1.866.840.3062

They have been buzzed about.  They have been criticized.  And to this point, marketing and advertising results have varied greatly.  But one thing is becoming obvious:  social networking sites like Facebook and are not going anywhere and learning to leverage them effectively now has the potential to pay off big time in the future.

From the beginning, skeptics have questioned the value of marketing on social media sites, saying the traffic was not targeted, the demographics too young, reporting and analytics limited.  However, that is all changing, and Facebook appears to be leading the way.  Below are some of the top reasons I believe every company should take advantage of this medium and include it (in some way, shape, or form) in their marketing plan for 2009.

Pure Volume
According to the most recent comScore stats, Facebook attracted 222 million unique visitors worldwide and 80 billion page views in December 2008.  In fact, 22 percent of the total Internet audience visited the site during the month.  (To put that in perspective, there were about 200 million unique TV viewers in February 2008.)  While MySpace currently receives more U.S. traffic than Facebook, it’s predicted that Facebook will overtake MySpace by January 2010.  Clearly, a successful marketing campaign involves more than just getting your message in front of a large audience.  You need to convey the right message.  But there is a reason that major advertisers spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads each year!

Not Just for Kids Anymore
One of the biggest misconceptions of social networking sites has traditionally been that they are only used by teens.  However, according to “Adults and Social Network Web Sites,” a study released by Pew Internet & American Life Project, the number of adults using sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn grew from 8 percent in 2005 to 35 percent in 2008.  Twenty-two percent of adult social networkers use Facebook.   These users are predominantly college educated males with a median age of 26, a demographic known to be big spenders online.

Targeted Ads
Because Facebook allows and in fact encourages users to include a great deal of personal information in their profiles, the opportunities for targeting are endless.  Target by location, sex, age, keywords, education, etc. and your ads will only be displayed to users who fit your chosen criteria.  Want to target a certain keyword?  No problem.  Select words or phrases that relate to your product or company and your ads will only be shown to users who mention those words in their profile.

Your Fans Spread the Word for You
Word of mouth is one of the most valuable forms of advertising in history.  Why?  Because we trust our friends’ opinions more than ads that we know have been constructed solely to get us to buy a certain product.  The beauty of Facebook’s model is that when users visit your page, stories of that interaction are posted in their News Feeds.  Every time one of their friends log in, they see the post in their own feed with a link that goes directly to your page.

Ok.  You may be sitting there saying, “It all sounds great in theory.  But does it actually work?”  Let me give a personal account of my own experience with Facebook and the day the light bulb went on in my head telling me that they are on to something.

I Became A “Fan”
As my friends will attest, I enjoy eating out quite a bit.  In fact, I’ve been known to frequent my favorite restaurant for their happy hour sushi special several times a week.  Upon logging into my Facebook account one day, I noticed a “story” posted in my News Feed announcing that one of my friends had “Become a Fan of Chino Latino” (I’m hoping that plug will get me some kind of free food coupon. )

I clicked on the link because I wanted to see what I would get if I was a fan too.  When I got to their page I saw a simple profile with the restaurant’s logo, basic contact information, etc.  But upon further inspection, I saw fan pictures, a discussion board engaging users by asking questions like, “Who is your favorite bartender?,” and best of all a list of updates telling me the latest specials and upcoming events.  I became a fan myself and within about 15 minutes saw that 10 of my friends had done so as well. (I know this because it showed up in my News Feed.)  When I logged in the next day I had an event invite from Chino telling me about their weekend specials.  Where do you think I went for dinner that weekend?

In the past few weeks I have become a fan of several restaurants (one of which specifically linked to Facebook from their Website), clicked on an ad to download 3 free songs from one of the “favorite bands” listed in my profile, and entered a contest to win a trip by becoming a fan of a travel agency my friend works for and posted about in his status.

I’m not saying having a Facebook ad or page is the answer to all of your marketing needs or is going to result in a tidal wave of instant business.  But the new age of online marketing means finding ways to engage your customers, make them advocates, and let them promote for you.  If you ignore the social networking community (especially the rapidly growing Facebook community), they may just ignore you too.

I remember my visit to the telephone company to get my first telephone number that I ever had while making my way to college.  The account representative at the telephone company had looked at me in a way that said “Are you sure you are ready for this kind of responsibility, buddy?”  I still laugh about it to this day because of how little I cared about whether my telephone bill got paid or not…plus I’m not sure if my attitude has changed much since then.

But in contrast to the above, not knowing whether you own your website or how to access it is no laughing matter.  As I speak to many current and prospective clients, it concerns me how little many businesses know about their website.  So I thought, I would put together a small collection of resources to answer many of the common questions I receive:

Who owns my website?
This is not the easiest question to answer because many design companies and firms have different policies regarding who owns a website.  If you are a new or an existing website owner, you would likely have to revert to the contract you originally signed with the design company/individual in question.  Unfortunately, it’s very common for a website design firm to retain ownership unless it was described otherwise in your contract.  If you are about to engage with a website design firm, I would encourage you to read the fine print and make sure it includes the details of assigning ownership before signing on the dotted line.

Where is my domain registered?
The next item of information you should know is where your domain name is registered and who registered it.  If you are unsure where it was registered, you can do a whois.net search that will reveal who it’s registered with.  If the domain name is in your name, you are in luck and you should continue to contact that registrar to get the details to login to your account.  If it’s not in your name, then you likely will have to track down the company that built the website or registered it on your behalf and get it transferred to you.

Where is my website hosted?
In many cases, the same company that built the website will also host it.  Otherwise, you or the design company, will likely purchase hosting from a 3rd party vender.  In any case, you will want to make sure that your company has control over its hosting solution.  But if you are unsure of who hosts your website, check out Who Is Hosting This to find the company.  Again, contact that company to gain access to your account.  As a general rule of thumb, I recommend not to host your website with a design company.

What do I do if my website is down?
Having a down website can be very frustrating as it can affect more than just web visitors such as your e-mail and other resources.  If you notice that your website is down, the first thing that you need to determine is whether it’s your internet service provider (ISP) or another web related issue.  Down For Everyone Or Just Me offers a fast and easy way to see if your website is down or if it’s your ISP.  If your website is down then it’s likely your hosting company (assuming your domain name hasn’t expired.)  Typically, a quick call to the hosting company can resolve this issue.  However, in severe circumstances, websites can be lost unless you take precautionary measures such as having a back-up copy of your site (ask your website design firm or IT professional) or investing in a website back-up service.

Summary
Hopefully by now, I have given you some useful resources to get a better grasp on your website properties.  However, one point that I can’t stress enough is that you should always know and protect the details of your website.  As you can see or possibly experienced, it’s very easy to lose control of your website in an effort to make your life easier by having another vendor manage it for you.  As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that you always do the following:

• Read the fine print before signing up for a new website or redesign
• Always register your domains yourself under your company name
• Host your website with a professional hosting company unless you have the resources to do it internally
• Have a website backup plan in case of catastrophic events

Lastly, don’t just have a website, own it!

Christmas is over and another new year is underway.  As the 2008 economy has been rough for many businesses and an uncertain bottom exists, making a few New Year resolutions for the business certainly wouldn’t hurt.  If you are still wondering how your business can leverage its available resources in 2009, its not too late to develop a game plan.  Below, I have outlined 3 resolutions that your business could consider undertake to start out 2009 on the right foot.

Business Resolution #1
Develop a marketing plan- Sounds simple enough, but many businesses don’t take the time to determine how they will promote themselves in the long run.  Although it is easy to get buried in operational issues and deadlines, this should never be an excuse for not strategically looking forward.  Start by setting a date and a time where key stakeholders can discuss the overall direction of the company.  Don’t be surprised as this meeting can typically take an entire day.  So a weekend or off-site meeting may be required to get everyone on the same page.

Business Resolution #2
Reduce Unnecessary Costs- As we will soon feel the pinch from holiday spending, reviewing and removing unnecessary business expenses can greatly improve cash flow.  Perhaps your frivolous spending habits aren’t as bad as Google , but no one can escape some of the little luxuries that we have all come to enjoy such as bottled water, gourmet coffee, and snacks.  However, as you probably have guessed, these cuts alone are likely not enough to get struggling companies back in the black.  If you are in need of heavier cuts, here are a couple of key expenses you may want to visit:

1. Renew Your Lease: Seek to renegotiate, remove unnecessary warehouse space, or move to a smaller facility.  If you own, consider refinancing at a lower rate or longer terms.
2. Reduce the Workforce: It’s never easy to cut jobs, but times of economic distress does make it easier rationalize.  Seek to reduce your labor force by determining which jobs could be outsourced or reassigned to other employees.
3. Hold off on Capital: Seems like a day doesn’t goes without someone asking for some sort of upgrade, whether it be a new computer hard drive or a van.  Many of these can be held back or possibly sold if they are no longer required.

Business Resolution #3
Embrace the digital era- It’s no mystery that more consumers and businesses are choosing to consume the Internet than ever before.  In addition, if 2009 online marketing predictions aren’t proof enough, a look back at the 2008 presidential election tells us that we are just beginning to scratch the surface with the possibilities of online communication.  However, I’m not suggesting that you should blow your entire marketing budget on Internet media, but if you have been considering a new website or haven’t included the Internet in your media plan in previous years, make 2009 the year to get started.

Summary
As we all know, it’s easier to make resolutions than to actually keep them.  Additionally, many of the common personal resolutions like quitting smoking, losing weight, or spending more time with family actually fail.   Interestingly, these all affect your quality life or even the length of it the sooner you do them.  In the same regard, your business’s health should be treated no differently and is just as vulnerable as your personal health.  So, perhaps the above resolutions are not perfect for your business, but I’m sure you can think of a few that would improve the long term performance of your company…that you can stick to.