According to statistics posted by Facebook, the average user is connected to over 80 pages, groups, and events. This statistic begs the question – how do you make your company’s Facebook page standout among the crowd? While you are free to post varied content, the layout and design of your Facebook page is the exact same as everyone else. Well, it does not have to be.

With new tools and applications, you can give your Facebook fan page it’s own personality by creating a customized landing page. You can create a specialized experience by designing what new visitors see when they land on your page. For instance, when a user visits your Facebook page, instead of landing on the usual “wall” tab that all of your established fans are used to, they could land on a custom tab like this:

You can customize the tab any way you like, with text, logos, and images. It’s like a micro-site for your Facebook page. Welcome your new fans, promote a deal, or provide useful information – it’s up to you! Learn more about WEBii custom facebook services.

As you write your next email message to a client, coworker, or connection, think about how you can make that person’s work day more efficient by having a clear descriptive subject line.

Many people receive an overwhelming amount of email, including those unfortunate spam messages.  They often rely on the from address as well as the subject line to identify which emails are priority to read, and which are more likely spam to trash.   When they receive an email with a subject line of “hello” or “help”, this is a mental flag for suspicion.

For example, instead of sending your colleague an email with the subject of “Proposal”, make it more specific like, “Smith Building Proposal”.  Including particular details also helps the person to determine a clearer picture of what the message might be about and its importance level, such as “Smith Building Proposal, Need Revision”.

Trust me – this is one simple change that will not go unappreciated.  Having worked in customer service oriented business for many years, I have seen my share of spam with subject of “help” and “question”.  Unfortunately a few legitimate customer emails get lost in that bunch.

Did you recently get an email about a “dispute” for your “trademarked domain” in another top level domain?

I have seen a lot of these types of notices received by our customers, boldly urging the owner of a .com domain about the “pending purchase” of a similar domain with another country’s extension – such as “mycompanyname.cn” (a China extension).  The verbiage is a bit sneaky, sounding as if someone is just on the edge of buying your domain if you don’t do something quick!

Be wary of these – they are scams.  Most likely, no one is on the verge of buying your domain name.  In fact, you probably have no interest in owning a domain name that is located in another country where you may not even do any business. A couple of my customers did attempt to reply to the message asking for more information, only to receive a more urgent and stern reply (in a threatening tone).  My recommendation is to ignore the email and delete it.

I often forget how beneficial press releases can be for a company.  You can report nearly anything in a press release, such as a change in your company’s services, a new product, a new employee or owner, a new client or contract, or an award you have received.

What better way to spread a press release quickly than through your established email lists?  Since press releases are not necessarily on a consistent recurring schedule, I find it helpful to use a flexible email marketing service like Vertical Response that offers a pay-as-you-go option.

After you announce the release to your email contacts, forward it to the Chamber of Commerce, local trade organizations, and other media outlets.

The next time you go to register a new domain name for your company, consider the point of contact that you specify.  Technically, the administrative contact in your domain name records indicates the manager or owner of that name.  When the registrar needs to communicate about important issues including billing and renewals for that domain name, they will use the email contact on file in that record.

I recommend specifying a management level or ownership level contact in the “administrative” section of your domain record, and specify a different alternative contact for the “billing” contact, such as your accounting department email address or another partner in the business.  This way, if one of the original contacts is not available during key communications, or if one of those email addresses becomes invalid, you will still have an easy way of getting information about your domain name and can continue to manage it via the 2nd contact.

More importantly, make sure the official company name is indicated in the Organization fields.  If there is ever a dispute about your domain name or if you need to acquire managing information, you need a way to demonstrate that the domain name is tied to the company rather than just an individual.

With Blog Inspirations we help you find topics to maintain your business blog.

Incorporating an interview into your blog post is a great way to create a unique, entertaining and informative article. It is ok if you are at a loss for words – just get somebody else to do the talking!

Are you planning on attending a conference related to your business or industry? This is a great opportunity to speak with professionals in your field who can offer their opinions and advice. If you have access to a list of attendees or speakers, take a look through it and pick out several professionals you are interested in speaking with. If you want to secure your interview, try contacting the people you would like to talk to in advance. This way, you can introduce yourself and let them know the nature of the questions you are interested in asking them. You might ask them to meet you for coffee after the event, or meet you between seminars and workshops. If you do not have access to a list of attendees, you are sure to meet some interesting people while you are there, and most professionals are happy to sit down for a quick interview – especially if they know it is going to be featured on a blog. In addition to bringing your pen and paper, bring a small tape recorder with you, so you can capture your interview and review it later. Recording the interview makes it easier for you to engage in the interview, and you won’t have to scribble notes while trying to talk.

You don’t have to go to a conference to meet people to interview. In fact, you most likely already know many interesting professionals in your industry. Consider requesting an interview from your boss, perhaps your readers would like to hear from someone in an executive seat. You could request an interview from your co-worker, perhaps he or she recently completed an interesting project and you could tell his or her story in your blog post. You can even go through your rolodex and contact people you have met and worked with who may have interesting insight into the future of your industry. You can even interview someone outside of your field, someone in a different specialty – you can always find a way to make the information relevant to your readers.

If you have a topic in mind to write about that you are very interested in, but know little about, you can conduct a panel style interview. Do some initial research on the subject of interest. Formulate some questions you would like answered by those who know the subject best. Also consider questions you think would elicit informative answers for your readers. Then, contact people you would consider experts in the subject. Maybe it is a professor at a local college, a government official, or a small business owner – you can ask each individual the same questions and compare and contrast their responses. This type of investigative interviewing lends itself to a very comprehensive blog post.

So, the next time you have a case of blogger’s block, get out your tape recorder. Your interview is likely to inspire an interesting and informative new post.

The trend of late is a revisit from “your account has been updated” emails.  These emails may be phrased to tell you that a recent security patch has been applied to your email service or website, or something similar.  Then you will be asked to open an attached file to remedy the problem or officially apply the “security” fix.  Beware – and definitely hesitate – before opening any attachment.

In most cases, your web hosting or email hosting provider will never ask you to open a file to deal with any sort of technical support issue.  If you are unsure, simply pick up the phone and call your tech support team, or email them directly in a fresh email message (not a reply to or forward of that suspicious message).  If you enjoy WEBii.net service, these emails are absolutely NOT from us – we will never ask you to open a file to address anything with your email services.

This is a recycled tactic used by hackers and spammers to gain some sort of control over your computer or your information.  The file is most likely a malicious software.  The message may even say it is “from” your own website domain.

A good rule of thumb is to only open attachments that you are expecting from parties that you know.

It is officially summertime: A time to relax, a time to renew, and most importantly – a time to market your business.

For many small businesses, summertime translates to a slow business season. So, why not take this extra time to plan ahead?

As much as we might like summer to last forever, we all know how the fall and holiday seasons will quickly approach us, often faster than we expect. The summertime is an ideal time to plan for the upcoming busy seasons, and what better way to prepare than by taking this time to make sure your website reflects your mission, values, and goals. So browse through your website pages – make sure the design and layout still suit your needs, the colors still reflect your brand, and that the site is still easily navigated. You might consider asking some of your customers to fill out a brief survey, to help you better understand the needs of those who visit your website the most. By addressing these issues now, you will have time to focus on other business concerns during the busy season. It may be time to take a vacation, but not from one of your most valuable business assets – your website.

This summer, try adding a new feature to your website. WEBii knows that small businesses face a unique set of challenges when it comes to identifying an audience, capturing that audience’s attention, and converting website visitors to customers. However, by working with new website features, you can begin to overcome these obstacles. From member registration areas to online purchase centers, there are a variety of tools that can help your website flourish.

During your slower summer weeks, consider adding a blog to your site. Prepare 10 to 20 topics to discuss about your industry.  Later, when you need to maintain your blog during busy season, you will have those drafts ready to publish quickly.

Need expert help for your online marketing strategy?  WEBii is available to personally consult with you about your project and offer customized advice. Contact us for a free consultation on your redesign.

With Blog Inspirations we help you find topics to maintain your business blog.

What industry related conference did you recently attend?  Write a short commentary on one of the presentations.

What local charity did your company recently sponsor?  Write about your involvement at their fundraiser.

Where did you recently notice some of your products?  Write about the cafe down the street where you saw your lamps hanging.

With Blog Inspirations we help you find topics to maintain your business blog.

What recent hurdle did you experience with one of your customers that you had to help them overcome?  Write a short case study about it.  Here are some examples:

• A fitness trainer had a client with a challenging sports injury and introduced them to special low impact exercises.
• An IT company’s client was plagued by a virus infection at their network; the IT consultant implemented a clean-up regiment.
• A construction company’s client discovered water damage in their property; the contractor swooped in to offer water extraction.