How to create a facebook link:

• Login to facebook.

• In upper righthand corner, click on the “Account” drop down.

• Go to Privacy Settings.

• Go to Search. Checkmark “Allow”.

• Go back to “Account” drop down in upper righthand corner.

• Go to “Account Settings”

• See header “username” – click “change”

• Choose a username and hit “Check Availability”

• If available, click “Confirm”.

• That’s it!

For the facebook link, add your username after the facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/username

For example, mine is:

http://www.facebook.com/rochelle.burnett

Logout of facebook to test your link. “Logout” is also under “Account” drop down. In Internet browser, type in your new link:

http://www.facebook.com/username

How to Create a Badge:

Example:

• Login to facebook.

• In upper lefthand corner, near your photo, click on “View My Profile”

• Scroll down, you’ll see “Create a Profile Badge” towards the end of your items in the left column. Click link.

• Click “Edit Settings”

• I prefer only checking profile pic and name. You may choose to add your email too.

• Click save.

• Then, click the “Other” blue button.

• This will generate some facebook html code like you see below.

• Select it (select all) and Control C (copy).

• Paste it into your website, blogs or email signature.

CODE EXAMPLE:

<!– Facebook Badge START –><a href=”http://www.facebook.com/rochelle.burnett” title=”Rochelle Burnett” target=”_TOP” style=”font-family: &quot;lucida grande&quot;,tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;”>Rochelle Burnett</a><br/><a href=”http://www.facebook.com/rochelle.burnett” title=”Rochelle Burnett” target=”_TOP”><img src=”http://badge.facebook.com/badge/1424952410.1671.1207102493.png” width=”120″ height=”140″ style=”border: 0px;” /></a><br/><a href=”http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/” title=”Make your own badge!” target=”_TOP” style=”font-family: &quot;lucida grande&quot;,tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: #3B5998; text-decoration: none;”>Create Your Badge</a><!– Facebook Badge END –>

There are a few things you should delete in the code. I’ve highlighted them for you in red. Be careful not to delete anything else.

If you were successful in the steps, it should look like this!

- Rochelle Burnett, Owner

Creative Leap, Inc. recently redesigned and redeveloped Burnett Realty’s website. This current update was built to be more social media friendly with a displayed youtube channel, facebook and twitter links, and a blog on the home page. Creative Leap, Inc. also integrated the Des Moines Area MLS into the site, built an e-marketing campaign in conjunction with the new site, and added as many lead-generating pages as possible.

Iowa Progress Project Website:

Creative Leap, Inc. also recently redesigned the website for the Iowa Progress Project. It incorporates a blog with teasers on the home page and an “action center” along the right hand side of our page. A special feature was the “ticker” displaying Culver’s fiscal plan. As with most of our clients, Iowa Progress Project is given the ability to easily update this website themselves through a user friendly Content Management System.

I recently saw a news segment on a downtown restaurant that said it was suffering due to lay offs and furloughs in the downtown area. I won’t pick on this restaurant by giving their name, but I once visited this restaurant and all was going well until we ordered dessert and it took 30 minutes arrive (over the lunch hour). I’ve not been the only person complaining about the restaurant, I’ve heard many grumblings that the restaurant food and service was sub par. So, does that company have the right to go on the news and say the economy is hurting their business? If that restaurant had rave reviews and people all over town were talking about it, I tend to believe the downtown layoffs would not affect their bottom line.

So, in conclusion, BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE in your business. People will notice and people will choose YOU over your competition. If you dominate the marketplace, then the economy should not hurt your bottom line. How can you be sure you are being the best you can be? Hire secret shoppers, survey your customers and employees, hold focus groups, listen to your customer, shop your competition, and read about other successful businesses. Good luck and remember…only the strong survive.

Today, the internet gives you the ability to voice your opinion to the masses. Websites like Yelp.com and Epinions.com allow you to review products and services and share your experiences with the world, whether good or bad. These reviews stick around too, they are often not taken down.

If your company or product receives positive feedback, it’s priceless. You can’t buy air time or ad space worth that amount of power. The unbiased opinion by a happy consumer is GOLDEN.

Now, start thinking about what YOUR clients would say about you if they left your business today and went home and reviewed you…  

Would it be a glowing review? Would it be satisfactory? Would it hurt your business? Every time a client walks in the door, you have to remember the POWER they now have to spread the word about your company via the internet. With the boom of social media, such as; Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, this is becoming much more common.

As long as your business is offering a great service or a great product, you most likely don’t have anything to worry about. I’m sure you can recall that one customer in the past who was just not happy or chose to be difficult, or maybe YOU were having an off day. So, what happens if that client chooses to write a bad review? Don’t panic and don’t react irrationally. Most sites give you the ability to respond to the reviewer. Don’t respond in the heat of the moment after your first initial shock of a negative review. Write the reviewer back and offer your apologies and ask how you can rectify the situation. Some companies, for certain reasons, may choose not to respond at all and I believe that is okay too. A negative review among lots of positive reviews, just makes your reviews more “real” and “honest”. I actually have encountered a situation where a company had so many glowing reviews that a visitor to the review site was convinced they were all fake. So, I guess it’s true, you can’t make EVERYONE happy!

Here is something I’d like your opinion on:

I don’t normally write reviews, but I recently left a bad review on tripadvisor.com for a hotel I stayed at in Mexico. Someone told me that I shouldn’t just be a “one-time reviewer”. They said if I’m going to be a “reviewer” (of anything) then I should be leaving lots of reviews for all types of experiences. I was thinking…”I don’t have time for all that reviewing.” I just thought it was my duty to report to the public about a bad experience, but wouldn’t it be my responsibility to report the positive ones as well? What are your thoughts?