As the Facebook following exceeds 200 million, this social networking community becomes increasingly impossible to ignore.  The portal allows more shared more information about friends and businesses than ever before.  Messages are widely disseminated within seconds, pictures are posted and comments are allowed on every page. 

The trick to making Facebook work for your business is balancing the amount of information that your fan page and personal pages reflect.  Companies often include Facebook in their personnel and business background checks, some assigning a specific position to this type of work.  It is imperative that you maintain a spotless image.  Keeping your Facebook pages clean and free of clutter, unwanted comments and links to colorful Facebook friends is your ticket to finding Facebook success. 

DO

1. Keep shared info simple
2. Show business contact information and hour of operation
3. Allow friends to comment on pictures or posts
4. Post pictures and updates often
5. Involve the staff.  Celebrate promotions, hiring, birthdays.

DO NOT

6. Allow unapproved comments
7. Post any information that inappropriate or offensive to your audience
8. Add anyone that comes along.  Make sure their page is clean as it will be linked to yours and visible.
9. Bombard your followers with advertisements and marketing messages.
10. Include too much information about the business, ask them to contact you for further info.

Facebook is a social networking site that reaches out to over 200 million people, with over 100 million logging in each day says facebook.com.  Facebook is active, it is progressive, and it has gone mobile.  People can and do access it anywhere and everywhere.

If you thought Facebook was simply a place for college students, you were wrong.  Actually 2/3 of Facebookers out of school.  In fact, the highest growth rate is in the 35+ age group. 

Facebook is a great place to connect with friends, share likes and dislikes, display photos, and catch up on the latest news.  For businesses and freelances, it provides an excellent platform for communication and promotion. Post links to sites, blog or link to blogs, share events and reach out to your publics.  

The best part of Facebook is the usability.  Anyone can follow the set-up instructions and quickly make updates.  Visit Facebook.com today and leap into the social media wave.  Visit Root and Madison's Facebook page today.

If you are seeking wide spread attention for your business, consider having a professional public relations professional draft several news worthy press releases to keep on file.  A fill in the blank outline is a good way to quickly compose a news release in correct form as a situation arises.

News releases should follow a very specific format and be 100% news worthy, meaning leave out the opinion, the fluff, and the information that only you want to read in the news.  Send your press release to the local and regional media outlets.  Follow up with their contact person to make sure that the release was received and offer a direct line of communication for further questioning.

News releases serve as starting point for journalists.  The reporter will take the information provided, develop an angle, seek further information, and rewrite the story for his publication.

If your news releases are news worthy, in good form, and you are accessible, you will increase your chances of having your articles published.  Remember, relationships with reporters are based on your ability to meet their expectations.

Metropolitan cities lay claim to America’s leading PR firms and the industry’s acclaimed gurus, but true public relations is ever present in the small businesses that make up the fabric of America’s economy.

My first high school job was at supermarket in a small Northern Oklahoma community.  Our store hours were shorter, our prices higher, and our selection was limited, but we managed to stay in the running with the national chains that surrounded us.  How?  It could have been the bright blue and white tile, the star spangled signage, or the ‘Go Wildcats’ window art.  More likely, it was the way United Supermarket reached out to its customers. 

Public relations and service met United’s shoppers in every aisle.  Each customer was greeted with a smile and a ‘hello, how are you.’  A store manager waited in the foyer to greet customers and to cater to them from the time they entered the store.  As the customer rounded aisle one, Lex, the produce manager, offered to help pick out the very best fruits and vegetables.  Proceed straight ahead and the butcher, Kirk, was out on the floor offering to trim and repackage meat according to the customer and their family’s needs.  At every turn, a stocker offered to reach for a can on the top shelf, check for merchandise in the stockroom, or assist the shopper in finding an item.  Checkers met the customer at aisle fourteen and escorted them to the register, chatting about their experience.  Checkers engaged in conversations with their customers.  Change was always counted back.  Managers assisted the baggers. Every customer enjoyed the luxury of carry out.  It was a customer-centered experience. 

Public relations is not just about getting your message out.  It is letting your public’s message in.  It is knowing who they are and what they want. 

Mr. Kinzy, a lifelong shopper, had a list of groceries that he liked to buy. Though several of these products were not regularly stocked, United’s store manager ensured that he had these specialty items in time for Mr. Kinzy’s weekly visit.

United Supermarket realized the importance of customer satisfaction.  They owned their brand: an upscale grocery store that welcomed shoppers with clean shiny floors, bright smiling faces, and unparalleled customer service.  It was a home away from home, a place where people knew their name and smiled when they walked through the door.

Do you smile at your audience?  Do you seek to know who they are and what they want?

Make your business sparkle like the bright blue and white tiled floors in the little Oklahoma market.  Learn to serve your customers today. 

On Friday I will begin a workshop that explores techniques to reach out and serve followers in an eWorld.

In the world of business the statement 'no comment' is a death wish.  'No comment' is a form of silence.  Silence is a very passive response to any situation or issue that will lead to serious repercussions. 

The 'no comment' statement  triggers two effects:  Firstly, it is often seen as an admission of guilt.  Secondly, the 'no comment' statement makes you sound naive. 

The public seeks strength in leadership, especially during crisis.  They will turn away if they cannot find it in you and your company. 

Closing yourself off from the public leads to suspicion and gossip.  It sparks further investigation and encourages the media to fill in the blanks, leaving you powerless.

A good alternative is bridging, or moving from the reporters topic to your message, by using one of a number of acceptable phrases.  It is always acceptable to admit that you do not have the information or authority to answer the question.