Smart Solutions Blog
What You Need to Know About the New Facebook Timeline Layout
Facebook’s newest profile update was unveiled in September of 2011, but not everyone got to see it right away. A lot of people used a developer’s trick to enable the new profile, and since then, people have been installing it on their own. Facebook has been offering it as a choice up to this point—they haven’t forced it on any users.
That is, until now. Facebook is now urging every user get their newest update—the Facebook timeline. And if you don’t get it yourself, Facebook will do it for you.
While the ever-present naysayers bemoan this latest update, the timeline also has a lot of supporters. But people from both sides are wondering—what kind of privacy risk is this? Each of the 800 million Facebook users are going to be getting this update in the next few weeks, so what should shouldn’t we know a little more about it?
The Facebook Timeline + Style
The Facebook timeline is the most attractive of past updates, and it’s definitely an improvement over the last profile look. The timeline allows you to have a cover photo—a banner over your entire Facebook profile, as seen in the picture below.
The Facebook Timeline + Privacy
None of your privacy settings will change when you get the timeline—the only difference is that all of your past Facebook updates are going to be more accessible. It’s going to be easier for people to scroll through your Facebook profile and see updates and pictures from four or five years ago—as long as you’ve had a Facebook account.
If you think you might have content back a few years that could potentially embarrass you now, it might be a good idea to go back through and delete or hide posts that you’d rather your new friends not see.
The Facebook Timeline + Past
The Facebook Timeline is the timeline of your life—a life that started before you ever logged onto Facebook for the first time. But now, Facebook is asking you to bring that information into your Facebook profile, though the timeline. You can add major events from the time of your birth to now, complete with pictures!
There is no reason to resist the Facebook Timeline layout (and even if you did, you’d get it anyway), so if you’re ready to fill out past information, make it look more attractive and hide a few past status updates and pictures, you can head to facebook.com/timeline now, and get started!
[Businesses can't get timelines yet, but while you're on Facebook, be sure to check out the Smart Solutions page!]
Get Details about SOPA
Over the past few weeks, the Internet has exploded with furious users. In one of the most amazing shows of the Internet community coming together, businesses across the United States have blogged, tweeted and even blacked out their websites with the single goal of stopping the bill SOPA.
People like Matt Cutts, Jimmy Wales and Craig Newark worked together to influence members of Congress enough that the bill was shelved earlier this week. However, Congress brought it back, and it is set to be voted on next week. Many business websites have publicly opposed this bill together, by organizing a blackout on January 18.
But while many businesses fight back against this bill, several others wonder—what exactly is SOPA? Not everyone has been a part of this revolution, so it’s understandable that a lot of people got left in the dark on the subject.
What is SOPA?
SOPA stands for “Stop Online Piracy Act,” and is a bill that was introduced in late 2011. Wikipedia summarizes the details quite well, and we’ve included an excerpt here:
The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.
Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as PayPal from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites.
The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for 10 such infringements within six months. The bill would also give immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement. This would make copyright holders liable for damages, when they knowingly misrepresent that a website is dedicated to infringement.
Although Wikipedia is against SOPA, they provide a pretty fair representation of what it is. It’s a bill that could stifle free speech on the Internet, potentially censoring business websites that host content. It has good qualities, of course, as any bill would; supporters remind us that it will protect global intellectual property, and say that it’s needed in order to enforce copyright infringement on the Internet worldwide.
Smart Solutions’ Stance on SOPA
At this time, Smart Solutions does not support the SOPA bill in its current form, for the same reason that Internet professionals across the world don’t—it eliminates free speech on the Internet, and goes completely against the reason that the Internet was created in the first place.
Google has played a big part in this movement, and you can help them by signing their petition: End Piracy, Not Liberty.
What are your thoughts on SOPA? Let us know in the comments!
Google+ Pages Now Offer Admin (or Manager) Rolls
When Google+ rolled out pages, people jumped on board and quickly realized a problem—no ability to add additional administrators? You could have a total of one owner, making it difficult for companies with several employees working on social media.
The new social network has finally remedied the issue—allowing one Google+ page to have multiple page administrators, which they call Managers. This feature is a lot like Facebook’s ability to “Manage Admins.”
Facebook vs. Google+ Admins
There is a very large difference between how the two social networks use administrators, and that is ownership. While Facebook pages allow any admin to delete a page, only an owner can do it on a Google+ page. For instance:
- On Facebook, if Person 1 created the page, but added Person 2 as an administrator, Person 2 has full control. He can delete the page, or even remove Person 1 as an administrator.
- On Google+, if Person 1 created the page, he has ownership. He can add Person 2 as manager, but Person 2 cannot delete the page or remove Person 1 as owner, because Person 1 has ownership.
You can debate Facebook and Google+ on other aspects of the two social networks, but Google+ comes out the ultimate winner in this battle. Some things to consider are these:
With Facebook, if a client with admin capability goes rogue, your Facebook account could quickly become compromised. They could delete every other administrator, and post whatever they want on your company’s Facebook.
Despite that disadvantage, though, selling companies with social media equity is easier thanks to that. You can easily hand over the Facebook account to someone else and remove yourself as an administrator.
On Google+, you have the best of both worlds. While you are safe from having an employee go rogue (you can quickly remove them as an administrator, and delete any posts they may have made), you can also hand over reigns very easily. In the admin for your Google+ page, you can transfer ownership quickly to any manager you have added.
Google really thought through their manager system before they launched it, and they did a seamleass job. It is smooth and easy and provides for a lot more than Facebook does. It’s just a step for Google+ in the fight with Facebook, but it could be an important one.
To keep up to date on other social media stories and updates, circle us on Google+! You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!
What is A/B Testing – Multivariate Testing for Websites
A/B testing—or multivariate testing—is an experiment that you can use to increase the productivity of your website. A/B testing shows visitors alternate versions of the same web page simultaneously and randomly, to help the website owner find out what elements of the page need to be fixed.
Although A/B testing can be applied to any website, it is most often used for testing e-commerce websites, because you can directly track conversions, and see just how certain elements of a page are limiting or increasing sales.
E-Commerce Website Testing
You can test just about everything on an e-commerce website, but it isn’t necessary or feasible to test everything at once. There are three key areas that get tested the most often, and are usually the most important parts of an e-commerce site. These are the call to action buttons, the product placement and the shopping cart.
A/B Testing E-Commerce Call to Action Buttons
The call to action button is probably the most A/B tested aspect of an e-commerce website. You can analyze the results of different colors, fonts, sizes and more through A/B testing. The different options will show up for different visitors, and you can test their reactions through conversions. The call to action button that does the best can be placed permanently on the site, and we can continue on to test a different aspect.
A/B Testing Product Placement
How do the products on your website invite a customer to click through and purchase? You can A/B test products by putting them in a different placement on the page, making images larger or smaller, or even renaming some of the products.
A/B Testing the Shopping Cart
They’ve followed your product placement, clicked your call-to-action, but then they abandon your shopping car. Why? There are a number of reasons that people abandon their shopping carts online, and we list a few below:
- Login
No one wants to remember another password! A/B test giving them the option of just checking in as a guest, against having to set up an account.
- Asking for too much information
You don’t need to know their birthday in order to sell them a product! Try A/B testing an option where they only have to fill in the essentials, against the option where they have to fill in everything.
- Using a trustmark
If the customer doesn’t trust you—they won’t buy from you. Try A/B testing with a McAfee trustmark, and see if your customers respond well.
A/B testing is a great tool to see what works and what doesn’t on your website, and it’s a feature that Smart Solutions offers to all of our customers. Get the most out of your website, and let us know if you want to try out some A/B testing on your site.
If you don’t currently have an e-commerce website, but are considering one, we’d love to help you convert your site to e-commerce! Give us a call or send us an email, and we’ll set up a meeting to discuss it.
Putting Together a Social Media Plan
Recently we were asked if someone could promise 2500 unique visits to their business website a month—from social media alone. It’s a good question to ask—there’s no point in working on a social media plan unless it drives traffic to your site, and brings conversions. But when we replied asking about their numbers on current social media channels, we were told that they have 25 fans on Facebook, and have yet to set up a Twitter or Linkedin account.
Our answer? Yes. It is possible, but not right away. Social media is a gradual exercise, not something that can be completed once and forgotten about. When you’re starting from scratch, it will take some time to truly gain a following and get some results. You need to have a social media plan.
Why you need a social media plan
To stay on top of current trends
Social media platforms come and go. If you set up a MySpace account for your business and left social networking years ago, you’ve fallen behind. There are new platforms announced every year, and each one updates and changes from month to month. You need to be on top of the latest social media advances, and so does your business.
Your customers are there
One thing that every business owner knows is that you need to be where your customers are. Your customers are on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and StumbleUpon without you—so join them!
Your competitors are there
Many small and large businesses have come to see the importance of marketing on social media, and they’re out there talking to your customers, while you’re not. Don’t let them take control of your market!
But if you can’t…
Sometimes it just isn’t possible for you to keep up a social media plan. If you don’t have the time to check your social media outlets once a week, much less every day, get someone else to. Designate a person on your team, get your daughter to handle it or hire social media services—just don’t neglect it. Social media is only becoming more popular, don’t fall behind—get a social media plan in place!
Google’s Mobile Payment App – Google Wallet
Google is involved in a lot of areas of Internet marketing. As a search engine, they’re perfectly positioned to handle just about everything; many website owners believe that using Google’s services will provide them with more exposure, although there is no solid evidence supporting this view.
Google also, of course, has a hand in mobile technology—and not just in search—as an online payment service. This is Google Wallet.
What is Google Wallet?
Originally launched in September of 2011, Google Wallet is an online service that you access through your smartphone. It stores your credit cards on your phone, which allows you to pay for things by simply tapping or scanning your phone at their kiosks. Google’s main problem is that this application isn’t available at many locations right now—or on many phones.
The only way you can use this application in-store right now is if you own one of Sprint’s Nexus S 4G phones. In addition to that, you can only use it at select locations that feature the MasterCard PayPass. In Central Oregon, that’s a total of 26 places—most of which are 7 Elevens. You can search the Google Wallet website to see where you would be able to use the mobile Google Wallet in your area.
What is the Point of the Google Wallet?
Because of the limited number of people able to use this feature, a lot of people have wondered what the point is—why would Google choose to release a product that so few people would be able to use? The answer is this: money is becoming digital. The technology isn’t advancing very quickly right now, but it is coming—and Google wants to be at the forefront, labeled as an innovator.
Google Wallet is also taking over Google’s old online checkout system—so the wallet is becoming very integrated into Google’s ecommerce work. Any retailers who are currently using Google Checkout will now be moved into Google Wallet—although it will work in the same way.
So what are your thoughts on the integration of Google Wallet and Google Checkout? Can you see yourself using Google Wallet on your phone?
Optimizing Your Linkedin Business Page
Earlier this week, we discussed how to optimize your personal Linkedin profile, and a few Linkedin networking tips to make your profile be more effective. Today, we’re talking about the Linkedin business page. This is the page that features your business, so it’s very important that it have all the information it needs.
It’s pretty easy to set up your Linkedin company page, as long as you have a company email address tied to your Linkedin personal profile. After you’ve made sure that your business isn’t already on Linkedin, simply visit the Add Your Company page, and enter your email address and business name! After clicking continue, you’ll be able to create the page and add your company’s information.
Once you’ve completed your company page, you’ll be able to edit information through the tabs lining the top. You’ll have “Overview,” “Careers,” “Services” or “Products,” and “Analytics.”
Overview
This is your main page. This is where you can find the synopsis of your company, employees, and contact information on the right side. You can also grab some “Follow us on Linkedin” code at the bottom of this page.
Careers
In the Careers tab, you can post job openings, to be seen by people browsing your company page. This would be a great way to get real professionals to apply for your job. However, this part of Linkedin does cost—$95 for a 30 day posting. You can see this information by clicking on the Careers page. If you don’t have any job postings, the tab will not show up. This goes for the other tabs, as well—if you haven’t posted anything, people will only see your Overview.
Products and Services
Place your services and products on the third tab—this is especially important if your company is specifically business-to-business. Other professionals who stumble upon your company profile might just need what you have to offer.
Analytics
This tab is only viewable to employees at your company. Here you can see how your company’s Linkedin performance compares to other businesses in the same industry. It’s important to note that you won’t have any statistics until after being on Linkedin for a couple months—views and visitors take a while to start appearing. There are several different graphs on this page, and you’ll want to get familiar with all of them.
Linkedin Status Updates
The newest feature for companies on Linkedin is the Linkedin status update. This tool was released two months ago, and isn’t being used as much as Linkedin would hope. It works just like a status update on Facebook, and can be a great way to drive traffic. Be sure to utilize this feature when creating your Linkedin business page.
Although Linkedin isn’t the most popular or the most used social network, it is still a very important part of professional networking. Use the Linkedin company pages to your advantage, and tell us how it works for your business! And while you’re on Linkedin—be sure to follow our company page!
Using Linkedin for Professional Networking
When marketing a business in social media, people tend to focus on two fronts: Facebook and Twitter. As a matter of fact, most people even skip the second and focus on the first. Facebook is a great marketing tool, of course, but it is certainly not the only one.
Linkedin tends to be tossed under the bus when it comes to social media. People aren’t as active on Linkedin as they are elsewhere, so the site is sometimes considered out of date. Unfortunately, this means that it is often neglected as a social media marketing tool. While it may not be the most popular social network, Linkedin has its own niche—professional networking.
Linkedin Social Networking
Linkedin was built for professionals, and if you fall into that category, you should be networking there. Although the layout may remind you of Facebook, the position it plays is completely different. Linkedin describes itself as “the world’s largest professional network on the internet.” With more than 100 million members, they’re absolutely right; this is the kind of network that you want to be a part of.
Your Profile on Linkedin
It’s easy and free to sign up for Linkedin, and worth the time that you’ll have to put into it. You can start out by filling in past employers, your current job, a picture, summary and your specialties. You can also add your business website and Twitter account!
But the most important part is connections. You can import your email contacts or search for friends and co-workers, but it’s very important that you grow your connection list as much as possible. If you have a large amount of connections, you’re considered an influencer—something you want to be seen as in professional networking.
You can create a personalized URL on Linkedin by going to your profile page and clicking ‘Edit’ next to your Public Profile link near the bottom. You can then change your public profile URL in the box on the right. Be sure to pick something memorable and lasting. Although you will be able to change it, you shouldn’t. You will lose people who have bookmarked your profile in the past, as well as search engine traffic.
Be open and be visible on Linkedin; share business-related posts, and be sure to interact with your connections. Make sure that your profile is connected to your business, and that you share a few links back to your website every so often.
Linkedin Business Marketing
We’ll be posting another blog on Linkedin this week—but focusing specifically on Linkedin company pages. Check back this Thursday to see!
If you want to see what a Linkedin company page looks like on Linkedin before our next blog publishes, follow our Linkedin page!
Google+ Business Pages – What You Need to Know
In early September, Google+ opened up to the general public, inviting an influx of millions of users—eager to try out the newest feature from Google. However, many users noticed a distinct problem with the site right off the bat—where were the Google+ business pages?
Two months later, the pages have finally opened to the public, and social media managers are flooding the site, adding their businesses and trying to figure out how to use Google+ to their advantage. At this point it is difficult for small business to gain a following, because even though the numbers are large, it is still nowhere near Facebook in terms of active users.
Despite the lower amount of users though, Google+ has a lot of advantages. First of all—it’s a Google product. Therefore, Google+ business pages are going to be integrated into Google’s search engine results pages very quickly. As a matter of fact, many of the larger Google+ business pages have already been indexed and are showing up on SERPs.
Using a Google+ Business Page
If you still haven’t set up your Google+ business page, here are your goals this week:
- Set one up! Remember to do it from a company account that someone else has access to, as well. www.google.com/+/business will give you all the directions you need.
- Put together your scrapbook photos. This is the most noticeable part of your Google+ business profile, so make sure it represents your business well—and looks nice!
- Promote, promote, promote!
The third is the most important goal—because of the few active users on Google+, your small business isn’t going to get added to a lot of circles for a while… unless you promote it. Put a Google+ logo on your blog or website, tweet about it and share it on your own Google+ profile.
After your Google+ business page is up and running, post often on subjects your circlers will want to hear about! Let your circlers know that you’re there and provide them with content that’s worth sharing. Remember to track your traffic to see how you’re doing!
And while you’re at it—add Smart Solutions to your circles! See you on Google+.
A Google Doodle Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Celebrate by stuffing yourselves silly and spending time with family and friends. And while you’re taking time off to relax, check out a few of the past Google doodles… Thanksgiving style!
From 1998 – 2010, Google has made some great Thanksgiving doodles, and you can see them all here! For a complete archive of the many Google doodles, you can head over to www.google.com/logos. Enjoy Google’s Thanksgiving logos!
Note: In 2010, Google had a contest for their Google doodles, and there were three winners. The last three Google doodles are all from 2010, and Google showed each of them leading up to and on Thanksgiving last year. Google’s doodle this year was customizable – did you see it?
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