Does My Organization Need a Blog?

By now, any credible organization realizes that they need a central website.  Most organizations know what a blog is – many have considered one and even set one up. . . but, does your organization really need a blog?

Short Answer: YES

Medium Answer: YES, but only if you can keep up with it.

Long Answer: Read below!

The Wiki definition of a blog is as follows:

A blog (a blend of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

The social networking craze has helped blogs become increasingly more popular for individuals and businesses alike.  Much like other social media outlets, a blog can offer many benefits – but is only effective if created and maintained properly.

Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits of maintaining a blog:

• Blogs provide another instance of your organization online.
• Blogs provide a casual and non-intrusive way to connect with your customers.
• Blogs are indexed by search engines.
• Blogs can deliver important and useful information to your stakeholders.
• Blogs can be linked to your other social media for cross-linking & increased exposure.
• Blogs can be used to demonstrate expertise in your field.
• You are reading a blog right now, so they must work, right?

It’s true that a blog can offer these benefits and more.  But to be effective, you should make note of the following:

• If you cannot keep up with a blog (1-2 updates/month minimum) – do not create a blog.
• A blog is PART of your online marketing strategy – not 100% of your online marketing strategy.
• DO NOT use a blog to push products/services in an aggressive manner.
• DO use a blog to inform your stakeholders with useful information.
• Use a blog as a suppliment to your online strategy, link to other instances of your organization on the web.
• HINT:  www.ezinearticles.com is a great website to brainstorm for new blog ideas.

If you only remember one thing from this article, please remember to not trouble yourself with setting up a blog unless you can keep it up to date.  Shoot me an email if you are looking for more tips/tricks.  We’re happy to help.

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com

How Do I Register a Domain Name?

Whether you have the next great business idea or just a ‘gleam of the eye’ idea, it’s not a bad idea to register a domain name so that your intellectual property is protected. 

So, just how do you register MyNextGreatBusinessIdea.com (or the domain of your choosing)?

The way that this process works is that you purchase a domain (or domains) from a domain registrar.  There are hundreds of reputable domain registrars and thousands (if not tens of thousands) of domain resellers in the market today.  However, AI Software endorses GoDaddy as the best option for domain registration, and this blog will inform you on how to secure the domain of your choice through this service.

First, you need to think of the domain name!

OK, I can’t help you with this, however, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably already thought of the domain.  Remember, the Internet grows exponentially every day, so you’re going to need to check to see if your desired domain is available first.

OK, how do I check availability?

To check availability of a domain, visit www.godaddy.com.  You will see (in the page) the image shown below:

Type in your desired domain, choose the extension (such as:  .com, .info, .net, etc.) and click ‘GO’.

BUT MY DOMAIN IS NOT AVAILABLE!

Unfortunately, many .com domains are not available, so, you may need to pick a variation.  Before abandoning a .com, check on some variations.  If you run into trouble, check out our blog article on how to pick a domain name – HERE.

Once you’ve found a domain name that you are comfortable with, click ‘Add’ and continue through the checkout procedure and you have secured the domain name for the amount of time that you choose during checkout.

If you’re uncomfortable going through this process, AI Software can help you (as well as manage the domain going forward).  Don’t worry, if you ever want to transfer it to a personal or business account, we can help with that also!

Send me an email if you need help or would like more information!

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com

Phone Home! – Accounting for Mobile Web Browsers

My son recently complained that he had to wait until his 12th birthday to get a mobile phone. 

My response: I had to wait until cell phones were invented!

Anyone in my age group (which will become painfully obvious soon) remembers the real ‘movers and shakers’ of the 1990s had the ‘bag phone’ that was carried in an over-the-shoulder bag that contained a gigantic phone and an even more gigantic battery (that held 2 hours of talk time at $4.99/minute).

 Looking back,the following boggles my mind:

• The first time I viewed the Internet was in ‘96. 
• That same year, I sent my first email.
• I was required to use the Internet for college first in 1998.
• I got my first cell phone in 2000 – a full 2 years after graduating college.
• I did not have Internet access at home until 2002.

That doesn’t seem all that long ago – particularly when you take a step back to evaluate where Internet and cellular technology are today and how it is constantly evolving.

Every day, more and more people around the world are utilizing their mobile device as an Internet browser.  Think of all the people utilizing an iPhone/iPad, Android, Blackberry and/or Palm to access the Internet.  Because of this, you should be thinking of the following as you continue working on your web strategy:

• Is my website using Flash? – Flash is not supported by iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.
• Does my site have a mobile interface?
• Does my site need a mobile interface?
• Does my site recognize what browser (mobile vs. conventional) is being used to view the site and act accordingly?

These are all things that you should be thinking of as adoption of mobile web browsing becomes more popular and mainstream.  Our team at AI Software can build applications that will recognize these technologies and display your web site appropriately. 

It’s part of the the next generation of web browsing – and we would like you to be on board!

Send me an email if you need help or would like more information!

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com

32 Ways To Use Facebook for Your Business

Got questions about successfully using Facebook to promote your business and/or organization? 

Here are 32 tips and guidelines to follow that will help you be successful in this venture.

Manage your profile

1. Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.
2. Establish a business account if you don’t already have one.
3. Stay out of trouble by reading the Facebook rules regarding business accounts.
4. Install appropriate applications to integrate feeds from your blog and other social media accounts into your Facebook profile. (Although you should be careful before integrating your Twitter feed into your Faceboook profile, as a stream of tweets can seem overwhelming to your contacts.)
5. Keep any personal parts of your profile private through Settings.
6. Create friends lists such as “Work,” “Family” and “Limited Profile” for finer-grained control over your profile privacy.
7. Post a professional or business casual photos of yourself to reinforce your brand.
8. Limit business contacts’ access to personal photos.
9. Post your newsletter subscription information and archives somewhere in your profile.
   
   Connect and share with others
   
   
10. Obtain a Facebook vanity URL so that people can find you easily.
11. Add your Facebok URL to your email signature and any marketing collateral (business cards, etc.) so prospects can learn more about you.
12. Post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with ABC Company on web site redesign.”
13. Share useful articles and links to presentation and valuable resources that interest customers and prospects on your wall, to establish credibility.
14. Combine Facebook with other social media tools like Twitter. For example, when someone asks question on Twitter, you can respond in detail in a blog post and link to it from Facebook.
15. Before traveling, check contacts locations so you can meet with those in the city where you’re heading.
16. Research prospects before meeting or contacting them.
17. Upload your contacts from your email client to find more connections.
18. Use Find Friends for suggestions of other people you may know to expand your network even further.
19. Look for mutual contacts on your contacts’ friends lists.
20. Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.
21. Market your products by posting discounts and package deals.
22. Share survey or research data to gain credibility.
23. Use Facebook Connect to add social networking features to your web site.
24. Suggest Friends to clients and colleagues — by helping them, you establish trust.
25. Buy Facebook ads to target your exact audience.
26. Read up on Facebook Beacon to see if it might be useful for you.
    
    Use Network, Group and Fan Pages
    
    
27. Start a group or fan page for product, brand or business. Unless you or your business is already a household name, a group is usually the better choice.
28. Add basic information to the group or fan page such as links to company site, newsletter subscription information and newsletter archives.
29. Post upcoming events including webinars, conferences and other programs where you or someone from your company will be present.
30. Update your group or fan page on a regular basis with helpful information and answers to questions.
31. Join network, industry and alumni groups related to your business.
32. Use search to find groups and fan pages related to your business by industry, location and career.

Send me an email if you need help or would like more information!

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com