HiOctaneSolutions.com

How to Setup a Google Place Page for your Business in Toledo, OH

hioctanesolutions — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:25:35 +0000

Thanks Vanessa, Joel and Jack for sharing this video on how to get found on Google Places.

After watching this hour long video, you should have a better understanding on how to get a Google Place page setup. After all, Google page listings are free. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to get more traffic for local searches in the Toledo, Ohio area.

Video Contents:

0:45 - What is Google Places for business?
1:31 - How a user sees business information on Google
9:22 - Adding your business information
13: 35 – How any user can help us keep places information up to date
17:58 - Top Contributor Jack joins the Hangout! (Some tech issues here.)
22:46 - Joel and Jack answer your questions for the rest of the hour, including: ranking in search results; marking a business as closed; ‘at a glance’ terms; best practices for descriptions and service area businesses; and more!

Enjoy the video.

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch

The Facebook Posting Sin: Overposting

hioctanesolutions — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:18:27 +0000

Let’s focus on the keyword “building relationships” when discussing Facebook posts. Meeting people online on social media sites such as Facebook should be viewed the same way as if you’re meeting someone new at a local coffee shop. Most people get to know the other person at their own pace. After time and when trust is earned, they will begin to share and promote their ideas and or products.

The Online Social Butterfly

Have you ever met someone that loves to talk endlessly (AKA: social butterfly)? Some of these individuals have attention deficit tendencies and can talk about anything forever and ever. Some other individuals are just conceited. These type of individuals can be annoying. When a business posts 2-5 messages every day on Facebook, they are doing the same thing! They’re being that salesperson that annoys everyone. After time, everyone will ignore that business! Don’t be that business that pushes away Facebook fans.

What a Facebook “Like” Really Means to Your Business

Getting a Facebook “Like” is an extremely powerful achievement. When your Facebook page gets “Liked” it opens the door for your business to reach out to your customers at any time you choose. However, it can be your worst enemy if you overwhelm your customers with too much content and overly-promotional material.

As an example, let’s say a customer named Jana Smith likes our Facebook Page for Hi-Octane Solutions. Every post that we put on our Facebook page will also be seen on Jana’s news feed. In addition, all of her friends on her personal page can see the posting. Let’s say Jana has 300 friends. Theoretically, that means 300 people would see our post on her page. Since all of our postings are radical and fantastic, Jana’s friends would “Like” our post as well. Next, our posting would appear on Jana’s friends pages. Then, Jana’s friends of friends would see the post too. Wheewww. Hopefully you can follow that?

This is why social media is so powerful. However, how would Jana and her friends feel if we posted 2-3 messages daily about our website design discounts? We would annoy Jana to the point where she would either ignore our posts or “Unlike” our Facebook page. If Jana were to “Unlike” our page, we would lose that opportunity to reach out to hundreds of people on Facebook. That is why it is important to remember that your Facebook followers are human and do not tolerate salesy messages.

Facebook Posting: How Much is Too Much

The staff at Hi Octane Solutions have been using Facebook since its launch in 2004 and have seen many competitors, potential clients and professionals fail at building relationships with their customers on Facebook. The common reason why their Facebook Marketing strategies fail is because of over-posting and content that did not engage their followers.

Source: MarketingCharts.com: Overposting Drives Away Facebook Fans

You’re probably asking the question; how much is too much? The direct answer is it depends on the type of business (as a rule of thumb, limit your Facebook posts to one to three every week). For example, a restaurant in Toledo, Ohio should limit promotional postings to one or two times each week. If you want to be more aggressive with your Facebook postings, avoid promotional material. Promote local events and brainstorm ways to incorporate these events with your place of business.

Here is an example of a post on Facebook for a restaurant in Monroe, Michigan. We made a posting about the opening day for the Detroit Tigers. We wrote, “Looking forward to the Tigers opening day? Watching the game and enjoying good food and drinks with our closest Tigers fans. Remember, parking, hot dogs and peanuts are free”. This message was posted a few days before the event.

Tragically, other companies would take a completely different approach. They might write something like this. “ Watch the Tigers game at (Name here) and enjoy hot dogs for $3.00 and beer for $1.50. Special only lasts on the Tigers opening day”. This company posted this message daily five days in a row.

Which approach do you think received more user engagement? Hopefully you said the first approach. The second approach would receive little or no user engagement. It may even turn off Facebook followers completely.

As I digress from the topic of this article, treat your Facebook postings as if you are walking up to each one your customers face to face. Would you just ramble on and on about a sale or actually try to get to know the customer?

Using the restaurant again as an example, ask them if they are a Tigers fan and invite them to come in to spend more time with them. Next, depending on the type of responses you receive, talk about the specials you offer. However, that should be after you have some type of engagement with the customer.

Sorry if this sounds redundant, but I want to make sure my point is clear. Over posting on Facebook is like throwing twenty sheets of promotional brochures in your customer’s face right after you had a heartfelt handshake. This does not sound like a friendly business owner does it?

No one wants to be subjected to this. In addition, Facebook followers can simply “Unlike” a business page to avoid this awkward and annoying encounter. It is ok to be a “social butterfly” online. However, don’t be that social butterfly that everyone wants to shoot down.

If you want to focus more on promotional advertising on Facebook, use Facebook Ads for that. Growing your list of Facebook followers can be challenging, however give it time and a little trial and error. There are no direct answers on how many Facebook posts are too much. However, the answer will be clear after time. When users are “Liking” and commenting on your Facebook posts, you are headed in the right direction. When you stop seeing user engagement and a reduction in “Likes” you know you not using the right approach.

We would like to hear from you! List your experiences on Facebook. What have you discovered to be too much Facebook posting? How did you know you crossed the line with your Facebook followers?

Hi Octane Solutions is an experienced website design and social media marketing firm in Toledo, Ohio.

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch

Twitter Ads Available to Toledo Small Businesses

hioctanesolutions — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:02:52 +0000

Twitter Ads Are Finally Available to Toledo Area Small Businesses

That’s right! Twitter ads are finally available to small businesses! Before, only large corporations were able to advertise on Twitter. However, as we close upon March of 2012, thanks to American Express, small businesses can now tread the waters of Twitter advertising.

Twitter has made an agreement with American Express to allow the small business industry advertise on Twitter. The only catch is that advertisers need to be American Express card members and merchants based in the U.S. In addition, American Express will give you $100 in free Twitter advertising for the first 10,000 businesses that sign-up!

Why Twitter Advertising is Important to your Small Business in Toledo?

The simple answer is to gain more followers for your Twitter account and to extend the reach of your Twitter campaign. However, it is up to you as an advertiser to build relationships with your new customers. Let’s make this even more simple; adding followers on Twitter will not get you more sales leads. Getting relevant followers for your Twitter page is step one. However, the quality of the interactions you have with your followers is the most important part of your Twitter advertising strategy. Twitter does not allow much room to write your messages, so make them count!

Hi Octane Solutions is an experienced Social Media Marketing Company helping Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan small businesses understand the what, why and how of social media in 2012.

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch

How to Create a Like-able Facebook Fan Page

hioctanesolutions — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:01:48 +0000

How to Create a Facebook Page for your Business

In case you were stuck in a well for a long period of time, Facebook is the hottest thing to hit the world since the invention of jean shorts. Unlike jean shorts, Facebook is a social trend that is here to stay and Facebook pages look good on anyone. In case you don’t believe me, picture a 50 year old guy wearing jean shorts with a t-shirt that reads "My ex-wives thought I looked sexy". It seems everyone has a Facebook page in 2012, and if you were to admit to a group of friends that you do not have a Facebook page, you would get many raised eyebrows.

At this point, we are going to assume you understand the power of Facebook as a tool to build awareness for products or services. At this point, you also need to understand that an individual Facebook page is different than a business page on Facebook. If you are confused of whether you have an individual account or business account remember this; individual accounts allow you to add people as friends and business accounts only allow people to "Like" your Facebook page.

Facebook Business Page Personal Facebook Page

Step 1. Navigate to Facebook.com . Before you login, make sure your screen looks similar to this.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the hyperlink: Create a Page.

Step 3: Select the type of account you would like to create on Facebook.

Here, you will choose whether you are a local business or place, a company, organization, nonprofit, institution or band. You have to pick one of the categories to proceed to create a Facebook business page.

Step 4: Complete the Form to Become "The Facebook Administrator"

The screen that follows will ask you to fill out a form if you do not already have a Facebook account. If you already have a personal Facebook account, Facebook allows you to log in using the same login credentials as your personal account. Facebook will allow you to become the administrator of the business page you are creating. As an administrator, you are allowed to manage the content on the Facebook page. However, you cannot add people as friends as an administrator.

It is also worthwhile to note that Facebook administrators can add people from their friends list as administrators. Keep in mind that anyone that is added as an administrator can alter your Facebook business page. If you accidentally add a user as an administrator on your account, you might end up with indecent pictures on your Facebook news feed.

Next, simply click on the "Sign Up Now" button and you have the basics of your Facebook page set up. Your Facebook business page should look like this:

Now, the fun can really begin. Upload your dazzling business logos and or banners. Update your business information such as your contact and location information. Start writing some content that will engage viewers to like your page. Do not focus solely on how many likes you have. Concentrate more on writing good content that makes your viewers think. The likes will eventually come. In addition, stay tuned for our article all about Social Media Page Optimization.

Creating a Facebook page for your business is crucial to achieve success. Hi Octane Solutions offers customized Facebook page designs that will make your Facebook business page stand out from the rest of the crowd.

If you are comfortable wearing jean shorts, I wish you all the luck. However, your competition is already thinking outside the box and is actively engaging with their customers like never before. Facebook is a marketing trend that is never going to fade.

*Hi Octane Solutions is not associated with any jean shorts company. Are you a jean shorts fan? Like them on Facebook.

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch

Help, Someone Hacked My Facebook Account

hioctanesolutions — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:32:57 +0000

It’s Facebook’s FAULT — NOT mine!

The other day one of my friends on Facebook posted; "…Somehow my Facebook account got hacked and one of my friends has been putting bad things on here about me!!! Not sure how it happened, but I am totally disgusted!!!!!! It’s making me want to cancel my whole facebook account."

Now come on…is it really the fault of the Facebook developers that this happened? They have tools in place to keep this from happening, but they honestly can only do so much. It’s kind of like the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink."

There will always be bad people out there living very sad lives just waiting to take advantage of a situation. In the case above, Facebook isn’t the problem. It’s merely the conduit or transport device just as email, websites or the U.S Postal service could be. The simple fact of the matter is that the vast majority of fault rests on the user. You are your own guard at the gate!

How do these "unauthorized" access issues happen? Well, it seems that even after all this time and all the warnings, users are still not taking the security of their Facebook account seriously. Every day, users are leaving gaping holes in their personal online security and wide open access to their personal information.

You put yourself at serious risk if you do any of the following:

continually use simple passwords
neglect to rotate your passwords every 30 days (at a minimum)
allow internet browsers to save passwords
leave desktop/laptop unlocked when walking away
leave WiFi networks unprotected
use simple unlock instead of a password for Smartphones/tablets
leave Smartphones/tablets unattended with apps still running such as email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
leave Bluetooth discovery enabled
you are completely and utterly naive!

Continually use Simple Passwords

Passwords should, at a minimum contain:

Upper and lower case letters
Numbers. Avoid using a password that follows logical order like your birthday, child’s birthday, and your anniversary.
Mix in some symbols (such as @%^&*) and it should not contain any repeating sequence of number or letters. An example of an extremely strong password is w8e#QcRg<$wx9.

If you feel that you can’t come up with a good password on your own, there are resources online that can help you. Do an online search for "Password Generator" and you will find plenty of options to choose from. Personally, I use a little tool called RoboForm. They offer a multitude of solutions, even for your mobile device.

Neglect to Rotate your Passwords (at least) Every 30 Days

This is just a good practice in general. DO NOT write your password on a sticky note and paste it on your computer screen, on a notepad or keep in your desk drawer. Those are the first places even an idiot will look. Not to mention, it’s probably the same password you are using for multiple sites.

Allow Browsers to Save Passwords

This has to be one of biggest ways Facebook accounts are compromised. Yes, I agree that it’s convenient, but come on! Doing this is like leaving your house with the doors and windows wide open. Anyone stopping by your keyboard now has access to all the websites you use that require a login. Not to mention that, if you have allowed your browser to capture your credit card and/or bank account information for shopping convenience, the next keyboard visitor now has access to everything. Even worse, they now have the ability to completely assume your identity and change it all; from site logins to email passwords.

Seriously, if you have allowed your browsers to auto fill information and site logins, turn it off now! You never know when someone might gain access to your computer. Given the right circumstances and opportunity, even close family members and friends may make poor choices.

Make sure institutions and public access locations have disabled the option to allow browsers to save passwords!

Leave Desktop/Laptop Unlocked when Walking Away

This goes hand-in-hand with the previous. Enable a password and get in the habit of locking your terminal when you walk away. Large corporations have nightmares about this security problem. Imagine it’s lunch time and you get up from your desk to grab your brown bag from the fridge. While you’re sitting in the lunch room with a bunch of other staff members reading the latest edition of Glamour Magazine on your tablet, Jimmy sits down at your desk. Maybe he is next in line for your job or you have inadvertently done something to displease him.While you’re sitting there reading the latest celebrity gossip and planning some wardrobe updates, Jimmy is sending an email on your behalf to the corporate address book and making a career ending post to the corporate Facebook page.

Leave WiFi Networks Unprotected

There are more wireless networks out there than ever due to laptops and IPhones. Go ahead, drive around your neighborhood with your laptop or mobile device. Now, stop alongside the curb or in a parking lot and try to connect to the internet via WiFi. You’ll probably be surprised how many show up and even more surprising is to see how many let you in. If one of those is your network and it’s unprotected, attackers have easy access to your computer and files.

Recently, I stopped at a business that had just opened. I sat down at a table and pulled out my laptop to do a little work while I waited for my order to be delivered. When I went to connect to their wireless network, I was stunned to realize that there was no password required. In fact, it asked me to setup a network! Basically, the unit was simply plugged in and left alone. No one had set up their wireless network, which ran their juke box, cash registers and office computers. This is making it far too easy for hackers to gain private information about all of their customers.

Now I do have to admit, from my investigation, that I was surprised to discover that this has actually gotten much better. Even though there are more WiFi networks than ever, the cable companies are doing a good job of making sure networks are locked down. For the most part, all of them have some sort of default password already set up; but, it’s still better to be safe than sorry!

When you get your internet setup, ask the technician to show you how to go in and set your own password for your network. If you bought a router on your own and don’t have a clue on how to set it up, do yourself a favor and either give us a call or contact the manufacturer to help you set it up.

Use Simple Unlock Instead of a Password for Smartphone/Tablet Devices

I’m betting most of you out there have one touch screen device that uses the simple "slide to unlock" feature to access your device. Trust me when I say that anyone, even toddlers, know how to unlock these. These mobile devices often contain the same amount of personal information as your desktop or laptop computer. Many times, even more. Especially if you are using some type of electronic wallet to purchase products or apps.

Save yourself a lot of trouble now and put in some type of password to unlock your device

Leave Mobile Devices Unattended with Applications Still Running

This is not only a big problem, it is also annoying. Many of these devices use an Operating System that either:

1) don’t seem to understand that when I "CLOSE/EXIT" an application, that I want it to STOP; or

2) need the application to continue running so that it can collect data about you such as where you are. This functionality or lack-there-of, not only opens you up to attackers, but it can significantly reduce the life of your battery.

Since I’ve been doing a lot of betting throughout this article, here is one more. I bet the vast majority of you that have Smartphones and Tablets don’t know how to go in and shut them down or even see what applications are running.

Similar to the scenario above about Jimmy, all you have to do is get up from your desk for a moment to pick up a paper from the printer or go to the restroom. Later, you will discover why there is a post on your Facebook account that says, "I just took a poop."

If you don’t lock your device and walk away, you’re just asking for trouble.

Leaving Bluetooth Discovery Enabled

Bluetooth is a "short" range, 2-way wireless transmission service. Almost all Smartphones and Tablets have it pre-installed and it’s a simple add-on for most desktop or laptop computers. Bluetooth is most often used to wirelessly connect computers and mobile devices to printers, WiFi signals, MP3 players, headsets, headphones and other mobile devices.

Bluetooth has been around since 1994 and is currently on Version 4.0 which adds a ton of functionality and decreased power consumption. Yes, this is an almost twenty year old technology, but most people still don’t really understand it. If you are one of those that don’t "get it" , let me make this as simple as I can. It’s an invisible cord/cable. That all, it’s just that simple.

Let’s take into consideration the two key concepts from above: 2-way transmission & invisible cord.

Now, let me state that in a longer more specific statement: Bluetooth allows for 2-way communication (send & receive) between 2 or more devices over a distance of up to 100 meters as if an invisible cord/cable were connecting them.

So now, finally to my point. If you have Bluetooth enabled and it is set to "Always Visible", you have essentially granted hackers easy access to your device and the data stored within from as far away as a football field.

Not sure if yours is set to on? Simply look in the upper right hand corner of your mobile device (lower right hand corner for a PC or Laptop) or near the other icons such as batter/power and signal. Another prime indicator might be that pretty flashing blue light that you like so much.

You are Completely and Utterly Naive!

Do NOT take everything for granted. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If it seems a little odd, go with your gut instinct and DON’T do it.

Don’t blindly click a link just because your bestie sent it to you. Some hyperlinks can be used to allow others to hack your Facebook account. If you receive an email about your personal finances (i.e. your bank, paypal, IRS) or a notification that an attempt to deliver a package was made or you have won a prize and the message includes some type of link; 1^st) DO NOT CLICK ANYTHING.

Stop and think for a minute. If it’s from the IRS, the link would end in irs.gov. If it is from PayPal, it would be Paypal.com. If it is from your bank, it would be Bankofamerica.com. If you have any doubts, go to your browser and do a Google search for the main page.

Now go back to your email (DON’T CLICK ANYTHING) and just hover your mouse over the link. A little pop-up either next to your cursor or in the lower left of your screen will show where the link is going to take you. Here, give it a try on the samples below

CONGRATULATIONS – You have been selected as the winner from the sweepstakes you entered!! You have won one of 3 exiting prizes and may select your choice NOW! Click >HERE< to visit the Sweepstakes page and select your gift!

Over the past couple of months, we at Big Bank have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of attacks on our customer account. In order to prevent this from happening to you, we encourage you to click the link below and update your account access security information. Once you have done so, we suggest that you keep this link handy and change this information every 30 days for your personal safety. Thank you for helping to put a stop to unauthorized account access!

http://www.BigBank.com/security_update

The same applies to links posted on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Don’t be fooled by the URL shorteners like bit.ly, FB.me, find.ly, goo.gl and ow.ly. Most of the time, hovering over the link will show the real web address.

For the most part, the links themselves are safe, but it’s the content on the page or what they want you to do once you get to the page that is the problem.

My example above, is the basic format of an email sent by someone trying to gain access to accounts. If it were "real", the link would probably take you to a page that the hacker has tried really hard to make look "official". Then, the page would ask you for personal information like your account number, social security number, drivers license, credit card/debit card numbers, your pin codes, your online account login and password.

Once you click "submit" or "send", you have given away almost everything needed to make your life financially difficult for a very long time. All that money that you worked hard to obtain could be gone in a matter of minutes!

Here is a rule of thumb I often use, if there is any doubt….DON’T!

Posted by: Jeff Wallace

Think Facebook Recruiting is Not Real? Think again!

hioctanesolutions — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:04:37 +0000

Facebook Recruiting- A Win-Win Situation For Ohio & Michigan Job Seekers and Employers

With the employment rate hovering around 8.5 percent in Ohio and 9.3% in Michigan, chances are you or someone you know is unemployed. Facebook can be so much fun and time always seems to fly by, especially if you have no job. You can stalk old friends, harass friends and family (not recommended) and scream in anger when your 10 year old brother beats you in Words with Friends 522 to 43. However, did you know that your Facebook page and online social activity may help you get your next job. That’s right. Some of the conversations you have with other professionals on Facebook could be your job interview! Before you say "OMG", read on to learn how to make sure you are following the Facebook Recruiting rules.

The Facebook Recruiting Rules for Job Seekers in Ohio & Michigan

Rule #1. Never post strange, sexual or offensive pictures on Facebook. That includes drunken fairy pictures, even if it is Halloween.

If job recruiting companies in Toledo or Michigan are searching for big time talent on Facebook, do you think they would hire this guy? Not likely. Make sure you’re presenting your personality and talent on Facebook, but make sure your page is professional looking!

Rule #2. Protect Yourself! Don’t let your friends ruin your reputation.

Even if your Facebook page is professional, make sure you are not allowing your friends to post rude and offensive comments. That can destroy your chances of getting a job from Facebook recruiters.

Rule #3: Facebook is a great networking tool for job seekers and job recruiters.

If there is a company or job recruiter that is sparking your interest, try to get to know them. Connect with them on LinkedIn and if you feel comfortable enough, add them as a friend on Facebook. Don’t be too pushy, share unique and useful information with them and show them that you have the skills necessary to succeed at the position you are seeking.

Rule #4. Be active on Facebook.

Answer questions and comment on posts. Don’t let Facebook recruiters forget how valuable you really are!

Facebook Recruiting Rules for Job Recruiters in Ohio & Michigan:

Rule #1: Sit back and observe.

As you network with potential hires for your clients, monitor the Facebook activity of the job seeker. Is this person hire-worthy?

Rule #2: Design creative and clean Facebook pages.

Make it easy for job seekers to find the information they are looking for in regards to jobs and other information.

Rule #3: Share unique and useful information.

Depending on how job seekers respond to your posts, the interaction at this point is important to determine the skills, work ethics and personality of the individual.

Rule #4: Listen to job seekers and respond.

Don’t just post comments on Facebook, let job seekers do the talking.

Rule #5: Create polls, quizzes and contests.

This will get your job seekers engaged. Facebook recruiters can learn a lot from these interactions.

According to HireRabbit.com, 48% of job seekers use social media job hunting. If you are getting frustrated in your job search, make sure your Facebook page represents you well. You might be in the spotlight and not even know it. Take advantage of Facebook for job recruiting in the year 2012. With a little time and effort on your part, you will eventually find success!

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch