In local websites and websites at large, the integration of social media into the website creates a challenge.  The way you can integrate is constantly changing so it is important to stay up to date.

I came across a great post at Social Media Examiner.  They share 10 Ways to Integrate Facebook into Your Website.   At first, I thought ten ways was a little overboard, but then I read through the entire list.  I was at the bottom of the list of ten before I came across a method I hadn’t used in a website.  What a surprise!  This journey reinforced my view that there are so many ways to include social media in your website – sometimes TOO many ways.

For a local website, let’s consider WHY you want Facebook on your website.  First and foremost, you want it to create and grow relationships with current and future customers.  Having a LIKE button on your website gives your website readers a way to link into your Facebook page.  By LIKING you from your website, they’re saying they’d like to hear more.  If you are posting and responding on your FB page, you’ll be solidifying your customer relationships.

Another reason to have Facebook on your website is to continue the conversation.  There are different strokes for different folks – even with social media.  Some folks like to get a glimpse of what’s going on with you and your company all in one place.  By having your Facebook conversations on your blog, you can draw your website customers into the conversation.

Finally, one of the biggest values of Facebook is the viral marketing aspect.  By placing a SEND button on your website pages, you encourage the website reader to share what they’ve seen with other friends.  Put up some great local content on your website and it may go viral.  Even a little viral goes a long way in drawing more visitors to your website and even your storefront.

While you can include Facebook in at least 10 different ways into your website, consider WHY you want to use each method and then apply it (or have your webmaster do it for you).   Either way, get your Facebook page and your website friendly with each other to create and build better relationships with your current and future customers.

You want your blog to go out to everybody and everyone. Without the RSS feed, your website may just be sitting there. Make sure it is work for you and sharing your great content far and wide.

Tagging friends in photos can be a great way to share photos, but how can use it in your business. Facebook Fanpages or business pages don’t permit you tag, but you CAN tag your personal friends if you access your page as an administrator. Enjoy the step by step below. Don’t forget to share your ideas for tagging in your Facebook fanpage in the comments below . . .

Another great “HOW TO” lesson today.  Sometimes you just need a quick way for customers to give to your non-profit or to support your free work.  Paypal offers a quick resource to enable online credit card transactions without a lot of fuss.  This tutorial assumes you already have a PAYPAL account.  If you don’t, click here for PAYPAL and get your account started.

Sitemaps are important to help search engines know where to roam on your website. While there are lots of ways to generate the sitemap, I’d like to show you how to move it to your website. I’ve also included adding your site map to Google’s Webmaster Tools. By the way, the file for your site map is usually called:

sitemap.xml

If you were able to make this work for you, enter your website in the comments below to let everyone know it worked!

Don’t be caught being the ONLY person who can edit your Facebook Fanpage. Whether you’re on vacation, sick with the flu, or just need your assistant to make directed changes, at some point, you will need another administrator for your page. Take a look and see the step by step . . . When you’re done, be sure to leave a comment sharing why YOU need another administrator on your Facebook Business page.

After the basics of inserting an image, explore a little more information to help you format your image and create a better graphic experience on your blog.

While blogging is essential sharing your thoughts in words with the world, pictures inserted appropriately can enhance and brighten even the dullest blog.  And sometimes a good cartoon gets your point across best.  Learn the step by steps for inserting your first image into your blog. Part 2 will provide a few tricks to make your image shine even more.

It’s nearly the end of November and we’re all putting in the final push to complete our annual sales goals.  But have you started thinking about the coming new year?  Lots has changed dramatically in the online marketing arena in 2010.  Social media went from being a buzz word your savvy techy friends were tossing around to the tool driving your entire marketing plan.  Gone are the days when your business, local or global, could ignore the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

As the year comes to a close, be sure to take stock of your marketing dollars.  What has worked successfully for you in marketing online this year?  What has produced the most measurable results? (you did measure your results right?)  Is there a better way to use social media tools such Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to create a more effective and measurable result?  If you’re doing your social media marketing inhouse, is it working well for you?  Have you considered hiring someone to do your social media marketing for you?  If you have hired outside help, do you need to make any adjustments for the new year?

If you didn’t measure your marketing this past year, start a strategic marketing plan with measurable goals.

What will you be doing to improve your profitability in 2011.  Let me know in the comment area below

Thanksgiving here in the United States is a day set aside to remember to be thankful. Thankfulness should be a daily thought process, but I like the fact that we celebrate being thankful even if it is just once a year. Many of us spend the day roasting a turkey, watching football (and that’s American football for all you folks who call soccer football, too), and hanging out with friends and family.  Oh, and don’t forget the fabled pumpkin pie! (which I just remembered to get out of the freezer – yikes!).  Now all this thankful activity reminds me of what I am thankful about online.

1.  Recipes for Anything Imaginable

Used to be you had to call your mom to remember what temperature to cook the turkey.  Now you can go online.  I used www.butterball.com since I bought one of their turkeys.  I still called my mom, but we could talk about other things instead of turkey.

My neighbor brought corn pudding to our neighborhood gathering.  It was delicious.  Rather than trying to catch up with her for the recipe, I found a great selection of recipes at www.myrecipes.com Turned out there was a recipe for corn pudding in this month’s issue of Southern Living Magazine, but I haven’t had time to read through it yet.

2.  Sending Thanksgiving Greetings to More People

After I moved away from home and started my own family, we always call home on Thanksgiving to remind everyone why we were thankful for them.  It is great to talk with siblings, parents and grandparents – even if they were far away.  Today, we can connect with so many more people through email, facebook, twitter, and even this blog.  I am thankful to you for reading this today.

3.  Black Friday Preview

While the TV ads are blaring how early you must arrive to get the best deals on Black Friday, you can do most of your cost cutting research online.   You can find all the major department store flyers at www.blackfriday2010.com.  And even sychronize your watch!

Some online merchants are taking advantage of the anticipation and starting a week early.  Amazon started their Black Friday specials the previous Monday (so would that be light grey Monday?).  It’s nice to get a jump on the deals.

Enjoy your day of being thankful!

Comment below on ways you are online thankful