There is a lot of "how to" information out there on using Social Networks.  The one thing I find missing is the "why should I?" information.

Social Networking is about building relationships.  This is done through sharing information about your area of expertise and allowing those who like what you have to share to connect with you.

Consider Social Networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et al. as a means of developing "warm leads".  The people who resonate with what you have to say and what you do will be the ones to enter into your sphere of influence.

Example:  One of our Real Estate clients blogs regularly about market conditions in the Albany, NY area.  He posts everything from rates to housing starts to days on the market to pricing. 

We took his blog's RSS feed and imported it into his Facebook profile page so that every time he writes a blog post it automatically shows up on his profile page (and fan page).  We also set him up on Twitter Feed to import the same posts into his twitter profile. 

Write once - spread the word across 3 networks to increase his exposure.

The result:  More fans, more friend requests, more twitter followers, more activity in his business.

Why:  Because he was not just listing the houses he has for sale, but providing valuable information about the market he is an expert in.  It's a win win.  People who want to know more about the local market connected with him because he positioned himself as an expert.  He in turn received more leads from people who are interested in this market. 

The bottom line:  Share information for the benefit of the community and you will attract the people who appreciate that information.  Those people are the one's that will spread the word about you.  You will created advocates, not just customers and prospects. 

Like anything else regarding social media marketing, the key in having a successful Facebook fan page is engagement.  What can you provide your fans with that will keep them coming back and interacting with you and your brand?

Status Updates:  Update your status at least daily.  What is your company doing or working on?  Ask your fans a question or if they need help with something specific.  The status updates feed into your fans Facebook home page and helps you to create awareness by keeping you or your company / product name in front of them.

Discussions:  Ask questions; create a topic that will spark some feedback.  Don't be afraid to make people think.  You can also help your fans to become stakeholders by asking their input on a new product or service you have in development.  Find out what attributes would be of benefit to them... and remember to let them know you are listening.

Wall:  Set your wall to include posts from you AND your fans.  I visit too many pages that hide fans posts, which gives the appearance that there is no activity or interaction on the page.  People will invest the time in conversing with you if you show them you care enough to share their thoughts with other people in your fan base.   You can always delete anything you consider inappropriate.

Notes:  If you write a blog, import the RSS feed into your notes so they are automatically updated when ever you post a new blog.   Notes also offer you the chance expand upon an idea or share your thoughts directly with your fans.

Media:  Include the photo & video applications.  Let your fans see who you are, what the office looks like or hear you presenting a seminar. 

Custom tabs and boxes:  By incorporating an application like Static FBML you can create custom boxes and tabs to showcase your services or products, provide links back to your web site or specific pages within the site.  You can see some samples here.

Note:  When you click on EDIT on your fan page - you will see a list of boxes.  Click on the edit (pen icon) and view the application settings.  Make sure that they are allowed to post to your wall, as that will bring them into your fans' home page stream as well! 

Have FUN! :  Make your fan page fun and interactive.  Run a contest, spark people's interest, keep them enthusiastic about interacting with you.

How do you use your Facebook Fan Page?

Albany County's (NY) Safe Homes - Safe Streets Initiative

The Safe Homes - Safe Streets Initiative is a partnership between landlords, tenants, homeowners, and law enforcement to eliminate the criminal element that conducts its illegal activities within private dwellings through an aggressive use of the power of eviction. It consists of three elements:

• Landlord Training
• Trespass Affidavit Program
• Narcotics Eviction Program

The Safe Homes - Safe Streets Initiative has:

• Trained more than 450 Landlords
• Registered 422 Homes in the Trespass Affidavit Program
• Evicted 25 Problem Tenants
• Been asked to apply for the Innovations Award, heralded as the premier public-sector honor in the nation given annually to programs that serve as examples of creative and effective government at its best. The Award is administered by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Why is this program necessary?

When a criminal decides to do his business in an apartment building, he deprives the existing tenants of their right to the peaceful enjoyment of their own homes. Drug dealers create loud foot traffic at all times of the day and night and can be physically intimidating. The result is that honest peace-loving tenants move out, leaving the landlord with reduced incomes and the tenants searching for new homes.

Who's Involved?

The Safe Homes - Safe Streets Initiative involves a coalition of tenants, landlords, and law enforcement.
Specific participants include:

• The Office of the District Attorney
• The Albany Police Department
• United Tenants
• Albany Housing Authority
• Albany County Department of Social Services

Looking for documentation you can get it here

http://www.albanycountyda.com/initiatives/safe_homes.html

Facebook is not for college students anymore.  Many businesses are taking advantage of the exposure (either locally or not) that facebook can prvide their business.  You can create a free page about your business, a group to offer real estate advise or share a common interest, post free market place listings - and much more.

Profile Page
The most important real estate in Facebook. This is the first page people will see when they stumble upon you.
Fill out the entire profile, be authentic, show off your talents, hobbies, brand and share your story for everyone to see

Pages
Pages were launched by Facebook in November 2007 as a way for businesses of many types to easily establish a brand presence on Facebook. Consider them a profile for your brand or service.

Mini Feed and News Feed
Whenever you do "something" in Facebook it gets posted in your feed. Change your profile, and your friends will see a post, add an application and your friends will be able to read about it.

Groups
You can create groups or participate in groups related to your industry. Creating a group gives you control over the "profile" of that group, the posts and most of the content.

Events
A Facebook application that allows you to announce and promote any event you are having

Notes and Photos
Share blog posts (you can import your own blog feed).
Create a photo album and be sure to use the TAG feature and list any friends in the photo that have facebook profiles.

Messages
Much like email (only limited) Messages allow you to send notes to people you are connected to. Actually you can send a note to people you are not connected to, but be warned - you do not want to be flagged for spamming.

Marketplace
Facebook Classifieds. You can post items for sale, services offered, job openings, etc.
Ads appear in your network only - and again, do not get "spammy" that will get you banned.

Share / Posted Items
Create links to Facebook pages, photos, events, etc...

Networks
When you join Facebook you have the option of becoming the member of a Network. Networks can be geographical (Albany, NY) or educational (S.U.N.Y. Albany)

Examples:

• Melissa Ward's Profile on Facebook
• NewWard's Page on Facebook
• The Renttopolis page on Facebook

If you want to know what your web site looks like in other web browsers.. check out this free online tool: 

Browsershots

Browsershots makes screenshots of your web design in different browsers. It is a free open-source online service created by Johann C. Rocholl. When you submit your web address, it will be added to the job queue. A number of distributed computers will open your website in their browser. Then they will make screenshots and upload them to the central server here.

Check it out - make sure that everyone can see your web site they way you want it to be seen http://browsershots.org/

 Let me know if you have discovered anything new ;)

listen to my live interview on www.thinkBIGradio.com

Call-in Number:
(718) 664-9989
To Ask Questions or listen live if you are not near a computer.

Monday 3/10/2008
8:00 PM central Standard
9:00 pm eastern standard
6:00 pm pacific standard
7:00 pm mountain standard

45 Minutes

Melissa Ward - www.newward.com, www.renttropolis.com

We will be talking about Renttropolis Online Property Managment Software... how online systems can make your life easier and more productive.

If you can't listen live......its ok... The shows are archived on www.thinkBIGradio.com and you can find me by name and month of my interview anytime.

Using 3rd Party Web Sites to Generate Traffic 
Traffic Tips

There are several methods for generating traffic to your web site. One of the quickest ways to generate a traffic blitz is to use large, well-visited, highly-ranked sites to your advantage. Here are a few examples:

About what?
You've just put the finishing touches on your article about "How to Stretch Your Online Advertising Budget" or "The Coolest New Gadgets for Business in 2008" and you want to get it out to the public at large and generate web traffic from it. Take a look at "http://www.about.com," one of the most widely used expert article sites on the Internet. At the bottom of the left hand column, click on "Browse by Topic." Click on M for Marketing, you will see Marketing and the name of the guide who is in charge of the section. Click on the guide's name and you will be taken to their bio page, from there you click on "contact" where you can now send that guide an email. In your email, properly introduce yourself, your business and contact information, then give a brief excerpt on your article with the article attached as a word file and the link to your blog (or wherever you've posted it) that contains the full article. Some guides post submission guidelines, so be sure to follow them.

The narrower the topic of your article, the easier it is to get published on About.com. Each guide on About.com is responsible for their own little corner of the web and they often search for new outside sources to post interesting articles from. This technique works for About.com because there are real people going through real information and it is their job to make sure they bring the latest articles to their readers. Should your article be accepted, be prepared for the traffic onslaught. It will be brief but high. Make sure your web site is prepared to capture the attention of your new visitors.

Digg me!
My client, "http://www.YankeesHater.com" goes through a lot of fluctuations in traffic. The interest in baseball is seasonal and passion about teams ebb and flow throughout the season. The idea was to keep readers' interest even in the off season and to maintain a steady sales flow of caps and t-shirts. We installed a blog which the site owner is now posting to regularly. As an avid Red Sox fan, hating the Yankees is easy for him to be passionate about. Each time he posts an article, he clicks the "Digg" icon that was installed in the blog so his message can reach the sport masses. The site owner is also visiting other blogs and web sites related to baseball and sharing ideas, spreading more Yankee hatred wherever he goes. By making product photos easily visible from the now high-traffic blog, his revenues have increased significantly and traffic is steadier.

Are you Linked In?
Part of the fun and power of relationships is in seeing who else they lead to. Through web sites like Linked In, you connect your profile to your business associates and get to see who your business associates are connected to. Think of yourself in a room with 10 people you know standing around you. Behind those people you know are 9 other people who know them, and those 9 each have an additional 9 other people who know them. Suddenly your network of 10 people has expanded your reach to almost 500 people and you haven't stepped out the door yet. The problem with the "real life" scenario is that we often can't see those other connections. Linked In ("http://www.linkedin.com") allows you to see those relationships and how far your immediate sphere of influence spans out. Looking for a particular service or product? Search your network. If what you need is within your reach, request introduction and connect directly to who you need. The reverse also applies. Make sure your profile clearly states what you do, and why and how you do it. Include all contact information, especially links to your web site. Make yourself easy to connect to and, before you know it, you'll be landing a client halfway around the world who knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows you.

How to Make the Most of your Linked in Profile 

By Melissa Ward, Managing Partner of NewWard Development, LLC
518-899-5855

http://www.newward.com  - web site design and internet marketing

http://www.renttropolis.com - online property management software

Have you visited Linked in, http://www.linkedin.com/?  Linked in connects you with people that you know, also known as your immediate sphere of influence.  Through those connections you can see who your friends, also known as connections, are connected to.  Linked in tracts your 1st, 2nd and 3rd level connections and shows you how your network of connections grows as you add more people to you list. What is important with Linked in is that you are only adding people you know, friends, business acquaintances, associates, people who are members of the same civic or business group, etc. As you look at the list of people that you know and they list of people that they know... and so on... you can see how your reach has expanded.

On your home page of Linked in, you have a feed to track updates and changes with-in your network.  Anytime one of your connections adds a connection, you can see it on your profile (this varies with the privacy settings the user sets).  If one of your connections updates their profile, uploads a photo, lists a job or participates in other Linked in components, it is listed in your feed.  

Recently I was contacted by one of my connections who requested an introduction to another connection I have.   She sent me a note making the request; with the note to be forwarded to the individual she was hoping I'd introduce her to.  I read the note and forwarded her request to the connection.  I have not heard yet, but I am sure they will be a good opportunity there for both Linked in members.

Linked in offers you the greatest opportunity for exposure in the Answers Section.  You can ask a question in a specific topic and read the answers posted by other Linked in members.  If you are seeking advice on filing your taxes, starting a business, internet marketing, or on any of the HUGE plethora of other topics - this is the place to post them.  Better yet, respond to questions asked by other Linked in Members in your area of expertise.   Asking and answering questions gives you exposure to the entire Linked in community.  By the way, to ask or respond to question does not require a paid membership. 

Here is a scenario I recently went through:  I was searching through Linked in Answers and noticed a question on how to properly market and sell e-books.  I supplied my answer and by the next day the person who asked the question emailed me (via linked in) with a follow up question.  I responded again.  He made a connection request, which I accepted, so we are now connected through Linked in.  He voted my responses as a "Best Answer" upping my trustworthiness within the community.   He then checked out my web site (which is listed on my profile page) and emailed me directly discussing a web site idea he has.  I followed up with a phone call or two and have since been given the opportunity to send him a proposal. 

There is no other way that I would has met this gentleman, who's business is in Florida, other then a Social Networking site.  As with all networking, the goal is to participate in the community, share your expertise for the betterment of all members in that community and build up a level of trust with its members.  Marketing yourself based on your knowledge is what makes people come to you.

I am curious about whether or not there is a preferance for "stand alone" or web based property managment systems.

Given my industry - I prefer online systems for acessability if nothing else, but I am curious as to what other people think. 

Is there a concern for security?  or anything else?

I welcome all comments and suggestions.

It's traditional to approach the New Year with a list of goals.  We set goals for our health, our fitness, our relationships and our finances and business.  When thinking about your business and financial goals consider how a web site can help you achieve them.

Here is how to set clear, definable, trackable web site goals:

What do you want to gain from your web site?

Are you looking for increased exposure, increase sales, get more connections, send out a clearer message?

Know what you want from your web site.  

Try these on for size:

• My web site will bring in 20 new coaching clients by the end of the second quarter.
• My web site will sell 10,000 copies of my e-book by July 1st.
• My web site will clearly show my services to 20,000 new people by the end of the year.
• My email list will have 6,000 new sign ups by March 1st.
• My membership web site will have 1,000 new members by November 15th.

Who are you looking to attract? 

What does your audience look like?
What are their income levels, profession, age?
What are their feelings surrounding e-commerce or technology in general?

The WHO will dictate how the web site is laid out, the language you use and the graphic appearance. 

An online clothing store for children will look, feel and sound very different from a site about a self-help ebook.  A site to attract customers for your cleaning services will be vastly different then a site to attract businesses that are looking for marketing help.

How can you help your audience?  

What is it you offer that will prompt your web site visitors to take action?  Identify the problem they have and how you will solve that problem.  Your mission is to create an emotional response from the visitor.  You want them to say "YES - I need that" and hit the buy now or sign me up for your mailing list.

Example:  My mission is to create a web site that will clearly show my audience why Internet Marketing is an important part of their overall Marketing Plan and will generate a new stream of income for them.

COMMIT! 

You have you goals - now commit to seeing them through.  Reserve one hour each day to your success by promoting your web site, talking about your business, writing in your blog, making connections via MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites.   Keep your goals in front of you so you can review them often.  As you read your goals and see your success you will be inspired into action that will move you forward to accomplishing those goals.