If you’re a small business owner and want to do something to make your business stand out you can get started by checking the following list of sites. Not everything will suit your style, your message, or your market…but there is something for almost any business.

When you set up a profile on any of these sites and directories, when someone searches for your name or your business name there will be more listings that appear- this is called “Search Results”. The more they see, the more chances they might track you down. In an effort to be practical, this list does not include every single site and directory for setting up a business listing.

Start by Googling your own name or business and see where you show up. Or you can Google a competitor’s name, or someone you know who uses these web tools to promote themselves. See what they do, and mirror what suits your business.

Tips before you start:

1- Prepare a short and long description of your business to have on hand, that way you just copy/paste whatever the site allows (from a few sentences to a paragraph).

2- Have a small jpg picture of yourself to upload, or your business logo, and web URLs to include in your profile.

Getting Started:

You already have a business web site name
Some people may want to consider purchasing their own name as a URL. The URL registration is less than $10.00 per year. Putting up a simple Wordpress (blog) site is an affordable marketing tool. Big Dog IT can set up a site for you complete with content or just get you going so you can create the site and content on your own. It all depends on someone’s technical ability, your time line, and your budget. You can have more than one web name (URL) pointing at the same website. You can also have a URL pointing at your LinkedIn profile.

GoDaddy

Purchase YourName.com or if your name is taken try adding a short word to the URL you want to buy:  BobInSeattle.com, AskBob.com, etc. Do a search for the name you want and see what else comes up that is similar.

LinkedIn This is professional business networking online. You can edit your profile URL to include your name (Linkedin.com/in/BobJones). After you set up your profile you can start searching for people you know …see articles on BizNikfor more details. Search for Groups and join a few in your profession, or other interests. Check the LinkedIn blog to get the most out of LinkedIn.

Facebook

1- Set up a new profile or expand the profile you already have. Try adding an article or details about your work on the “Notes” Tab.

2- Create a Business page – Log in with your personal profile and then you can create a business page. (also called a fan page)

To create a business page on FB check this link (after you create your personal profile).

Twitter – For now this is an easy thing to attach your name to:You will add your name or biz name after  twitter.com/….Even if you only add one comment per day, or a few per week this will show up when people search your name or business. Link it to your site, your blog, Facebook, etc. To check if your twitter URL is available just enter  Twitter.com followed by your identifier (www.twitter.com/Askbob)

Meetup -Join a group- they have in-person and online groups. Answer or post questions also.

Contribution Networking Party – (CNP) directory with events in different areas.

Free directories – business and personal profiles

Plaxo

Manta

Zoom

Spoke

Xing

Google Profile -sign in with gmail or create a new account to set up your profile.

You’ll also want to go to the Google Local Business Center, and make sure you add a business listing.

Google Maps – get or post a customer review. In the search field you start by entering the business/person’s name with city, state. Then you should see the business show up on the left. See reviews or Write a review.

Yelp – Ask some of your customers to submit customer or product reviews. You can also post reviews for others. Set up profile and geographic info.

Yahoo Local – request and post a review

Bing - This is MSN’s search site – Sign In is at the top right.

You Tube – create your own account and upload videos. Link back to your site, create a library of videos.

Ping.FM is a free service that makes updating your “social network” easier. This is where you can enter several sites – then post a comment or link at Ping and they send that message to anything you select such as your blog, twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, etc.

Animoto -At this site you can create FREE 30 second videos with images. Nice for those of us without video equipment or time. Look at their sample videos (link is on their site at the bottom left).

Check the Pricing details- if you want to open a paid account you can enter our Referral Code: yhbpzkqj

Tip: look at the FAQ about image size – before you start to upload take the time to crop & size your images. A FREE 30 second video uses about 15-20 images. My saved notes suggest img size: 1024×768 @ 100kb.

Longer videos are very reasonable – $3.00 with an addition fee and you can save it to your computer. If you take it even further you can upload your video to YouTube.

I hope you found a bit of useful information here. What other sites would you include?

Start with purchasing your name, such as BobSullivan.com. If your name is already taken then try something like AskMarci.com, BobinSeattle.com, BobTheWindowGuy, etc. Now you can start a simple Wordpress web site or redirect the new domain name to your Linkedin profile. Big Dog IT can set up and host a simple to use Wordpress site. If you aren’t ready to start your own site that can come later.

GoDaddy.com
This is a good place to purchase domain names. Best practice is to avoid hosting your domain at the place you buy the name.

With or without your own domain name (BobJones.com) you can post your profile at some of the directory sites listed below (there are many).  Adding your profile to social media sites and business directories is usually free and doesn’t require attending meetings or events. Include a business website and any other domain names that you want to promote.

Prepare a short description and a long one to have on hand so you can paste it right into your profile fields. Also include a small picture of yourself.

Here is a reasonable list of sites to get you started.

Facebook.com
After you create your personal profile you can create a business page on FB.
Facebook Business

BizNik.com
This is a social networking site which features articles and events. BizNik offers many features to help promote your business. Biznik members connect online, and meet in person in many cities.

Twitter.com
You will add your name or biz name after  twitter.com/….
Even if you aren’t ready to start tweeting, save your URL to use later.

Zoominfo.com
Directory

Meetup.com
Join a group- they have in person and online groups

Plaxo.com
Directory

Manta.com
Directory

Spoke.com
Directory

Xing.com
Directory

Bing.com
This is the new MSN live search – top right, Sign In

Google.com
Set up a personal profile at Google – sign in with gmail or create a new account to set up your profile.

Maps.Google.com
Add a review for another business, ask someone to post reviews for you.

local.Yahoo.com
Add a review for another business, ask someone to post reviews for you.

Yelp.com
User reviews for businesses and local search web. There are allegations that Yelp doesn’t offer a way for people to respond to or delete unfair reviews. Google something like how to use Yelp, or problems with Yelp and see what you think.

YouTube.com
Create a profile – google a phrase such as: how to use youtube for your business

Animoto.com
Not social networking or a directory, but I like this site because it’s a great way to create video with images, text, songs, or upload your own audio.  Look at the sample videos for ideas.

If you want to open a paid account enter this Referral Code: yhbpzkqj
Tip: look at the FAQ about image size – then crop & size your images before you start to upload. A FREE 30 second video uses about 15-20 images.
Animoto.com/help/faq

Ning.com
Here you can create your own social network. Start by naming your social network and choosing features (photos, videos, forums, events, etc.). Then customize your social network’s appearance and launch it! People who join your social network will have a customizable profile page and will be able to send messages and connect. Remember though, your content lives on the Ning network in their server.

Another tip in sending your profile out there…do a search for one of your competitors names, someone in your field, or a person you know is active in building their online exposure. Use those directories and sites to post your information.

Originally designed to keep friends and family up to date on what you’re doing, Twitter can also be a great place to share your latest book project, promotional ideas as well as interacting with fellow tweets (folks who twitter) and writers.

And yes, you can have a blog and a Twitter page. I have both but I feed my blog into my Twitter site so that my Twitter page gets updated each time I add new content to my blog. There’s an easy application to add your blog feed to Twitter, it takes just minutes to do. Head on over to: Twitterfeed.

To sign up for a Twitter account just complete their short sign up form. Remember to brand yourself! This is important. Once you create a Twitter account you can’t go back and change your name so find something that works for you. Maybe it’s fictionwriter or businesswriter or whatever you want. My Twitter page is bookgal which is fun play on words for what I do (and what I love).

Once you have a Twitter account you can immediately start tweeting. The service is completely free and you can also keep up with other people’s tweets by “following” them. Their micro-blog entries will show up on your Twitter home page so you can easily keep track of them. You can also be notified by phone when they add a tweet. You can twitter from anywhere, even your phone. I’ve been known to twitter from my blackberry.

Why on Earth Would you Want to Twitter?

When Twitter first started, people were a little perplexed. I mean why on earth would you want to blog in 140 characters? Well since the site emerged in 2006, it’s grown enormously in popularity. With Twitter pages from sites like CNN and every one of the political candidates, the site’s popularity can’t be overstated. Nor can its applications for the future. Also, even if you don’t have a ton of people following your tweets, keep in mind that Twitter search sites are popping up everywhere.

This means that if you tweet using keywords that matter to your reader/market, you could be found and followed! For one such search site check out: summarize. Also, if you’re trying to gauge the popularity of a certain word or phrase and how often it’s being used or referred to, you can head on over to Tweet Volume and find out. Just plug in your search term or terms and up will pop a list of results!

Most Well-Known Twitter Users

>Many organizations (such as the Los Angeles Fire Department) have embraced the technology and put it to use in situations such as the October 2007 California wildfires.

>Higher education is also using the technology to relay important information to students in a more timely manner. The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Engineering is one such example.

>Several U.S. presidential campaigns use Twitter as a publicity mechanism, Ron Paul, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton all have Twitter pages.

>Media outlets such as CNN have also started using Twitter to break news.

How to Use Twitter Effectively

If you’ve pondered using Twitter but aren’t sure how to use it effectively, here are some quick tips to give you some great twittering-ideas:

>Teach stuff – teach a little mini-lesson on Twitter. Delve into your area of expertise or just talk about book publishing and how to get published.

> Showcase your book – don’t do this in a “my book is so fabulous” kind of way but offer to give advice (like I mention in Teach Stuff) or share with your Twitter followers how the promotion of the book is going.

> Use Twitter as a news source: you can easily announce news both from your world (as long as it relates to your topic) and from the world of your expertise. So for example I’ve done tweets on book industry stuff, breaking news, etc.

> Widen your network – follow other Twitter folk, this will not only give you some ideas for your own “tweets” but it’s a great way to network with other writers or professionals.

> Keep the buzz going when you’re on the move – it’s hard to keep blogging when you’re on the road (trust me, I know this first hand) – so when I travel, I tweet. I share what I’m doing, what’s happening in my world and try to offer insight and advice.

>Market yourself – remember that while Twitter may seem like a fun little tool, it’s also a great way to market yourself. Just like the ideas we mention above, there are a hundred+ more things you can do.

Golden Rules of Twitter:

Here are a few rules to live by when tweeting:

> Be Original, useful and helpful.

> Every Tweet counts (don’t tell people you’re washing your cat) don’t just tweet on useless stuff or you’ll lose followers.

> Ask questions: you’ve got a network (or you want one) now use it! Ask questions, take surveys, get your followers involved in your message and marketing!

> It’s not all about you (again, back to the cat) people want to know useful stuff, I know, it’s getting repetitive but there’s a reason: it’s important.

> Promote your Twitter account in your email signature line and on your blog.

> Network: don’t expect your followers to grow if you’re not following other people. Network, search for others in your area and follow them.

> Personal is ok. Even though I said not to post useless information it’s still not a bad idea to (from time to time) post a personal Tweet or two. Provide value and twitter-followers will beat a path to your door.

> Keep Twittering, followers will come if you keep updating your Twitter account.

Unless you have lived in a cave the last 4 years, you have probably heard of this. It is a rocking hot social networking site that seems to be almost everywhere today. It is on the news. It is on the radio. It is on the minds of millions of folks a day.

It is called “Facebook” and over 175 million people are active on this site.

Ok- I know that you may be asking,” A LAW about facebook?” Yes, 10 of them for marketing and business success in what you do. I am a marketer and have been for 20 years. I built a training and consulting business that does business in over 20 countries, because of social media and the internet. And there are marketing laws that all marketers and business professionals must follow if they are going to have Success in the marketplace online.

It is the same for Facebook.

Lets cover them briefly:

1) The Law of Visibility on Facebook.

You MUST be visible on facebook of you are going to get your message out. You must spend time on facebook and get to know people. You must put yourself together a “facebook blueprint” and work it. How many hours a week are you going to be seen on FB? How many times are you going to befriend someone this week? How many times are you going to upload photos this week? All of these things put you in the ‘Visibility Zone” on facebook, and on the radar as far as people on facebook. Be SEEN and be THERE on a daily basis.

2) The Law of the Powerful Facebook Profile.

Why would people want to get to know you? One of the first things they check out is your facebook profile. What does it say- but better yet- what does it DO? Does it make people curious and want to get to know you? Does it make them think? Does it make them smile? Does it make them see that you have Value for their life and can help change it?

Powerful facebook profiles are NOT based on what is said in your profile- but what it DOES.

Does it direct them to DO something? Does it tell them you are person they MUST know? Or someone that has a nice picture and a nice profile- with no magnetism? Put yourself OUT THERE and tell the world WHY they need you as a friend, and get them to take action towards YOU.

3) The Law of the Facebook WALL.

You MUST use your Wall to market or message. many folks regard their Wall as a communication utility like email. It is not that. You already have a facebook email. The Wall is for you to BUILD- BRICK BY BRICK- MESSAGE BY MESSAGE- NOTE BY NOTE- VIDEO BY VIDEO- your Brand on Facebook. Every time something happens with you- it goes on your Wall. Don’t stare at the wall- CLIMB THE SUCKER and make your message the PEAK of the page- and keep yourself out there with the Wall. And answer the messages on your Wall. Thank people for sharing with you their visit or message. This will show up on THEIR wall. This will set you apart from most on facebook. The Wall is simply a BILLBOARD of what you are doing and your friends are doing on Facebook. Use it often and wisely.

4) The Law of Your Facebook Network.

You are part of a local facebook network and you have access to that network to befriend them. I live in Birmingham Michigan, and the network i am a part of is the Detroit network. There are 640,926 people in my network that I could potentially MEET LIVE in a local place and get to know them and connect with them. You have local folks as well. Where do you find your network?

Click on “settings” and then click on “network.” You will find it there. This is a GOLD MINE of people in your local area to CONNECT and Construct new trust bridges that may lead to business down the road.

5) The Law of the Facebook Notifications.

This is an overlooked and rarely talked about utility. Notifications are part of your “facebook email system.” Go to “email” at the top of your Facebook profile page, and then click on “notifications.”This is list of who is thinking about you, talking about you, including you in tags, and generally is pointing to you. This is a GOLD MINE of people that have PROVEN they are behind you and willing to make you a part of their Facebook experience. Pay attention to the facebook notifications. Thank them for their thoughts of you on their Wall and let them know you appreciate it. Include them as well on your tags and other activity on facebook. The notifications are GOLD and is a prospecting Vault of Leads. And make sure you stay CONNECTED to them.

6) The Law of Facebook Link Love.

The Link application on Facebook is a HOT commodity. It allows you to post a link that you like and then sends it out on the news feed that is on your home page. It picks up the image that you want on the link page, and allows it to be a LIVE link. Send out other people’s LINK and givem some LOVE. Do NOT just send out your own links. Let others do that. Find interesting links of others and send them out.

WHY? EXPOSURE for you. You will be given credit for the link. People LOVE link love. If you send out a LOT of other people’s links on facebook, they will start sending out YOUR links. Been there done that.

7) The Law of Facebook Groups.

Join groups. Join a LOT of Groups. Start your OWN groups. The join MORE groups. Why? Here are a few reasons: EXPOSURE. CONNECTION to other Group members. AUTHORITY. Start your own and be a Leader. INCREASE YOUR REACH.Groups extend your reach into Facebook. MULTIPLIED PROSPECTS. There are more people in a group — then on a profile page.

Duh. Build a list in your own group and then you can become an admin and email messages to them. Make them messages of VALUE and interest.

The Law of Facebook Events.

Attend events. Attend more Events. And then attend many MORE events. Why? It allows you to leave a message on the events page wall, and create exposure. I attend at least 2 facebook events every week- to learn- and to network. Events can be found on the new Facebook page in the upper right under “Upcoming”-these are the events that are upcoming. There is one unique twist: You have birthdays under the “upcoming” tag- and you can send presents to folks. THIS will get their attention as it shows up on their wall and the news feed as well. Attend as many events as you can. make them worth your while- learn and grow from them. BUT always leave an RSVP message about attending or not- with an encouraging message. This will show your professionalism, and caring.

Event UP! This will do you well on facebook. Put the term “events” in the search box, and it will find every event that is going on in your network of friends. It is a GOLD MINE of new possibilties of business. Become a master of events!

9) The Law of Facebook Multimedia- Videos and Photos.

People LOVE photos and videos. They are the most looked at and watched pages on facebook. Make some videos and upload them. Upload some photographs. Not only will the be seen on your wall and the facebook news feed, but also will allow you to “tag” others on these. This means that you can pick out people you have befriended and let them know you are thinking of them. And when you tag someone- it shows up on THEIR wall. Not isn’t THAT cool? It is called EXPOSURE!

10) The Law of the Facebook NEWS FEED.

This is the big kahuna of Exposure on facebook. This gets you out to ALL of your friends and creates a massive exposure vehicle that can keep your brand in front and recognized. You also will be many times on the “featured” part of the new news feed on the right. This gives you HUGE exposure. Whatever you do, like change your status, upload a video, write and publish a note, or just comment on another person’s message on the facebook news feed- it SHOWS UP in the news Feed. Be seen- and be seen often if you are trying to brand yourself on facebook.

Yes, you need to establish relationships, and build community. But if you are going to MARKET on facebook-then you need to at least get a guideline of what and how to do it. The 10 Social Media Laws of Facebook hopefully gave you some idea in your social media marketing.

Finally we’ll need to add more information about Facebook fan pages for your business.