Facebook has introduced another platform for you to showcase your business page.  It’s called iFrames.  The iFrames application allows you to insert an external web page as a tab on your Facebook business page.  This functionality affords you the opportunity to be as creative as you can imagine on your business pages.

Here are some ideas:

• Add videos to your business page

• Embed PDFs or presentations on your page

• create a special offer or coupon

iFrames has created an avenue of creative for you to explore.

For more suggestions how to utilize iFrames and other Social Media Tips for your Business visit http://www.setufreeva.com and add your name to my email list.

What do you think of when you hear the word group?  Facebook is probably not your first response.

Being part of a group or creating a group infers a common interest.  That’s the reasoning behind creating a Facebook group – to be a community of people with a common interest.

I’ll highlight 3 benefits to maintaining a Facebook group:

#1.  Relationships:  groups allow members to engage in group chat.  Members can exchange information, strengthen and build relationships and be social!

#2.  Free P.R.: Facebook groups are promoted in the sidebar of Facebook pages – a no cost promotional benefit for the group.  Keep this in mind when naming your group.  A descriptive name will help to define the group’s focus and attract future members.

#3.  Viral Marketing:  the share feature allows members to send content to friends and associates outside of the group.  These non-group members have the ability to forward this information to others.  Allowing the content to reach persons on various platforms.

Facebook is an evolving social network that offers several alternatives to promote your business.  Remember, Facebook is FREE…use it to its fullest capacity.

Are you interested in more Social Media Tips for your Business?  Join my email list @ http://www.setufreeva.com to receive helpful tips for your business.

You probably consider yourself a mover and shaker in your industry – a leader, not a follower.  Is that your justification for not having a Facebook Business page for your business?

Social media is and will continue to be an intrigual part of the daily lives of people around the world – which includes your target audience.  Don’t treat this opportunity to market you product and/or service via a Facebook business page as a passing fad.

I’ll highlight 3 benefits of having a Facebook business page for your business:

#1 – Drive traffic to your website.  Your website is a part of your marketing funnel.  By linking your Facebook business page to your website you increase the probability of web traffic.  Increased traffic can translate to increased sales

#2 – Customer Service. A Facebook business page gives you a venue to engage consumers.  You can solicit reviews, answer questions and address concerns.  Customers can interact with each other and post recommendations.

#3 – Free P.R. You can customize Facebook business page to increase your advertising effort.  By adding applications such as an opt-in form for your newsletter or autoresponder series or a RSS feed to your blog – you can keep your business in front of current and potential clients.  Adding content to you page increases your ranking in the search engines.

These are just a few of the benefits of maintaining an active Facebook business page.  You can receive more Social Media Tips for your Business by signing up for my autoresponder series @ http://www.setufreeva.com.

April is Stress Awareness Month. During this month healthcare professionals and health promotion experts will join forces to increase public awareness about the dangers of stress and provide coping strategies.

Stress permeates our daily lives. It may be more prevalent for business owners as they navigate the many roles and responsibilities needed to run a successful business.

Are you stressing about maintaining your blog, updating your status on Facebook, monitoring your online reputation or distributing articles to online directories? Relieve yourself of these stressors by hiring a virtual assistant!

Perhaps the thought of engaging in a virtual relationship causes you more stress. Here’s a stress-free opportunity to experience the support of a virtual assistant. Simply complete this short survey for a chance to win 2 free hours of virtual service. The lucky winners will be announced on April 16th, National Stress Awareness Day.

Stress relief is in your reach!

Now more than ever, it is important to have a strong online presence for your business.  Online engagement has become more social with an emphasis on interaction vs. reaction.  Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and FourSquare encourage relationship building, information exchange and customer service.  Businesses entering these social venues should have a well-thought out plan to grow and engage their customer base.  That plan is a social media campaign.

A social media campaign for your business is a uniquely tailored plan to address your social media business goals.  One basic element of a social media campaign is fresh and engaging content.  Fresh content is achieved via regular status updates to the social platforms you are engaged in.  The information provided should be of interest to your client base.  These updates can be blog posts, snippets of articles written by you or information posted from the web.  Remember, you are building trust through giving.  Simply peddling your company’s message will not attract followers.  This is your opportunity to show your expertise and generosity to those in your network.  The end result may be the strengthening of an existing business relationship or the formation of a new strategic alliance.  Overtime the benefits of your social media campaign may be manifested in increased website traffic, larger fanbase and company brand recognition.

Is your social media campaign working for your business?

Would you like assistance in implementing these steps?  I can help!  My name is Ronnelle Melwood, owner of SetUFree Virtual Services.  A virtual partner providing executive-level support to overwhelmed business owners, entrepreneurs and other online providers who wish to relieve themselves of mundane daily tasks.  SetUFree Virtual Services offers Social Media Marketing assistance as well as administrative support offerings.

Feel free to contact me at: Ronnelle@SetUFreeVA.com and visit: www.SetUFreeVA.com for a complimentary consultation.

The social media space is growing,  The Big Three – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – are the most popular modes of web interaction.  There are other common interest focused sites that are emerging; some interesting alternatives are:

Hot Potato.  The site allows users to organize tags by interest, such as music, books, food, etc.  This enables users to connect via common interest topics and share activities under a specific topic as well as engage in real-time conversations.  Please note, this site was recently purchased by Facebook (August 2010).  It should relaunch shortly.  Blog updates can be found here.

CitySense. A real-time geo mobile application that displays the overall activity of a city.  It answers the question ”where is everyone going right now?”  The application shows top activity hotspots and enables the user to link to Yelp and Google to map the venues.  Access the site @ CitySense.   The application is free and allows users to delete personal historical data to ensure security.

Hunch. The site is based on a question selection algorithm.  Based on a user’s response to a series of questions, usually 10 or less, Hunch will provide a recommendation to address the user’s query.  Recommendations are based on the collective knowledge of the community.  Responses are organized in a useful manner to offer customized answers.  Results may not align with your personal taste, but the concept is intriguing.  Try it for yourself @ Hunch.

Lunch.  This site is similar to Hunch in that data is based on recommendations and reviews of similar minded people.  Lunch enables users to share and discover personally information relevant information.  Looking for a local plumber?  Want to know where to find the best vintage wear?  Look it up on Lunch.

Above is a small sampling of new and interesting social sites based on you and your specific interest.  What are you interested in?  Have you found a site that caters to your specific interests?  Please share.

I’ve always considered myself a decisive person.  I don’t make spontaneous, knee-jerk decisions about things that have long lasting ramifications.  For example, weekend getaways are planned, birthday celebrations are planned – sometimes even lunch and dinner menus are planned.  I like to plan.  Having an outline of what I would like to do is comforting to me.  So why am I unable to decide upon a target market?

My first choice was the IT/Finance industry, and then I focused on executives.  After I thought I found my true calling in the non-profit industry.  Everyone has a cause.  Furthering a good cause will warm the heart – if not the pocket – I should be content.   Shouldn’t I?   I do like to help people, organizations, causes, so it appeared to be a perfect match.  It was a perfect match until someone suggested that I investigate the possibility of becoming an Author’s Assistant.  Wow – a new shiny object to follow.  But where does that leave my business?  The answer:  on the treadmill – moving but going nowhere.  Am I afraid to succeed?  I have become my own roadblock.  Another way to view this situation is to believe that nothing happens before its time.  OK – so I call “time” now!

I have a very patient business coach and I recently “won” two laser coaching sessions with another business coach.  Both persons are successful business owners who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise.  So the time is now.    The stars are aligned – the moment is here – all the clichés that relate to seizing the moment translate to me as:  get off the treadmill and start to climb the ladder.

Stay tuned for the journey.

Geo-tagging is the new shiny object in the social media arena.  Therefore, we should expect similar applications (apps) to appear in its wake.  In line with that expectation an application called Shopkick has been developed for smart phone users.  The app tracks customer movement from outside the store to various points within the store such as the dressing room, cash register and moving from floor to floor.  Think of it as your virtual personal shopper.

Shopkick is similar to other geo-social apps in that users are able to accumulate points – called kickbucks – towards gift cards from the retailer.  Retailers have found their marketing edge – a customized shopping experience as well as an opportunity to influence and analysis consumer behavior.

Personally, I enjoy the evolution of technology.  My phone allows me to stay connected – email, Facebook, Twitter,  the web – but I draw the line at allowing myself to be tracked at any given moment.  What is the pay-off for that level of intrusion?   A $5 gift card?  Storage of my habits and preferences in the clouds?

What’s your opinion?  Is Shopkick the natural progression to geo-apps?  Are we exposing too much of ourselves in the world of Web 2.0?  Please comment.