– Robert Grayson, YouStandUp.com(EDY)

Thanks to Megan Walker of Market Savvy and to Amy Bent of Mirador Creative for emailing me the idea for this one!

Megan’s Market Savvy website is an example of our new Website-in-a-Day package!

By the way, with over 100 million DAILY users, Facebook is potentially a great marketing resource for your small business.  For example, it is great for promoting events.  If you’re running a social event or a workshop or a seminar and you’re not promoting it using Facebook Events (a free service within the Facebook system), you ARE missing out on attendees…

Check out some interesting Facebook Statistics.

When Webnerd first designed and built the Smooth Latin Groove website more than two years ago, it was acknowledged by the Australian Web Designers Network who gave it their highest award.

Over the years the website has grown to include an online shop, an online enrolment system and a custom-made student management system that is now integral to the smooth running of the school.

More recently we have overhauled the front page to feature a chroma-keyed video (the background is transparent) and promotional boxes controlled by the Content Management System. Check it out

We cut up all the entries, squished them into little balls and put them into my motorcycle helmet.  Anthony Gillespie from Best Practice Living was kind enough to do the honours.

Here are five reasons why your businses should be on Facebook:

1. Extreme Targeting and Testing of your Market

Facebook Ads allow you to target the audience of your ad campaigns down to: city, gender, age, occuptation, interests, relationship status, education level and workplace. Where else do you have that degree of targeting online?  You pay per click - with a daily limit that you’ve set  - and you can access reports that help you determine what’s working and what’s not.  Set up multiple campaigns and evaluate which specific demographics are clicking and/or which are buying.

2. Facebook is GREAT for promoting events

Use Facebook Events to promote your next event.  Once you’ve filled in the details for the event it’s a click of your mouse to invite your ‘Facebook Friends’ and to monitor their replies and RSVPs.  As a latin dancer I am invited to dance events every week and the smart latin dance event promoters are milking it for all its worth.

3. Friends of Friends - the viral effect

When someone RSVPs to one of your events, their friends can see this.  There have been many occasions on which I have decided to attend an event (even a 3-day seminar in another city!) on the basis of a seeing a friend sign up to it.  You can even set up your Event so that your invitees can invite THEIR friends.

4. People want to do business with…?

Facebook allows you to re-connect with people you’ve met and discover others with similar or complimentary interests.  Online networking works for the same reason that offline networking works: people want to do business with their friends.

5. Facebook helps you demonstrate that you’re good

Facebook allows you to set up a ‘Facebook Page’ for your business(es) and people can become ‘fans’ of your business.  A ‘fan’ can be a friend or a happy client or someone who simply thinks you do good work.  I have a Facebook Page for my photography, for example, and I have attracted ‘fans’ whom I’ve never met or known before.  Again, when someone becomes a fan of your business, their friends can see that and might be inclined to check it out.  If what you’ve got on offer is interesting enough, it can potentially spread through the friend networks virally.

Your action items

1. Sign up to Facebook and import your address book - look me up, too!
2. Look up old friends with whom you’ve lost contact
3. Set up a Facebook Page for your business
4. Set up a Facebook Ad as a trial to see how it works
5. Participate and play… experiment and see what works for you

Here’s the result!

Imagine that I gave you $50 cash with the instruction to spend it on something fun. On what would you spend it?

Tell me and go into the draw to win $50 cash.

The winner will be announced here on Monday 9th March.  The $50 is in Australian currency.

How to Enter: Leave a reply, telling me how you would spend $50 in a fun way, and go into the draw to win $50

Since then we’ve done some other great work and I feel it’s time to highlight some of it. Some of the work I can show you. Other work is more about consulting and/or behind-the-scenes programming, so I can only tell you about that.

Red Planet Software

Late last year I sat down with Red Planet Software’s founder and CEO, Peter Williams, for a quick consultation to get the online side of RPS lined up for 2009. At the end of the meeting Peter gave me what is easily my briefest yet most powerful testimonial to date: “Within the first five minutes James saved me $5,000/yr.” I’ll leave you to wonder how!

Wanless Enviro

Webnerd also launched a new website for Wanless Enviro (formerly Wanless Wastecorp) and this is what Marketing Manager Leonie Cavanagh had to say: “I have found working with James at Webnerd very easy. James is extremely knowledgeable on all matters in the web domain (and he really is the original Webnerd). I was walked through a detailed and effective process, which ensures the customer gets what they want and is satisfied at each stage of the process. Material is provided in a timely manner and James provides excellent customer service and on-going support. I am very pleased with the end result of our website www.wanless.com.au and would readily recommend Webnerd to any Company needing a fresh, new website.”

Steve Parish Publishing

Steve Parish Publishing has a new website that marks another step in the evolution of the online side of their business. The new website features a new focus on selling to consumers, membership functionality, a corporate blog, a powerful content management system and a custom-programmed back-end that integrates the online shop with its massive product database at their offices in Oxley. This back-end integration allows online orders to be automatically entered into their accounting system before packing slips are automatically printed in the warehouse. It also instantly updates the online shop whenever a product is introduced or changed. While a massive undertaking, the launch of this new website has resulted in massive increase in online takings.

Smooth Latin Groove

Another long-time client, Smooth Latin Groove, is also enjoying the fruits of a custom-programmed online system. SLG students can now enrol online while SLG staff manage the entire enrolment process and student management/tracking/marketing via an extensive yet easy-to-use web-based system. The implementation of this system was crucial to the management of this rapidly growing latin dance school and means that previously unknown or manually compiled data is now instantly available when needed.

CDI Architects

During 2008 Webnerd undertook two separate web-based projects for CDI Architects. The first was to design and develop a new online file management system to share new and updated project files with stakeholders.  The second was to develop a new ‘virtual brochure’ website that can be updated by in-house staff. Heather and Charles Howroyd of CDI Architects said: “CDI Architects was very lucky to find James and Webnerd. We were looking for some high end design to feature our architectural designs and James has achieved this. He was really helpful with the site structure, which is really important to get right. The new site works really well. James was very professional to deal with and we are happy to recommend his services.”