Top 30 Kindle Marketing Tips

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It’s one thing to follow a manual outlining perfect procedure for Kindle publishing:  It’s another to actually do it and realize there are all these little tips and twists to tweaking your Kindle Marketing even further.

Here are thirty of the best tips for marketing your Kindle ebook.

Start with a Unique, Exceptional Product

If you don’t have a well-crafted product, properly optimized, correctly formatted, and full of original fascinating content, you will not get the most out of any marketing strategy.

Make a Plan

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Don’t market haphazardly. Create a plan – and remember to time your plan components so that each maximizes the other.  For example, have posts ready to blitz your social media, the instant your free promo begins.

Wait before Announcing

After you’ve finally uploaded your book, wait before rushing to announce its release.  It can take up to 72 hours before your book is reviewed by Amazon and appears in the listings. Plus it’s nice if your book can get at least a couple of consumer reviews under its belt before you send the world to its doorstep.

Don’t Put Pricing or URLs on Your ecover

Amazon wants its Kindle books to display tastefully, so avoiding promotional material of any kind on your ecover will help advance your Kindle ebook on its way to approval.

Don’t Leave Initial Reviews to Chance

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Have your book club, writing group or forum primed and ready in advance, so that when your book does go live, they are ready to jump in and write your first reviews.

Remember that the Title and Cover of Your Book are Vital

It doesn’t matter how great your book is:  If people aren’t intrigued or arrested by the Title – and if your cover doesn’t look professional (“like a real book”) – you won’t get a chance to impress them with reviews, content peeks or your description.

Make Sure You Include a “Look Inside”

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Being able to read a few pages of content will not only encourage more people to buy the book, it will pre-qualify your market exactly.  If Amazon doesn’t add this to your book within the first few days, be assertive.  Contact support and ask them to add it for you.

Consider Offering a Free Promo

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Allowing free downloads for the first few days can be a good strategy for a new author, particularly if your book does well.  (Plan your free promos and publicize them in advance!)

If you choose the KDP Select program, keep in mind that you can use your five free promo days at any time during your three-month KDP Select contract.

Join the free Author Marketing Club

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This is a ridiculously easy way to submit your book to top review and listings sites – and it works!

Join KDP Select

If your book has any activity or sales, consider signing up for KDP Select and letting it be offered for a free period to Amazon Prime members. You won’t make direct sales from the Amazon Prime library, but you will still continue to make regular sales.  And do remember that each time your book is borrowed Amazon reads this as a sale.  Your visibility – and royalties – will increase.

Promote Your Book before Signing Up for KDP Select

Before joining KDP Select, make sure your book is polished, has some sales and has been well promoted.  Books with active visibility perform better, and KDP Select can keep your books visible between promotions.

Create Follow-up Promos

Don’t worry if you did everything wrong for your first free promo, and it was a bust. Depending on the KDP options you’ve chosen, you will most likely be eligible for five days of free promo again in three months.

You can spend that time tweaking your book, tweaking your price, tweaking your cover and planning a dynamite promotion campaign for the next round.

Meanwhile, concentrate on getting top reviews.

Realize That Negative Reviews can be Your Best Friend

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Nobody ever wants to see a bad review – but if you find you are gathering a few of these, pay close attention to what they have to say.  You will always get people who don’t know what they are talking about, people with axes to grind, people who don’t like the fact that you are not an author they prefer, and people who love to pick things to pieces to the –nth degree.  Ignore them.

Instead, look for stuff you can use – for example, someone noting that an open tag has made your book hard to read, or who says that Step Five isn’t clear enough.

Fix these complaints – then release your book as a new, updated edition.

Create a YouTube Book Trailer

Do this exactly as you would for a movie:  Meaning dramatic lighting, strong graphics, atmospheric soundtrack and memorable taglines: All focused on getting the essence of your book across.

Check out this book trailer for the graphic novel Nowadays to see how it’s done.  (Warning:  Apocalyptic Zombie Violence.  And lots of blood.)

Don’t Compete in Over-Saturated Niche Categories

Find a category where you have less competition.  That will leave your book with more chances to become a Best Seller in that niche.  (If you are just starting out, under 100 entries in a category catalogue is a good way to test the waters.)

Get Your Book in the Right Category – Even if it’s Not Available

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If you’ve noticed that your direct competition is in a category not available when you upload, designate your book as “Non-Classifiable”.  Go ahead and publish it anyway.

While it is being reviewed, go to the Self-Service menu on the right-hand side of the publisher Help page and click the yellow “Contact us” button.

  • Select “publish your book”
  • Click on “adding or changing book categories”.
  • Simply tell them the category name(s) you want your book to be in

Dedicate Enough Time to Create Your Book Description

Your book description is arguably as important as your Title and Cover.  Once readers have been attracted by these, the next step they may take is checking out your description.  Set aside an afternoon or morning to work on creating the perfect, dynamic, keyword-optimized description.  Don’t rush yourself – and what ever you do, don’t scramble to write one at the last minute, during upload!

Study the Pros

Immerse yourself in studying and analyzing how best-selling Amazon authors do things.  The best lesson is seeing a strong example.  Make notes of tactics and tips that work well on you – then see if these would work well for your own books.

Have Your Cover Page Created as Soon as Possible

A finished Cover page can be used in pre-release promotions and posts.

Create a Facebook Page for Your Book

Even if you already have a Facebook Author Page, dedicate a separate page to your new book.  And don’t wait until your book is published to do this.

  • Run pre-release contests
  • Release “sneak previews”
  • Share progress reports
  • Create a buzz

Create a Custom Sign-up or Contest App Canvas for Your Facebook Page

Interactivity is a proven way to increase interest and memory retention about your new book.  And you don’t have to jump through hoops – use incentives like a free sample chapter when it becomes available or simply notification of the book’s release.

Don’t Just “Set and Forget”

Marketing your Kindle ebook is not a static process.  You need to be doing things like tweaking prices.

The simple formula for this is:

  • Raise them when your book is selling really well
  • Drop them when your book is slowing to a stall

Either way, you can use the new price as yet another opportunity for promotion.

Create an Author Account and Dynamite Profile on Goodreads

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You can advertise there if you wish, list your book giveaway and participate in its groups and forums.

Be sure to watch the SlideShare presentation at the bottom of the sign-up page.

Create an Author Website!

If you don’t have an author website – or any type of relevant website at all – you are shooting yourself in the foot.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you have a main website.  Dedicate one to your writing career – or even to your book, if it’s going to be a signature work. 

Be Sure to Include Your URL in Your Kindle ebook

Another missed opportunity for many Kindle authors:  Forgetting to include at least one Website URL in their front or back pages.

That’s literally leaving money on the table – by throwing away sign-up opportunities.

Announce Your Book on Amazon’s Forum

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Another opportunity that people – surprisingly – miss:  Announcing their book on Amazon’s own, free “Meet Our Authors” forum.

Just be sure to pick the right category.  (E.G.: “Non-Fiction Authors” or “Western Romance Authors”.)

Price it Right

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Pricing is a highly individual thing, but knowing a few tips can help you better assess your market.

  • The hotter the topic, the higher the price you can command
  • The more exclusive the information, the higher the price you can command
  • The more professional your visual production, the higher the price you can command.  (Make sure the interior lives up to the promise, however!)
  • The better your book is selling, the higher the price you can command
  • The more books you have on the Best Seller’s list, the higher the price you can command

And finally, recognize that pricing is as fluid as your market.  Keep actively pricing to sell.  (Intelligent pricing leads to more successful marketing!)

Join an Active Writing Group

This works both with online and offline groups.  Be sure to choose one where supporting each others’ published works is simply part of the mandate.  That way, you’ve got instant reviewers ready to roll!

Reciprocate!

If you want reviews, write them for others – especially for members of your writing group.

And don’t forget to participate actively in forums and networks such as the Amazon “Meet Our Authors” forum.

It’s a case of the more you give, the more you get.

Optimizing for the Social Web

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Optimizing your website for search engines is no longer a question of filling it full of keywords and exact-match anchor text while madly blog-commenting in other people’s blogs to create relevant backlinks.  In fact, following this formula will almost certainly leave you down in the rankings under Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithmic changes – and more are coming.

But you shouldn’t just pay attention to Google:  SEO nowadays involves maintaining an active social media presence and profiles.  Social media actions can actually improve your Google rank, if done right.  And you need to pay attention to what people see… and what’s behind the scenes.

Here are ten highly relevant SEO practices for today…

1.  Remove or Revamp Your Traditional Meta-tags

Google’s Penguin algorithm filter tends to take meta-keywords and other traditional tags as keyword-stuffing.  It won’t help your site ranking – and it could hurt.

If you use the Thesis theme, check out instructions at Binary Turf on removing the meta description tag correctly.

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According to SearchEngineWatch, Penguin isn’t actually an algorithm, but a “link quality filter” that “is designed to take out sites that use manipulative techniques to improve search visibility”.

Bottom line: If you have too many repetitions in meta data, your site may be penalized.

2.  Adjust and Correct Your Anchor Text

If your anchor text is an exact match to your keywords and doesn’t make descriptive, readable sense, scrap it and give your anchor text more clickably-appealing, descriptive words.  (That goes for the Alt Tag text for your graphics, too.)

You need to do this because Google’s Penguin filter now targets and de-ranks exact-match domains (e.g. “highproteinfoodsfatlowcarb.com”), after Google clued on to the fact that names like these were evidence of attempts to manipulate.  Anchor text has been affected too.

The less spammy you can make your anchor text and Alt tags, the better.

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For example if you were displaying the above photo on your blog, you might want to change:

<a href=”page.html”><img src=”graphics/twinmatchinggirlgreen.jpg” alt=”twin matching girl green“/></a>

…to something more descriptive and real, such as:

<a href=”page.html”><img src=”graphics/twins.jpg” alt=”twins in green”/></a>

Again, if you’re trying to manipulate rather than describe when using keywords in anchor text, domain names or Alt tags, Google will penalize you.

3. Familiarize Yourself with Graph Search

3-graph-searchThe old way of searching involved keywords.  Facebook’s new Graph Search combines keywords plus your Friends’ Facebook content.

This way, you can find out what connections you share with them, causes you both support, Pages you “Like”, places you’ve both been connected with, common interests and just about every type of connection you can think of.

 

(Graph search results did dip recently, but Facebook assures the “dip” has been corrected.)

4.  Optimize Your Facebook Page “About” Section

This is the one part of your Facebook Page where you can put your best keywords, descriptions and anchor text.  Make the most of it, as artist Steph Dix has done here.

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She has included in her description:

  • Specific keywords (pencil portraits, free shipping worldwide, guarantee, website)
  • A link to her website
  • Email contact details

In addition, her text is not too long – it doesn’t run off the page, with vital sentences hidden. It’s clear and well-optimized.

5.  Use Facebook Social Plugins

Once you click on artist, Steph Dix’s link, you are taken to her website… where those who have “Liked” her page immediately see a widget from the Facebook social plugins, containing their own Profile photo plus a selection of other fan photos.

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Anyone who clicks on hypertext within the widget will be taken to her Facebook Page – and that is a high-quality backlink, as far as Google is concerned.  She is leveraging the power of Facebook very efficiently.

6.  Make the Most of Google+

SEO author Simon Penson predicted recently  that Google+ will play a much more prominent role in validating social links over the coming months, so if you haven’t created a profile there yet, do so.

And if you have signed up, but visit Google+ only sporadically or not at all, start exploring Google+ and spending time interacting and exploring its SEO-powerful platforms, apps and features daily.

One of its most powerful features to explore:  Google+ Hangouts.  If you live-stream them, they will be automatically recorded and posted to your YouTube channel, which is now also automatically linked with Google+.

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If you haven’t yet bothered with Google Hangouts, learn more about them right now.

7.  Make Sure Your Titles Match Your Content

Again, it’s all about not being carried away, trying to include keywords.  Titles that don’t feel natural and don’t match the post they headline not only will displease Google, but will not get shared via social sites (as well as losing trust).

Here’s an example of a simple but effective title followed by relevant content from Copyblogger.

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Your best bet is always to make sure your blog post or web page title are:

  • Attention-grabbing
  • Easy to read
  • Descriptive
  • Clean

A truly interesting and intriguing title is your best route to making sure your posts and pages are found and shared.

8.  Make it Easy for Visitors and Readers to Share

Make sure you’ve included social media plugins, widgets, share and follow badges, buttons and icons to help people share your content with one click.

Place them above the fold on all your web pages in the upper right-hand side of your page.

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For extra effectiveness, include calls to action in or with your social media buttons, such as Daylan Pearce does in the right hand side of his blog, above.

9.  Clean Up Your Guest Blogging Practices

Last year saw Google over-zealously penalize exact-match domains and anchor text, akin to thousands of healthy trees in a forest being chopped down to make sure a dead one in their midst is culled.

Now, just as their Search Evaluation team is reassuring us that they’ve learned from this and will be toning down the axe use, it looks as if Google has a new target:  Guest blogging.

A recent YouTube video from Google’s Matt Cutts warns of what to expect – and what you can do to comply with new guest blogging rules.

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To sum up what seems to be in the wind…

  • Make sure guest post writing – to and fro –  is of the highest quality
  • Use guest bloggers who either are terrific, professional-level writers or who have a well-established and validated reputation in your niche
  • Write or accept longer posts – Google now frowns on short guest posts under 400 words, seeing them as excuses to link
  • Don’t accept guest posts that are published elsewhere.  When someone wants to write for you, make sure you ask that the content be original and exclusive to your blog
  • Posts from and to other blogs should be relevant to the blog’s overall mission.  Posts should be eloquent and well-thought-out
  • Make sure your guest posts are from writers who run high-quality blogs.  You may be penalized for spammy back-links in your guest poster’s blog, so check that blog out first, if you’re not familiar with your guest.  (Hint:  See how well she or he ranks in a Google search.)

And from Jeff Foster of WebBizIdeas (in an actual guest post in Problogger, February 2013):

  • Stop using terms like “guest posts” and “guest bloggers” (if you have to spell it out for readers, he suggests calling the writer a “guest author”)
  • Don’t let your guest author put “unnatural links” in their post or author bios
  • A simple link to their website is okay

One last thing to do:  Create a rel=author tag for yourself, allowing Google to validate your own blog (and use guest posters who are also validated this way).

10. Optimize Your Social Media Profiles (and Claim your Pages)

It’s not enough simply to use social media in 2013:  You also need to make sure you optimize your social profiles to the max.  Fill out all Profile sections across all social networks as fully as possible.

Think of doing this as an investment.

For example, if your local business appears in a Google Plus Local search for your city, make sure you claim it and add your photos, your logo, your description and your contact information, the way you want it.

Make sure no sections are left blank.

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Social profiles with missing elements are not ranked as highly as those with complete profiles and validating elements such as business logos and clear descriptions.

It is as important to optimize what people see as much as it is to optimize HTML and meta-tags, just as it is as important to optimize for your social networks as it is to optimize for Google searches.

Creating a well-balanced, SEO optimized web presence for both the search engines and social sites – but most of all for the benefit of your ideal viewer – will have a visibility effect worth more than the sum of its parts.

5 Brand Centers You Need to Have

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Time and time again, many online businesses seem to miss the basics of branding.  Before you do anything else, be aware there are five brand centers you need to create and maintain.

Here’s how to position them…

1.  Your Website

Visitors shouldn’t have to scramble around, click multiple tabs or scroll down looking for clues. What your website is all about should be obvious at a glance, as with Knorr here.  And what should stand out the most?  Exactly how you can do something nice or needed for each visitor.

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But that’s not enough.  Don’t neglect any opportunity to brand your web pages.

  • Think of your logo and colors as a type of shorthand, providing instant visual identification.  People should see your colors and even shapes, and instantly think of your business – and how helpful it is.
  • Every photo should show what you do or provide
  • Every app or widget should appeal to your customers

You’re making a promise to the people visiting your website landing page, so make sure the rest of your site, blog, social networks, newsletter and information products all deliver equally and consistently on that promise.

2.  Create Your Blog – and Use It

If you already own and operate a blog for your business, this title of this tip may seem redundant, but make no mistake:  Blogging is essential in branding most businesses.

The key lies in making sure your blog is active – something Problogger wrote the book on.

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There are many ways to plan for engagement and activity.  But before they will interact, you need to capture your visitors’ attention.

  • Use powerful, relevant photos, videos, polls, contests and sound-clips to increase interaction from your viewers
  • Make sure photos tell an instant story or pique curiosity
  • Choose photos that are lively, dynamic, eye-catching and relevant to your topic
  • Schedule expert, interesting Guest posters
  • Run a series and pre-load your series installments
  • Regularly re-purpose and feature “Oldies but Goodies” (evergreen blog posts from the past that gathered comments and feedback)
  • Update published posts with new developments (especially posts that incited comment activity on initial release)
  • Re-visit popular topics
  • Write a weekly “Top Ten Tips on…” feature, slanted to your ideal reader’s niche interest
  • Write regular “how to” posts, to help your readers find solutions
  • If you have to, pay for top experts to guest post – even if that’s a once-a-month feature or you have to plan for it further down the line

Remember, a blog and its branding are only as good as its activity level.  But even if your blog doesn’t seem to get much action, remember that people are busy and make sure you set up every post so that people can use your blog as a resource when they need to.

Post material that is evergreen and useful, such as your “how to” posts; or high-value tips as well as “how to” posts on common tasks.

Finally, make sure all your post types and elements are consistent – especially when it comes to voice.

Planning your month’s content in advance should help greatly in ensuring this last but most important detail.

3.  Create a Newsletter

A newsletter provides you with a wonderful way, reason and excuse to keep in touch with customers or clients.  And – best of all – you can brand it with your colors and logo.

It does not need to be the be-all and end-all of newsletters.  It simply has to:

  • Remind your subscribers that your business is alive, well and active
  • Reassure subscribers that they are important to you, and that you are thinking about them

But there’s a third function your newsletter can perform, to help you step up your branding a notch.  And that’s provide you with a repetitive, ready incentive for people to sign up and subscribe to your list.

  • Include a signup web form on every blog or website page (top-right corner is the preferred spot)
  • Make sure your newsletters contain valuable content and time-limited offers, discounts, news and resources highly relevant to your target visitor
  • Have these same elements in every newsletter (e.g. always a “Product of the Month” discount; always a seasonally-time-sensitive tip, etc.) This turns them into a branded feature, as Ego’s Garden Centre of Orillia, Ontario, demonstrates admirably here…

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  • Try to solve at least one current problem for your target visitor per newsletter
  • Point people to your Archive section for past newsletters, so readers can see how valuable your content can be (while the visual consistency of the newsletters reinforces how trustworthy your brand is)
  • Point out the advantage of signing up to get newsletters as they’re released, so visitors won’t miss any more time-limited valuables

Creating regular newsletters and branding, promoting and archiving them is an efficient use of your time. You have to create your newsletter for existing subscribers anyway… so why not let it double as a sign up incentive and a branded, trustworthy resource for visitors too?

4.  Your Information Products

Creating information products and not branding them is like throwing away advertising you’ve already paid for.

Branding your information products makes them – and you – stand out.

It’s not a question of a good product standing out from bad ones or an exceptional product standing out from good ones:  It’s usually a question of a good product standing out from other good products.

What makes one eBook on wine hit the Amazon best-sellers list and another lurk in limbo, so far back in the search results it remains unseen?

One major factor is branding.

Take the “Dummies” books, for instance.  Seeing the words, “For Dummies” on a book – backed by that distinctive yellow-and-black background – immediately tells people they are getting a useful guide on a topic (in this case, wine) that is going to be easy to understand, broken down into nice, bite-sized pieces.

“For Dummies” has become synonymous with not just easy, but “easiest”.

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Notice how “Dummies” brands each information product with:

  • A relevant, appealing tag line that sums up their main mission (“Making Everything Easier!”)
  • Their colors and “header” design
  • Their unique Title fonts

So simple, isn’t it?

And what you don’t see – but everyone knows – is that the “Dummies” books are presented as a series.

Creating a series is a great way to start branding your information products from the word go:  You can use the same elements in Title fonts, header backgrounds, colors, taglines and logos for every single information product in your series – changing only the specific topics.

Naming products allows another opportunity for branding.  Again, the “Dummies” series is a perfect example of this.  The company can now produce any type of “how to” book in the world… and simply by adding “For Dummies” at the end, each book becomes instantly branded and searchable, not only by its own topic keyword (.e.g. “Wine”) but also the keywords “For Dummies”.

Keep this example in mind when branding your books.  Use it as the ultimate example

5.  Your Social Media

Yes, you can – and should – brand your social media.  Use the same colors, logo, signature, and above all, Profile photo (preferably a recent headshot).

5-mari-smithUsing your company colors even in your headshot is a simple strategy that helps cement in peoples’ heads the fact your profile is related to your company.

Example: For years Facebook and social media expert, Mari Smith always wore turquoise clothing and even accessories in every headshot. Recently she has relaxed this rule – but her trademark turquoise color still appears in the background of her latest Profile photo on her Facebook Page.

Most important, however, in social media:  Creating business pages and branding them with your logo, colors, Profile photo and custom backgrounds.

If you are unable to use the exact same background in each network because of size differences, as with Twitter and Facebook, decide on key graphic elements from your website colors or photos that will carry across all social media backgrounds.  (For example, the gold color and little bee graphic that always appear in Burt’s Bees social media pages.)

But all the branding in the world won’t help if you don’t regularly interact via your social media pages and feeds.  A Facebook page never visited by the owner is less than useful.  In fact, you can turn people off, if they take the time to comment or (especially) ask questions and never receive an answer.

Build these five brand centers into your daily life.  Interact often and let people hear your unique voice.

And that will be your strongest social brand reinforcement strategy of all.

How to Claim Your Local Business on Facebook

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In order for you to be able to manage your place, merge it with a page and in general take full advantage of your place’s capabilities, you need to claim the place as your own.

Claiming the place as yours will give you admin access. In order to do this, you need to be able to verify that you’re the owner of the business. You can do this either using the business’s listed phone number, a custom-domain email address or by sending in business documents (i.e. articles of incorporation.)

Here’s how to claim your business as yours.

 

Step 1: Find Your Business

Do a search for your business’s name. Click on the business in the results.

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Step 2: Click “Is This Your Business?”

In this lower left hand corner of your place, click “Is this your business?”

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Step 3: Click “Proceed with Verification”

Read the terms for claiming a business, then click “Proceed with Verification.”

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Step 4: Verify Your Business

Enter as much of the information Facebook asks for as possible.

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If your business phone number matches a listing on your website or other verifiable source, Facebook can call you to verify your ownership.

If your email address matches your business’s website domain (i.e. @mybusiness.com,) they can verify your ownership by email.

Otherwise, you’ll be asked to upload documents to prove your ownership or affiliation.
Claiming your business is that easy. Starting the verification process should take less than 30 minutes; and the whole process should take less than a week to complete.

 

 

Checklist for Using Facebook Places Effectively

 

If you use Facebook places well, you can generate a lot of buzz and publicity around your business, often for free. In fact, most of the buzz and publicity will be generated by your own users, with just a little prompting from you.

Here’s a checklist for using Facebook Places effectively, from the most essential fundamentals to more creative marketing techniques

1. Be an Active User

In order to really understand how people use Facebook Places, and to get into your customer’s heads so you can figure out what they want and how to serve them, you need to actually be a user of Facebook Places.

Use Facebook Places yourself to find restaurants, connect with friends and to make decisions on where you spend your time.

Pay attention to how you choose where to go, what impresses you and what turns you off about how other business owners have configured their Places.

 

2. Combine Your Page and Your Place

Upon completing the verification process for claiming your business, you’ll be able to join your page and your place.

Join your page and your place allows you to have a place with a wall where people can post comments, while still having a presence on Facebook Places. It gives you the best of both worlds.

 

3. Have Detailed, Professional Photos

Your photos will have a lot of influence over whether or not someone clicks on your place on Facebook.

It’ll also influence decisions on whether or not to go to your business. If there are three restaurants near them and one has spectacular photos while the others don’t, there’s a good chance they’ll go to that one restaurant.

Consider hiring a professional photographer and/or a professional graphic designer to help you get these photos.

Example: These cakes look delicious.

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4. Description, Address, Website & Other Information

First and foremost, make sure the address, phone number and website information is complete, up to date and accurate. People will use your Facebook Place to try to find you or learn more about your business, so it’s crucial that all the information there is completed.

To add more info, just click “Edit” on a page or place that you own.

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Then fill out the information.

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5. Encourage Providers to Post & Host Discussions

Encourage service providers in your business to post on your wall and host discussions about their services.

For example, if you run a spa, have your masseuses post their massage times, client reviews, new techniques, etc all on your wall.

If you run a live music venue, have the bands interact with fans on your wall. Have them use it to announce up-to-the-minute news about the event.

Get the other people in your business involved. Everyone can play a hand in increasing the popularity of your wall.

 

6. Rewards for Checking In & Posting on Your Wall

While Facebook Places doesn’t have “badges” like Foursquare, there’s nothing preventing you from giving out your own rewards.

It could be something as simple as giving away a free meal to the person who checks into your business the most this month.

Announce the contest on your wall, then give an update on who’s winning twice a week or so. Keep up the competitive spirit, change the prizes around every month and build up some buzz around your business.

 

7. Run Facebook Ads

Facebook gives preferential treatment to ads that keep users in their system rather than sending them out. It gets higher approval rates (almost 100%) and often lower CPCs.

Facebook allows you to run ads directly to pages and places. While you may not always want to be running ads, a well-timed ad right before a major event or launch can make a big difference.

8. Tie In With Events at Your Venue

One very effective way to take advantage of Facebook Places is to host events. These events, when posted on your place’s wall, will appear as a clickable link.

Having events allows you to promote the event to the users of your place, as well as promote your place to people attending the event.

9. Ask Your Customers for Their Favorite Stories!

How do you increase user participation? Just ask!

A well-placed question, like “what’s your favorite story at [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][your business]” or “what topic would you like for our next open mic?” could easily spark a cascade of discussion, responses and shares.

 

10. Give Your Customers Special Deals

How about a free coffee if they order breakfast on a certain day? Or announce your customer loyalty program?

There are many ways to use your page and place to your advantage. Don’t overdo it with the promotions, but a well-timed discount every now and then can help boost sales for several days or weeks.

These are some of the most important fundamentals, as well as a few more creative and advanced marketing tactics. Facebook Places is still pretty new, but business owners who’re putting in the time to learn it are finding that it really pays off.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

How to Add Videos for Your Facebook Followers

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Facebook makes it incredibly easy for both individuals and business to share videos. You can share videos recorded on your webcam, videos recorded from your iPhone or videos recorded from just about anywhere else.

Here’s how to add video to Facebook.

 

Step 1: Select “Video” in the Status Update

Choose “Video,” right above the status update bar.

1-Choose-Video

Step 2: Select Video Source

Select whether you want to upload a video or shoot a new one from your webcam.

2-Select-Video-Source

Step 3: Recording from Webcam

If you choose the “Record a Video” option, you’ll be taken to a webcam capture screen.

First, click “Allow” to give Facebook access to your webcam.

3-Allow-Webcam

Then click the big red button to record your video. Once you’re finished recording, enter a comment and click “Share.”

5-Enter-a-Comment

Step 4: Uploading an Existing Video

If you clicked the “Upload a Video” option, you’ll be shown a page that’ll allow you to upload your video.

Click “Choose File” to find your video file.

6-Select-a-File

Your file browser will open. Select the file to upload. Once you’ve chosen your file, enter a status update and click “Share” to upload your video.

Step 5: Upload from iPhone

It’s easy to upload a video taken on your iPhone to Facebook. Unfortunately, this can’t be done in the Facebook app itself on the iPhone. You’ll first have to connect your iPhone to your computer via USB cable.

When you make the connection, first make sure that your phone is not locked. If it has a password on it, Windows won’t be able to read the files. If you have a password lock on your phone, just type the password into your iPhone and leave the screen on while you make the connection.

Once your iPhone is connected to your computer, you’ll be able to browse the files on your iPhone just like any other external hard drive. Your video files will be labeled numerically and chronologically by when the videos were taken.

Once you have a proper connection, uploading a video from your iPhone is exactly the same as uploading it from any other file on your computer. Just follow the steps outlined above.

Congratulations! You’ve now learned how to upload a file to Facebook from your computer, how to upload a file from your iPhone and how to record a brand new video from your webcam. As you can tell, the process isn’t overly difficult and can get you a lot of exposure in the long run.