Mega List of Small Business Facebook Tools

Almost every small business has embraced everything that Facebook has to offer.  If you are one of them you may be wondering how you can get the most out of your Facebook page and make it more productive for you.  Below we are going to list some of the most popular tools that you can use in conjunction with your Facebook page to make it more productive and effective for your small business.

• Bitly.com – This tool is used to shorten URL’s that allows you to send your shortened links directly to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Shortened URL’s are easier for your fans to follow than an endless three page link. 
• Feedblitz.com – This tool allows you to convert your website’s RSS feeds into automated emails, tweets and instant messages.  You can use this tool to convert your blog into an email newsletter that you can then send to your subscribers.
• Foursquare for Business – This is a phone app that allows users to share their current location and opinions about it on their Facebook pages.  You can use this tool to attract customers and promote your business at the same time.
• SocialMention.com – This is a great tool to track who is saying what about what.  You can use this real-time search tool to monitor a topic that is related to your small business.  This tool will monitor whichever topic you choose and then email you a report of how many times the topic was mentioned on social media.
• HootSuite.com – Is a tool that allows you to schedule your updates to your Facebook account.  It can also track industry trends related to your small business.
• StepRep.com – This tool was designed to help monitor your social media reputation.  It monitors websites, blogs and social media pages to discover what people are saying about your business.
• Storefront Social – This Facebook tool will help you turn your Facebook page into an ecommerce site.   This tool is rather easy to use and can be customized for your business.
• TweetDeck.com – This social media tool allows you to access your Facebook account and other social media accounts all from one place.  You have the ability to create columns, groups and searches to organize your social media accounts.
• Twitterfeed.com – Is great for small businesses who want to automatically import their blog entries into their Facebook accounts.
• YouTube.com – Many people may not see this as a productive tool to use for their small business but it can be.  You can post your promotional videos on the site and post links to the videos on your Facebook page.

These are some of the most productive and helpful tools that we found for small business owners who use Facebook.  They all present you with benefits that can help you update your pages relatively effortlessly.  They are all worth looking into if your small business is active on social media.

5 Unique Local Marketing Strategies

Small businesses are often faced with the task of marketing themselves to local customers.  This can be done in a number of ways, but we have found five of the most successful methods small businesses can use to help increase their visibility and attract new customers.  Many small business who are just getting started or are trying to attract a new market have found these tips to be helpful and have increased the amount of customers that contact them to inquire about their products and services.

• One of the best ways that small businesses can improve their positive reviews on search engines such as Google is to ask their friends and family members to vote up their positive reviews.  Google+ bases their search results on businesses that users have found to be useful and that have positive reviews.  To use this method in the best way possible it is highly recommended that you post these votes using unique IP addresses.  This will show that all of the votes have come from different users and were not all made from the same IP address.
• The next thing that you may want to consider doing is adding a submit review page on your existing website.  This will allow customers to write reviews on your products and services and have them appear directly on your website.  Customers are often more likely to purchase a product or service if the reviews posted are positive and describe how it improved their life.
• Next you may want to consider offering your repeat customers rewards for coming back, or checking in at your business using Google+, Facebook or Foursquare.  Advertise that you are offering these customer rewards on your website, storefront and throughout your physical location.  This is a great way to bring people in the door and get them to spend time in your business.
• Blogs are a great way to promote your small business.  You can use your blog to promote local events that your business may be participating in or sponsoring.  Blogs are a great way to increase the amount of backlinks, citations and social mentions that your small business receives.  They also allow you to share information about new products or services that you may be offering.
• Offering coupons is another great way to expand your local visibility and attract new customers.  You can provide these coupons either by posting them on your website or mailing them directly to customers in your area.  People love to get something for a discount, take advantage of this and provide repeat customers with a discount only available to them.  You will be surprised at how much traffic is brought in by the use of coupons.

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How To Place An Ad On Local Direct Mail

Advertising your small business using local direct mail is a great way to promote your business.  By advertising in this manner you have the potential to reach thousands of local residents who may be in need of the services or products that you offer.  Because so much of our time is spend online, we often forget about the impact that direct mail can have.  By advertising with direct mail you have the ability to get your ad read by more than 79% of recipients.  Studies have also shown that direct mail results in twice as many purchases as emails.  Direct mail ads are also easier to pass along to a neighbor who may need your services.  There are many benefits to placing a local direct mail ad.

Many companies have realized that direct mail advertising is still a relevant method to use to reach potential customers.  This has led to new developments which make local direct advertising easier than ever.  Companies now have the option of using Shared Mail.  This is a service where your advertisement is bundled with others and they are all sent out together.  There are no permits required to use this type of mail advertising service.  This has become one of the easiest and most affordable ways in which you can target a specific zip code.  Because your advertisement is bundled with other companies in this service, you are not required to cover the full cost of postage.  It is broken down evenly among all those who are participating in the program.

Every Door Direct Mail is a new service that is offered by the United States Post Office.  This service allows small businesses the ability to send postcards or folded brochures to people in the area of the business that is covered by a postal route.  This method is more expensive but you are allowed to send smaller amounts of ads or simply use the service to promote a specific event or sale that you may be currently running.  This is the perfect marketing method for businesses that are trying to reach customers in their specific area.

There is also the option of using customized direct mail.  This is the perfect choice for businesses that are sending direct mailings that they would like to reach a specific group, such as, former clients or targeted markets that may be interested in your products or services.  This advertising method relies on bulk mail and is thought to be more difficult to handle by the postal service so there is an added fee for sending this type of material.  While this method may cost more, it is the perfect way for you to connect with target audiences such as homeowners who can benefit from your services.

If you need help writing content for your ad, please contact us at ArticleWriteUp.com.