National Quit Facebook Day is a Failure!

Yesterday was National Quit Facebook Day, and just as I suspected, it was a HUGE failure. They claim to have had 30,000 people delete their accounts, but what a small dent compared to the 100 million US citizens and 400 million world-wide users that have and use Facebook today. Facebook is currently too big of a networking sensation, and most users are not willing to give up the ability to check status updates, browse through profiles, and chat up friends all because one guy wanted to start an anti-Facebook revolution. Who knows, perhaps one day Facebook will become as insignificant as Myspace, but for now, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Congrats Facebook!

Facebook was recently announced the site with the most unique visitors in Google's Double Click Ad Planner. Their position on the top of the list is a reinforcement that businesses and companies need Need NEED to not only create a Facebook page but maintain it on a daily basis. By creating and maintaining a Facebook, you can expose your business to a huge market otherwise unobtainable. What's more is Myspace, Twitter, Photobucket, and Flickr made the top 100, out of 1000, proving that social media is a special tool in the marketing and public relations game. The list can be found by clicking on the following link. http://www.google.com/adplanner/static/top1000/.

A week out of office

I have finally returned to the office after a week of moving, spending quality time with family, and focusing a little more on the big picture.

While I was away, I created HTML emails for Enchantment Cleaning, Danette Lovato Pimentel Music Ent. Inc, and Palabra PR to go out early June, so be on the look out for those. I've also begun a database of business contacts and if you would like to join our list, please send me an email to stephenyhinkle@live.com.

Palabra PR has added FBML to their Facebook page, and if you would also like to add a little spice to your business or group page, we now offer FBML services. Please visit our Facebook for an example of what we can do for you.

It's so nice to be back in the air-conditioned office, cheers!

William Smith is My Hero

I HAVE to post a link to this article because it saved me a nervous breakdown! Thank you SOOOO much to WILLIAM SMITH, whoever you are, for your article entitled

How to Use Static FBML to Customize Your Facebook Page.

You're article was a total and complete lifesaver! I went through about 5 or 6 different HTML applications on Facebook, and yours was the only one that gave my business a satisfactory end result. Cheers to you William! (http://socialwebschool.com/?p=500&cpage=1#comment-1387)

HTML Code Writing for Facebook - ANNOYING!

I have been scanning the internet for a week straight looking for programs that A. generate HTML and B. convert that code into a facebook-readable format. Unfortunately I'm not a tech, or else I would create my own program because the ones that I have found are less than acceptable. Currently I'm using two DIFFERENT HTML applications... one to generate the code, and one to post the code on my facebook page, but I'm at a stump. The second program I'm using isn't reading the code correctly, so I'm coming out with a few errors. If anyone out there, anyone at all, can tell me about an easy to use program that will make my facebook look like McDonald's or Coca-Cola's, I would be very much obliged. For now I will be left to rip out my hair as I try desperately hard how to figure these two programs out.

So your business is on facebook, now what?

I've recently come to realize that some companies think simply putting their information on facebook, twitter, and myspace is enough, and their pages will sell themselves. That's simply just not true. It takes a lot of time and dedication to properly use social media tools and properly sell your business on them. That is why I've come up with 3 rules to follow after creating your social media page.

1. Log on EVERY day (or at least every other day) - Social media is all about networking. If you went to a function as a representative of your business, you wouldn't just introduce yourself to one person, then spend the rest of the night waiting for people to come up to you. It is imperative you continuously make connections throughout the night and just like at the event, it is important to log on to your account often and continuously introduce yourself to new friends and connections. Also, by logging on every day, you can keep up with customer comments, questions, or concerns, and respond to them in a timely manner. A customer will not be happy if they sent you a question about their product and had to wait 6 months for a response.

2. Post a new feed AT LEAST every week - This rule is in conjunction with rule number 1. You should be making a new post every time you log into your social media account, and if you are logging on to it at least every other day, you should be making an average of 3 postings a week. This might be a bit too demanding for your schedule, but try to at least post once a week. By continuously posting new feeds on your page, you are sending reminders to your fans that your business is still an interactive part of their page. New postings can include event reminders, tips, breaking news, new product reminders, or daily/weekly in-store specials.

3. Thank new members of your page by sending a short email, thank you note, or comment posting - The fact is your fans do not have an obligation to be your fans, but because they are, they're supporting your business and they should be thanked for that. A thank you can be as simple as posting in their comment box "thank you for the add" or as lengthy as an email introducing them to the specifics of your business. It really doesn't matter. The point is you're taking time out of your schedule to thank them for their support because without customers and clients, your business would not exist.

These 3 simple rules are not hard to follow, and can leave a positive lasting impression of your business. Social media is not as simple as creating your page, then expecting the masses to come flooding in. It takes dedication and a large time commitment if your want social media to properly work for you.

Just a Typical Monday

Hello world,

Today is another Monday, which means heaps of networking, phone calls, and online account management. I love what I do because I am definitely a social media nut. Friday is Mountain Laundry and Enchantment Cleaning's Customer Appreciation Day, so I still have a lot of planning and cold calling for that. It should be a good turn out, and the two companies are offering excellent prizes. First prize is going to win an entire house cleaning, which is great! Second place will win a free kitchen and bathroom cleanup; third place will win a 20lb wash and fold service, and fourth place will win a free 10lb wash and fold service. The whole event is going to be fun, with free food and drinks, so I encourage everyone to go do a load between 4pm and 8pm to qualify for these great prizes.

I went to visit the Hispano Chamber of Commerce today. Oh my goodness, I had no idea they were so expensive, but they offer so many great networking events! I can't join until Palabra makes a little more money, or I sign on a few more clients, but I am definitely planning on going to a few of their events.

On another note, Enchantment Cleaning and Mountain Laundry will be hosting a customer appreciation day on April 30th as a general thank you for their business over the last few years. The press release can be found on http://www.palabrapr.com under the news tab. Hope to see you all there because the fabulous first prize is an entire house cleaning provided by Enchantment Cleaning.

Another Day - Hard to the Grind

Dearest Readers,

Today has been a little hectic. I began my day by soliciting to small businesses in Albuquerque, telling them a bit about Palabra PR and how I can help them network to whole new communities online. I got a few really positive responses, a few negative ones, but I can only expect as much now as a new business.

I have had a lot of encouragement not to take the rejection so seriously, and I'm sure this will get easier with experience, but I see some companies using the Yellowpages as their only source of advertising, and I wish they could understand how outdated and ineffective that strategy is. Oh, I don't know, I suppose because I am new, I'm still a bit timid.

I'm currently still waiting for Google to add me to their search engine..sigh..I'm sure it will be a couple of weeks. I also ordered business cards today, EXCITING!!

My dearest fans, I will be sure to keep you posted on our social media activities and public relations campaigns here in Albuquerque. Hopefully I can gain the courage needed to sell my business and myself in a very direct way. As my fortune cookie tonight read, "Your golden opportunity is coming shortly".

It's official. As of 9:53 am Palabra PR is in business! I went to the tax office, and then the business registration office this morning to register and print all the necessary documents to make Palabra PR a legal entity. I'm very excited to start doing business out of an office and service the great local companies Albuquerque has to offer. In celebration of this momentous occasion, I've decided to share with you a small article I wrote for ezine.

Get Your Local Business on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Media Sites Now

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn give local businesses a unique way to connect with their existing clients and potential customers, and provide a huge advantage over the competition. With such sites, businesses can not only build a personal relationship with their stakeholders, but connect with friends, family, and acquaintances linked to those stakeholder's pages.

It is crucial that small, locally-owned businesses take advantage of this new way to network for a few different reasons. First, almost all major social media sites are free, which gives small businesses a way to advertise without breaking the bank. Second, most social media sites have tutorials and easy-to-understand processes that help customize your site, which is helpful for those of us that want to jump on the bandwagon but are computer illiterate. Lastly, a customer with a personal connection to your business is more likely to share your services with their friend's list and less likely to stray to the competition.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube, and so many more offer free registration and account management, making it a cost effective way for your local business to advertise. Unlike big corporations, your small business doesn't have to invest as much money into promoting your business, but you can still end up with a successful advertising strategy that targets local customers.

If you are interested in setting up social media accounts, but are not the most computer savvy individual, that's ok. A simple Google search is a quick and cost-effective way to pull up thousands of tutorials and online references that will give you step-by-step guidelines on setting up and managing your account. eHow.com is a good example of a site with multiple links showing how exactly to set up a Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.

If you manage to get your business on multiple social media sites, and build networks with local customers, your company is now visible to each customer's friend list. This is advantageous because if you have a link to one customer that has say 350 friends, your company is now visible to those 350 friends. If 3 of those 350 friends add your company to their page, and they each have 350 friends, your company is now visible to 1400 people. After networking and building your brand to those 1400 people, you've now established a personal relationship with them, and it is less likely that they will stray to the competition.

Social media sites are the newest trend, even though they are not that new, and provide a great way for local companies to connect with key stakeholders. Building your business through social media sites is the best way to cheaply advertise and reach targeted audiences beyond what might be your normal means to do so.

What's New Albuquerque?

Good Afternoon Albuquerque, Stepheny Hinkle here reporting for her first day of blogging. Everything is calm on this Sunday afternoon, no pitching, writing, proofing, cold-calling, or editing to attend to...that will be left for tomorrow. Since I am new to blogger, I suppose it would be appropriate to tell whomever is listening a bit about myself and what I do...

I am a recent college grad - LOBO PRIDE - trying to figure out where my abilities and skills fit in today's market. Since the job market is not so fresh these days (I've applied to well over 500 jobs and no bites), I've decided the best thing to do would be to contract my services out to businesses in the area for a very reasonable price. I offer public relations, social media, and some basic business development work on contract for various businesses that might be interested.

Though those three terms are quite vague, what I do is quite simple and covers a broad area. In the public relations arena, I do press releases, pitch letters, media lists, cold-calling, radio grabs, media blurbs, etc. for events, product launches, consumer pr, and lifestyle pr. In the social media arena, I create, manage, maintain, and regularly update social media sites for my clients, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, etc. Last but not least, the very basic business development I do would be logo design, web content editing, general editing, SEO - Search Engine Optimization, reviews on Google, Yellowpages, Superpages, etc. There are many other things I can do for a company or business, but it gets boring listening to someone ramble on about their talents. If you were interested in these specialties I cover, send me an email to stephenyhinkle@live.com

The job market has been so tough lately that I feel the only way to stay afloat is to contract my services out until someone bites on to my extreme talent. ;D I am a recent college grad not only competing with other college grads, but also with PR specialists who just so happen to have accumulated over 10 years experience. This leaves me in a crowded pool trying to fight my way to the top. The thing of it is, I am 100% willing to relocate anywhere, my bags are packed in a pile next to the front door of my parents house, but companies only want someone who already lives in their state.

Well, I suppose for now I can keep hoping someone sees me shining through, but until then I have really enjoyed the contract work I've been doing. So much so in fact that as of late I've been contemplating whether or not to invest full fledge into Palabra PR...guess we'll just have to wait a few months and see where my road leads.

Cheers readers, and enjoy this lovely Sunday afternoon.