Facebook is such a powerful advertising tool.  There is simply no more powerful tool for advertising.  It is cheap, on average it costs me $1.52 per click, you can pause it, start it and change it anytime you like.  Most of all you can use google analytics to see exactly how people are interacting with your page, on the spot.

Build a web page specifically for your advertisement
One lesson I learnt fast was that if your web page does not mention your advertising keywords then people will ignore your page.

Finding your Audience
Know who your audience is and narrow it down as much as you can.  If you target the wrong audience you will get a lot of bogus clicks.  Especially based on age.

In my case I chose people who were over 26 and in Nelson.

Try to use specific keywords
Your advertisement itself should use keywords specific about your site.  You want to cut to the chase so people don’t spend your valuable money to find out they are not interested.

I also suggest this on your web page as well.  If your product costs $700 a month, tell them straight away so both of you save time.

Use a typical advertising budget
The biggest fear I hear with facebook advertising is how much it costs.  Well advertising brings in sales, which brings in your income.  You have to value your advertising.

For a start set a low budget so you can monitor how well your advertising is doing before makinig the plunge.  Then set sensible limits.

Round your bid per click up
Facebook asks for a suggested bid per click.  Take the biggest one, round it up, and add one $.  E.g. if your suggested bid is $1.72 then round to $2 and make it $3.

You will only pay higher than the person just below you.  So you are not likely to ever spend this much.

Only advertise when your audience is around
By now you should know your audience, so when are they on?  e.g. For myself business owners I pick night time, lunch time, public holidays and weekends.

Use Google Analytics with your page
Google analytics has the power to show you a lot of information.  Even on the go.

Try to get staff to avoid your site while you do an advertising campaign so you can monitor exactly what people are clicking.  Most importantly, what pages discourage you.

Try to break down pages as much as you can without ruining the flow for the page viewer.  This way you can see where exactly your site is going wrong.

Change your advertisement often
People will go in to a habit and see your picture and words, then switch off.  It is always a good idea to change your advertisement completely with new words and pictures.  In my case I just put some colours on the logo.

Budgeting is essential to business.  It is not just about the finances but it is about figuring out your plans and what can you afford.  Also, you can see the problems you are likely to face well before you are facing them.

Every single business will fail at something in its life time.  Usually the higher the risk the bigger the benefits, but if you don’t have a budget in place when you fall you might unknowingly fall too far.

Here is an exercise to try, climb on large scaffolding with jumps inbetween.  Now walk on it blindly guessing where to jump.  You wouldn’t do that?  Well why would you do the same for business.

Make sure your budget is based fluctuation of costs and revenue from last year.  Now make adjustments for your plans for the future year, e.g. Planning on expanding?

The budget should be broken down in to areas such as: marketing/advertising, car expenses, wages etc.

While you are in the year track your costs/revenue and compare it to the budget.  When you get near the end of every few months: if you are earning less don’t spend money on certain areas, if you are earning more try to spend the money in the areas lacking.  e.g. Advertising is under by $200?  Then take out an advertisement.

Another common technique is to use a profit share scheme.  If you are earning more than budgetted split the costs with individuals.

The idea of the budget is a map so you can make small tweak through the year to make sure you achieve your goals.

When I first started my company I tried to advertise based on problems not the solution (software development.)

Over time, some how, I made the company based on the solution not the problem.  My #1 core problem is people don’t know how I can help them, so that was a very big mistake.

My recent advertising was based on the problems not the solutions and I found I was getting nibbles, but when they got to my site they jumped ship because again it is based on the solution.

Remember to base things on the pain and not the solution, because when people are in pain they won’t research how your solution will fix their pain.

This is so true isn’t it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK9YetxjPu8

Lyrics stolen off another youtube comment:

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter

Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to nought
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desparation is the English way
The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I’d something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire

Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells

Wow, first of all did you know that in is repeated three times in maintaining.

Anyway!

When you build software solution through my software company you get the rare opportunity to keep the rights to the software solution.  That means it is now an asset!

Unfortunately like most assets it will depreciate, uh oh!  I guess it is more like a house as if you keep slowly adding to it you are keeping the value of the asset up.  Hence it is a good idea to always keep a full maintenance support contract on your software so you slowly add to it.

We have all heard it, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  So I always made sure I had breakfast.

More recently I decided scrap breakfast because I was never hungry and just have coffee until after lunch.  Well, my weight has been lost faster and I have more energy.

My guess is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, for those who don’t sit on their behinds like myself all day.

I have been doing full body weight work for about two months now.  I personally feel a lot better than when I did only fitness and it seems to be moving my fat to places I don’t care about yay!

I have also lost about 5 kg just by doing 20 minutes a day.  Before I maintained my weight just by fitness more than 20 minutes a day.

If you go cool and decide to do it yourself, don’t forget to work on your entire body not just your arms.  My assumption is you will keep being fat but have bigger arms

Hey since you are reading my blog why not like my software companies page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/SoftwareContracts

Honestly I don’t care if you read it or not, I just want you to like it thanks

When it comes to business I have a belief to only worry about people genuinely interested in you and your company.  I am full of ideas, if you don’t believe me have a look at how many sequential days I have on my blog!

I want people to front up and come to me and give me opportunities, questions or ideas.  Then I know they are generally interested, hence I know I can invest in those people.

The main reason is because I can be dominant with my ideas if people let me do the talking.  And ideas should be a mutually discussed by more than one party.  I respect peoples ideas and I passionately love watching their ideas come to fruition.

Most of all, I have worked in an environment where the customer tells me “I don’t know what to do, you do it, its your project.”  I don’t want that, it is quite demoralising because to me they have no interest and at the end of it there is no satisfaction knowing you have made something useful for someone.

Now and then if I have a big rapor with someone I will slightly back off to make sure the enthusiasm is not one way.

So if you want to contact me about anything.  Show initiative and approach me, I would love it!  And no I am not too busy, if I am too busy I will tell you nicely to discuss it later.

I sometimes have been labelled as a opportunist.  But I personally don’t think I am, because sometimes I can’t be bothered.  There are times though I jump on the opportunity and don’t let go until I get it!

What surprises me, is a lot of businesses seem to turn down opportunities.  I am on a networking group for Nelson and why am I the person that starts a discussion to introduce your business.  Hopefully you have read the post on my feeling of networking, so I am confused why it starts with me.

If you sell something and you see a person who needs something you sell, you tell them.  A lot of people are not opportunists so it is you that has to get off your behind and go and open that door!  Especially if it is you that will make the money off of it.

So, Opportunity knocks, what are you going to do?  Hopefully open the door!