of social media, or places where you’ll find it. There are thousands of sources online where you’ll find it, and chances are you are already using some of them yourself. If you are a parent with a teenager… ask them. They are probably using at least 3. At the same time. Right this very second! I’m serious. Go and check for yourself, I can wait…

See? I told you they were using it!

Now then, do not be misled. Social media is by no means only for the young. 29% of Facebook’s users, and also the largest portion of them, are between the ages of 35-54, with the largest growing user segment being those over the age of 55. Staggering, isn’t it?

So, how can you tap into social media and leverage your business, or a client’s? Let’s start you off with a few places where a social media presence will have the most impact.

1. Facebook – Develop a Facebook Business Page for yourself or your client. Fill it in with the required information, such as business location, office hours (if applicable), telephone number, fax number and other contact information. Add an image for the Page, normally the company logo. Now, start adding content which is valuable to your visitors. There is a lot you can do. The discussion boards will allow you to communicate with visitors and create a dialog. Your Wall will let you post short information items which can be seen by visitors at a glance. Get creative with your Page. There are thousands of Facebook Apps available to enrich your Page. You can even create your own if you are savvy enough, or hire someone to do it for you!
2. Twitter – Creating a Twitter account is a good way to start generating a bit of buzz. Don’t just flood the web with posts, or “tweets” as they are known. Find people tweeting about areas you share knowledge in which is relevant to your business, or your client’s. Engage the community! If you have valuable insights, people will follow you. This is how you can effectively build out your Followers. Create a custom Twitter design so that your page is memorable and in-line with your brand.
3. YouTube – If you have video, or can create some… you need to have a YouTube channel. YouTube is owned by Google and video optimization is a sure-fire way to get some page 1 listings with Google. Again, create a custom channel design and start uploading some video. Be sure the Titles of your videos and their tags are in-line with what the video is promoting. Remember that YouTube’s search functionality works exactly like Google’s.  Your titles and descriptions have a massive impact on your visibility.

Don’t fret; I’ll explain how you can build a following leverage your newly created social media channels. In Part 2 of “Social Media Optimization The Easy Way”, we’ll focus on Facebook!