We caught up with Akash Malik, founder of Maverick Mav, a web and internet marketing agency, recently to discuss facebook business pages and their benefits for all business owners. Akash details how having a business page for your business is much easier and effective to use than a personal page. It allows you to constantly engage with your fans.

Source:  penrithpress.com.au

The expo is regarded as the premier business-to-business event in the inner-west, with a wide range of guest speakers, information booths and training sessions. Topics this year include Cloud computing, business applications for smartphones and the economic impact of social media.

Event co-ordinator John Whelan says the expo is divided into two sections: the speakers’ program and a wide range of exhibitor stands, covering everything from TAFE, software companies, media groups, Optus and the Commonwealth Bank.

“The expo is a totally free event,” he says. “Entry to the expo floor and most of the business briefings is free. We’re only charging for the breakfast and lunch sessions – and that’s purely to recover costs.”

Whelan says the expo – organised by a consortium of five inner-west councils including Strathfield – is a great opportunity for local businesses to learn about iBusiness from leading experts and commentators.

“We realise that a lot of people running their own companies don’t have time to attend seminars and training sessions about things like smartphones and social media.

“The expo allows them to dip in and out of sessions that might be of interest to them. There’s even a session called Social Media to Go, which means they walk away with their newly created Facebook page, Twitter account or LinkedIn profile.”

Akash Malik, an internet marketing expert and chief executive of Maverick Mav, will lead one of
the sessions.

He says all businesses should adopt media marketing, a powerful tool through which they can experience “massive” growth.

“Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks provide businesses with the opportunity to engage in a two-way conversation, as opposed to traditional methods of marketing and advertising, which are one-way broadcasts. Consumers have developed a blindness to such broadcast messages.”

For full list, check out our events page to find the full listings of the Inner West Small Business Expo 2011.

Source: http://ourstrathfield.com.au

The vanity URL on Facebook (also called ‘Usernames’) is a compelling feature to easily promote your presence on Facebook with a short URL. This simple URL can be used in your marketing communications, company website and business cards.
A Vanity URL allows you to easily advertise your Facebook location – “Just type in facebook dot com slash OurBusinessName” is much easier to promote at a networking meeting or printing on your business card than “visit us at facebook dot com slash pages slash my-business-name slash 1037784823052389?ref=qvg”  . Vanity URLS also help promote your search engine ranking for your business name.

To get your vanity URL, you will first need to get 25 Fans for your Page. Once you have 25 Fans, got to www.facebook.com/username and enter the username for eligible Page to see if it is available. If you delay this process, your first choice of name may have been taken by another person- So Move fast and Claim it!
Remember, you will not be able to edit or transfer this username, once you set it. So CHOOSE CAREFULLY!. Facebook also has policies and restrictions on what you can and cannot choose as your Vanity URL name.

BEC Australia is a Cluster of Community-Based Organisations Helping Small Businesses.

So, how do you successfully promote your products or services through Facebook medium? Most importantly, how are companies using Facebook for marketing without seeming spammy? There are several factors that need to be assessed and taken into consideration prior to using Facebook for marketing. For instance, is your business targeting the B2B market or the B2C market? Do you have a concrete, structured marketing campaign or are you merely trying to join the internet bandwagon with your Facebook fan page? Or are you willing to spend some time and money on a Facebook application?

Although targeted CPC ads seems like the most effective marketing strategy for Facebook, it actually lands below the top five successful strategies detailed below. Here are the five strategies of marketing on Facebook for business:

1. Update Constantly-The search engines, visitors and customers are attracted to constantly updated content. The cyberworld loves fresh, unique and constantly updated content. Maintain a goal of updating the status at least once daily and then ramp it upto three times a day. Remember that the more status updates you post, the more your business’s name is in people’s minds. Each time you post on your Facebook fan page wall, it updates on your fans’ news lists. A word of caution here – Do not post status updates just because you have to- Make the content unique & interesting- Something that adds value to your targeted customers. This leads us to the second point.
2. Say Something That Inspires Anticipation-People do not want to hear the same things over and over again. They want current news and interesting and engaging content. Create an air of anticipation to keep their curiosity peaked with status updates that will entice them to visit your Facebook fan page. Encourage conversations on your Facebook fan page wall.
3. Engage In “Conversations”- Become a “real” entity on Facebook with a personality and style that people will enjoy. It is ok to take a side and have an opinion on any topic but present your arguments in a professional and objective manner. For highly controversial topics, you may want to present a balanced and neutral approach by presenting a ‘pros and cons’ based arguments, which leaves the decision to the readers. Or, if you are up for a polarized approach, which will invoke ‘passionate’ discussions and comments, you can indeed take a strong one-sided argument (Remember, it still needs to be professional and logical argument) with your Facebook fans and defend it. The polarized approach will definitely stick out your brand recall, although it may put some readers off. But that is your decision. Either way, the number one rule is ‘ the conversation must be engaging- something that inspires anticipation and action’. Bottomline, the more your business name pops up on Facebook, the wider you fan base can span.
4. Accept All Possible Fans-This is a given-why would you turn any potential clients or customers away? Be sure to approve all requests quickly and efficiently.
5. Hold Contests-People love contests. Invite all your friends and encourage them to invite their friends to participate in your contest on the Facebook Fan Page -the more, the better. Use the third-party Facebook applications to hold and manage your contests (More on that in our next Update)

The best strategies for marketing with Facebook are the “soft sell” strategies. You can advertise your product, but shouting to the world that your product or service is the best on the market will not make your product stand out from any other product.

People by from People. People buy because of recommendations. Advertisements can only do that much.

Engaging with people and becoming a Facebook entity that people enjoy conversing with and listening to will promote your product or service much more effectively via Facebook Marketing.

Maverick Mav (www.maverickmav.com.au) is a social media & internet marketing and web development company based in Australia. You can contact us for Social Media Marketing, SEO, Google Marketing, Web and ecommerce solutions by calling 1300 618 418 or email: sales@maverickmav.com.au

The support that Maverick Mav plans to provide to the Import Export Show will increase the show’s ability to reach further into markets that have yet to hear about the exhibition and seminars. The plan is to build and spread awareness and excitement about the Import Export Show through the social media markets, spanning thousands of new companies and potential “fans”; helping to introduce the advantages that Import Export Show’s magnificent exhibitions and shows present to the companies that could benefit from them. Best of all, Import Export Show opens the doors to importing and exporting companies for free.

The upcoming exhibition that Import Export Show is planning to present will take place in the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, promising two full days where exhibitors and expert speakers alike will be presenting their informational business solutions geared toward helping companies in the import/export sector expand and improve their business. Through their exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and networking, everyone that makes an appearance is sure to walk out with a wealth of new knowledge and information.

One of the featured speakers at the show will be Chief Social Networker, Akash Malik, of social media agency Maverick Mav, who will share his knowledge on “Using Social and Internet Marketing for Entering Overseas Marketing’. He will be focusing on educating attendees on Facebook for business marketing, Twitter marketing, and other forms of social media marketing for business. Join Akash Malik to learn the concepts that will not only get your business noticed more, but also push it into the mainstream with competitors that are already marketing their business with Facebook and other social media marketing tools.

Companies that are new to importing or exporting or planning entering new overseas markets will benefit as well, as there is a complete program focused on getting started, obtaining the proper support and grants, freight and logistics, and compliance and sourcing. Established business can listen to the experts who present topics such as access capital, costing more accurately, managing risks, entering new markets overseas and negotiating contracts. In addition, all companies, whether new or established, will realise advantages from Akash Malik’s topics that outline using Facebook for marketing as well as other social media marketing strategies for businesses.

If you have an international business that you would like to see grow to new levels, be sure to attend the Import Export Show on 1-2 September to get in on the invaluable information, case studies, networking, advice, and social media marketing tips.

The services offered by Maverick Mav include across the spectrum e-marketing services for corporate clients and small businesses. The staff can assist customers in finding the right package with a simple phone call consultation. Some of the more savvy businesses are already participating in social media campaigns, which mean that to remain competitive today a business must include this concept in their overall marketing strategy. Maverick Mav offers the services to all businesses of all sizes.

Based in Sydney, MaverickMav is a social media & internet marketing and web development company.

You can even display pictures and videos of your shop or office so customers feel up close and personal, thereby have more confidence in your offerings.Your customers can get interactive directions to your office, your business hours and service details. You can also add Special Offer Coupons. You can even upload Coupons through your local business listing dashboard to attract more customers

HIGHER Google Search Engine Ranking!

Listing your Business in Google Places is the first step towards higher visibility and local listing search engine ranking. Get great insights through your Google places dashboard to help make strategic decisions for your online marketing. Use the power of Google’s data to learn where your customers come from and what they search for to find you. Your local listing is also displayed on relevant Google advertising results. You can’t possibly be missed!

NEW! – Your local listing is also displayed on relevant Google advertising results.

Let Maverick Mav help you!

We can help setup your Local Business Listing and also get higher search engine rankings.

Contact us for a Free Consultation today! Or Tell A Friend

Akash Malik