Facebook Timelines

As of today, March 30^th, all Facebook business pages will be converted to Timeline. There are a lot of new features that are incorporated to the Timeline and overall will allow users to access past posts a lot easier than previous pages. Read on for some of our favorite features:

-          Admin Panel:  The area at the top of the page makes it easier to see updates that you need to respond to. You will need to click on "Updates by others" to see some of them. You can also see new "likes" easier, so you can welcome them by name.

-          Cover Photo:  This prominent photo allows you to choose a unique image to boldly express what your page is all about. There are differences between personal Timelines and page Timelines, so what you know about personal Timelines may not necessarily apply to the page one.

-          Milestone:  Now you are able to pinpoint an exact date of a special occurrence. These special dates will be accessible via a special list.

-          Private Messages:  Pages still aren’t able to send messages, but if they choose to allow their fans to message the page then admins will be able to privately respond as the page.

-          Highlighted Applications:  Admins can choose what page information is highlighted by adding the box to the top of the page. They can also drag and drop to choose the order.

There are many more features to be excited about. We found this article that we think is worth sharing <Click here to read more.>

As always, many people do not like the change. We believe this to be a step in the right direction. Stay tuned and we will continue to provide you with up-to-date information about these changes. Use them to your advantage! 

Sand Dollar Awards

As chair of this year's Sand Dollar Awards Committee for the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA), our very own Lisa Adams played a significant role at this year's banquet and awards presentation. The Sand Dollar Awards is the equivalent of the Oscars for local building contractors. It's a major gala event with 59 awards granted this year in categories ranging from best home design to best kitchen remodel to best website for an associate member.

Lisa and her committee put together a spectacular event with an oriental theme of Good Fortune. The night included the awards presentation, a silent auction and a performance by the Robert Williamson Band. A reward for all of her hard work, Lisa got to enjoy a beautiful evening at the formal event.

Lisa (2nd from right) with friends at the 2011 Sand Dollar Awards Gala. Photo by John Sciarrino, Giovanni Photography.

We're proud of Lisa and all she's done with the Sand Dollar Awards and the CBIA. Well done, Lisa! We'd also like to say congratulations to all the winners, including client The Lykos Group for their multiple awards!

CBIA is a local chapter of the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Local chapters are located across the state. If you're not a member of your local building industry association, you ought to consider it. Numerous benefits include continuing education offerings, networking events and promotional opportunities, such as annual awards like the Sand Dollars.

Social Media Seminar for Key4Women

Thank you to everyone who attended the seminar yesterday!  Key4Women is a group started by KeyBank that provides customized business advice, access to capital, ongoing education, and networking opportunities.  Lisa was invited to be a guest speaker presenting information on Facebook, LinkedIn and the usage of social media in general There was an amazing turnout of 42 people to this breakfast meeting!  A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Actions to take to promote businesses

·         How to use Facebook to increase customer traffic

·         How to use referral marketing to outsell competition

·         Ways to use Social Media to increase brand awareness

·         How to increase your knowledge of customer attitudes and preferences with Social Media

 To see the presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/key4-women-presentation.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to perfect your social media message), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!  



Lisa Adams with Joe from KeyBank



Social Media Seminar Presented for the Interior Design Society

The Interior Design Society recently offered a seminar on social media at the Miromar Design Center in Estero, FL.  Lisa presented a beginner class in the morning and an advanced class in the afternoon.  In these presentations she touched on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  Accompanying her was Bronson Taylor of DumbPunk who spoke about websites and search engine optimization. 

About 60 individuals came to learn, making this a highly successful event.  The crowd had very insightful questions and everyone learned something.  Beth Ann Tuyls, President IDS Naples Chapter, said, “I feel a huge THANK YOU is in order!!! What a wonderful, successful event today! We have received so much positive feedback from this event.” 

To see the presentations in their entirety, click on the links below:

·  Beginners - http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/ids-social-media-for-beginners-seminar

·  Advanced - http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/ids-social-media-for-beginners-seminar

There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

Facebook for Advanced Business User

There are more than 750 million active users on Facebook.  50% are active users that log on to Facebook in any given day.  The average user has 130 friends and people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.  Last night we discussed how to leverage this information to benefit businesses.

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Facebook Advertising

·         Check - In Deals

·         Custom Applications including Fan Only Applets

·         Posting as Your Business

·         And much more...

To see the slide presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/score-facebook-for-the-advanced-business-user-workshop.  There are active links within this presentation, so be sure to click on the pictures!   

A big thank you to Whole Foods Market Naples for donating the snacks for this event.  What an amazing spread they made available last night.  Yummy!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

Facebook for Beginners

The crowd that came to the Facebook for Beginners Workshop proves how many individuals understand the need to learn about the biggest social media site on the web.  This class really delved into topics that most think they understand, but many would be surprised to find how many little nuances there really are. 

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Privacy Settings

·         “Checking In” – How and Why?

·         Uploading

·         Mobile Devices and How They Differ

·         And much more…

To see the slide presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/score-facebook-workshop-for-beginners.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!   If you are looking for more advanced techniques to apply to your business, please join us for the Facebook for the Advanced Business User on July 13^th!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

The Inner Workings of Twitter Workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop last night!  We were able to discuss in depth all of the inner workings of Twitter.  The crowd had great questions and wonderful discussions were started!  We are so appreciative of these opportunities.

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Creating custom pages

·         Using hash tags

·         Organizing Tweets with Tweet Deck

·         Twitter parties

·         And much more…

To see the presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/twitter-workshop-for-score.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

 

Facebook for Businesses Workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop last night!  What an amazing turnout we had with a standing room only crowd!  55 attendees and 14 SCORE representatives came to hear Lisa give a riveting workshop on how to use Facebook for your business.

A few of the topics discussed were:

·         Custom welcome pages

·         Applications that you can import into your page

·         Ways to connect social media & make them work for you

·         Methods of getting fans

·         Studying insights to see what works

 To see the presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/score-facebook-for-businesses-workshop.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!

If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!

Upgrades to Facebook Business Pages: We Requested, They Delivered

Some really cool upgrades have enhanced Facebook for those who have business pages.  Developers have been asking admins how they can make business pages easier to use.   We responded with a number of things that we would like to add to the capabilities of business pages.  The developers listened and as of mid February they sent out emails detailing the new features they would be revealing.

The developers allowed us to see what our business accounts will look like and upgrade the pages ourselves if we would like.  All pages will automatically be upgraded on March 10^th. 

Here are some of the new features:

·         Notifications when fans interact with your page or posts – Previously an admin would need to visit the page to see if a fan posted to their page, now it will give you a notification of this just like a personal page.

·         A place to showcase photos along the top of your page – Just as the personal pages now have, pictures will be showcased along the top.  Admins can choose to hide a certain picture if they would not like it showcased by rolling over it and clicking on the X button that appears.

·         A news feed for your page - News Feed — the center column of your home page — is a constantly updating list of stories from people and pages that you follow on Facebook.  You can “switch” to the business account to see this.

·         The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page – “Switching” to the business account allows you to post on other business pages as your business.  This gives your page more visibility.  At this time you cannot post on personal pages as your business.

To “switch” between personal accounts and business accounts:

·     You must be an admin of the page

·     Go to the business page

·     In the upper right hand corner of the page, find the link that says “Use Facebook as [Business Name]”

·     Repeat steps and click link that will now say “Use Facebook as [Your Name]” to switch back

These changes allow businesses a lot more freedom and visibility with their pages.  As always, if you would like to discuss options for marketing your business with Social Media, contact Lisa Adams at 239-963-5369. 

The Power of the Press Release

You are constantly looking for the best ways to market your business… but I bet you are missing one of the most obvious ones:  The Press Release!  And guess what, other than the time put in, they are free.  Plus a newspaper article holds a lot more credibility in people’s eyes than an advertisement because it appears to be coming from a trusted, third-party source, rather than the company itself.

Let’s start by saying what a press release is.  Wikipedia defines it as “a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value.”  This means if you have something that people would want to know about, the press wants to hear about it.  This can be anything from a charity event you are hosting to the hiring of a new employee.

Press releases have a very regimented format and will only be considered by the media if written correctly.  There are many online sources to guide you, and there are even entire books written about this topic.  Take a moment to read up on this to be sure that you don’t waste your time.

Once your press release is written, choose the media contacts that you will be sending it to.  They are usually listed on the websites of the papers and trade associations.  Remember, not all of the media contacts out there are looking for the same stories.  A charity event would be directed to most of the contacts, but a new employee would go to the business section writers and trade publications.  So think about what you are sending and be realistic.

Thank them when your article is used.  This is such a simple thing, but so many people forget to do this!  You like to be thanked when you do something nice. They do, too. 

The last tip I will leave you with… Only send a press release once.  You may not hear back from your contacts even if they plan on using your story, but do not hassle them.  Nothing will put you on their block list quicker.

So take a moment and learn to use this powerful tool.  Or give us a call.  We offer press release services.  Isn’t it time to see your name in the headlines?

Installed and Honored, Congrats to ALL!

Congratulations to those of you honored at last week’s Collier Building Industry Association Installation held at the Olde Cypress Club in Naples, FL.

Thomas Wegwert is now officially the 2011 President of the CBIA.  All the board members and all council members (for the Sales & Marketing Council, Remodelers’ Council and the Business Builder Council) were installed along with Tom.  Our very own Lisa Adams was one of the associate members to be installed as Secretary of the Sales & Marketing Council.

In addition to the installation, several well deserved awards were distributed to members.  Congratulations to them especially for the recognition they received.  It is because of their dedication to the local building community that our association continues to lead the nation.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

·         Builder of the Year:  Thomas Lykos of The Lykos Group, Inc.

·         Associate of the Year:  Stacey Herring of Fifth Third Bank

·         Remodeler of the Year:  Bill Varian of Varian Construction Company, Inc.

We are thankful for all of those that work to build our organization and keep the CBIA strong. 

Welcome, Lisa!

Lisa Adams has officially joined Licenses, Etc.! We are so excited to have her on board because she has so much to offer our clients. We'd like to give you a proper introduction, so here are the basics plus a personal interview with Lisa, herself.

With a background in customer service, membership director at Collier Building Industry Association and marketing director for a contracting company, Lisa has extensive experience in marketing and the construction industry. Her focus is always on the customer and delivering the highest level of service, making her a perfect fit for our Licenses, Etc. team.

Originally from Tennessee, Lisa now calls Naples home, along with her husband, a bull dog, a black lab and a sugar glider. She's committed to her Southwest Florida community, volunteering her time with several organizations. She has served on numerous boards and committees including Sales & Marketing Council at the CBIA, Business Builder Council, Interior Design Society Naples, and a founding Steering Committee member of the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals.

On to the interview...

What will you be doing at Licenses, Etc.?

I'll be heading up our new service offerings of Social Media Networking and License & Business Maintenance services and will also be assisting with applications and other marketing services. Whatever needs to be done for the customer, I'm there to help.

What do you think is the biggest challenge contracting businesses face right now?

To say it in one word: Budgets. Every company out there is cutting wherever they can to keep cash flow steady, but the one part they should not cut, marketing, is usually the first to go. How will people know that you exist if you don’t tell them?

How can you help clients overcome this challenge?

Social Media Marketing is the way to go. I set up custom pages that show the company in their own unique way and engage the customers to interact.  This will cause a dialogue that will make the customer feel comfortable to ask the questions to make the decisions they need to.

In your opinion, what is the best way contractors can use social media networking for their businesses?

To stay on top of their image.  Most of America is on one site or another and if you are not, how do you know what they are saying about you?  A satisfied customer tells 3 people on average.  A dissatisfied customer tells 10.  If you interact with your customer and listen to what they have to say, you can stop a problem in its track and make sure it never happens again.  Find out what they need and make sure you are able to give it to them.  Be proactive about your business and create an environment where the customer feels safe and sure of their interactions with you.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I like to play Bunco.

What’s your favorite thing to read?

Fiction. I love a good story. (We won't ask your favorite book...because we all know it's Promise by our own Kristie Cook...or maybe Purpose, the sequel...right? <Hint: If not, just nod your head and smile. That's what you're being paid for now.>)

Favorite movie?

Princess Bride has been my favorite movie since I was 8 years old.

Favorite TV show?

Definitely House MD.

Favorite thing to do outdoors?

I love to hike.  Yes I do realize I live in Florida, but back in Tennessee, I loved to hike.

Pick one place in the world you want to travel to.

Australia. I would love to see the animals that they have there all in their natural habitats.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what is the one object you could not live without?

Solar powered car – could get around wherever I needed to go, sleep in it, keep cold with the A/C, stand on it when I need to be a little taller, and hide in it when animals come attack.

If you could have dinner with anyone in history (past or present), who it would be? Why?

I would have dinner with Princess Diana.  I would want to ask about the differences in social structure and if she regretted marrying into the royal family.  I would love to hear stories from the castle, the unedited ones, and stories from her childhood.  She is the rags to riches story come to life and I always wondered if it was everything she wanted it to be.