With only a few weeks left for you to tweak your Timeline, before the 30th March when Timeline goes live, check your Page  and the new rules that Facebook have introduced.

You can preview your design and fix any potential problems. During this time only you as the administrator can see how your page will look when it is automatically rolled out at the end of March.  Facebook have  introduced Timeline cover rules which you need to read and adhere to so your Page doesn’t get removed for violation of the rules.  Updates have changed together with new features on the admin panel.  Until the end of March you can work on your design while running the Pages in the old style and if/when you are satisfied you can then publish.

By previewing your present page design in Timeline you can check how status updates and other activity will look in the new layout.

It’s obvious from all of these restrictions that Facebook are keeping the marketing off the Timeline cover.

So what can you do?
For some businesses it will be an ideal extension to their portfolio. Photographers, designers and other ‘visual’ businesses will find it easy but for others it may be a little more difficult to represent your brand.  Check out some of the brands that already have their Timelines and see what they have used and if yours doesn’t look good, change it!
Mari Smith
Owen Phillips
Jesse Stay
Nigel Botterill
Herbal Essences
Flickchart
Lifehacker

For help with social media contact us by email, or telephone Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

It’s good to have a healthy twitter feed and if you use some of the following tips you could have re-tweets galore too.

When composing your tweet always allow enough space for your name @ sign and RT. By leaving 20 characters available people can RT your post without spending time removing characters and shortening your post. If people just have to press the RT button it saves them time and you are more likely to get RT’d. Time spent by you making your tweets shorter is time well spent.

Be consistent with your tweets. Your followers will know what to expect from your content both in content and delivery. Provide content that provides value to a wide audience, questions, breakthroughs in your industry, general breaking news, compelling thoughts and quotes, humourous items and links to interesting content. Do not persistently ask for RTs and similarly choose your RT so it has value for your followers. RT in moderation not indiscriminately.

Check out the list of the most re-tweeted people on Twitter  What information are they supplying and how? Develop a strong brand and earn the RT by providing value to your followers. With lists in mind, get yourself listed. The list option in Twitter keeps people you want to hear from in the forefront and can increase your rates of RT. Lists can be as important in the RT as your number of followers. They are a good measure of the value of the content you will find.

Tweet grader pop in your Twitter name and check your ratings. It’s a handy way of checking that you have everything you need on your profile as it provides an instant grade and report. Just enter your twitter username (password not needed) How they grade your feed.
You can also check out the list of top users on twitter.

If you need more help with Twitter email us, or telephone Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

QRC – Quick Response Code is a type of barcode and was created by Toyota for the automotive industry in 1994. The idea was to be able to track vehicles through the various parts of the manufacturing process.

The most popular type of QRC are two-dimensional and allow the contents to be decoded fast. Their use is gradually being taken on board by major brands and allows companies to ‘sell’ to a mobile customer base with the ability to scan the codes from smart phones (with camera).

How could you use a QRC in your business?

If your product requires installation, a code on your packaging that plays a video of installation instructions. Overcomes the problem of the manual not being in the box and so much easier to see how it’s done than just reading how to install.

Business cards with the code can import all your contact information.

Roadside advertising contains a code to take you to further information about the advert, a trailer for a film, product information for car or cooker.

QRC on an appliance – when your machine goes wrong you have a code on it that leads to the manual on line. How easy is that when you have no idea where you put the manual and you bought it so long ago.

In store signs carrying codes that can be stored or sent to friends; to tweet, view a video about the product, share.

Apps – a code that takes you to the app download, so easy and fast, no need to spend time searching for the download.

Advertising – code that gives you the time, the date, the place. Where a product is produced, who by and when, so much more information than can be mentioned in a normal advert.

QRC can easily take your customers to a more comprehensive description of your products.

Can you think how you can use QRC in your business?

If you have an idea how you could use QRC, get in touch and we can help you put your ideas into reality. Email us, or speak to Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

Tips on using Social Media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo and 4N for business marketing, presented by Ian McKendrick.

Do you feel like you will never have sufficient time to devote to marketing your business using social media?

Use a virtual assistant!

After a free initial consultation we can set up a package for you offering set up and maintenance of your accounts across all popular social networks, creation and design of e-newsletters, blogging, twittering and connection research on LinkedIn. Contact us now for more information and to book your consultation.

1. Apply commitment
If you decide to set up your profile on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn you will need to regularly post new content and keep it up to date. This is a commitment that’s required from you the moment you press the Submit button to save your profile If you can’t do this – don’t bother starting as it will send a wrong message and will not attract any new customers.

2. Manage friends
All messages and friends’ requests received on social networking sites must be handled in a timely manner. You need to treat them in the same way as if they were your usual business emails received in the Outlook or Lotus Notes. However don’t just automatically accept all requests. When it comes to social networking, it’s about quality not quantity. You must make the time to vet followers using tools like SocialOomph.com.

3. Keep with the image
Don’t accept irrelevant requests. Set your preferences to pre-screen all new comments or content. Decline anything not keeping with the business image you want to present. Don’t allow sexual photos or links to website, foul language, random advertising or spam. Otherwise your profile will quickly become irrelevant, boring and non-professional.

4. Take fun seriously
Your social media profile is just another form of your business Web site. It’s part of your business PR strategy. Before adding anything – consider the impression it will have on those viewing it. However have fun when writing or adding content, make sure your personality shines through. People will want to read about you, not a glossy sales pitch or dry stats you found on the Internet.

For more tips check out my other posts: Using a VA for Social Media Marketing and Researching Google keywords.

Good luck with blogging!