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Facebook has the potential to be one of your most valuable marketing tools at your disposal if you use it right.  But use it right you must or it will backfire.  If you try to overwhelm people with old style “interruption marketing” Facebook users will simply shut you off and you will lose them completely.  The key to social network marketing is finding the audience who wants to know about your product or service.  Facebook has several ways to do this.

Before we begin with those, we need to talk about the difference between a profile and a page.  Most Facebook users treat these terms as if they are synonyms.  However, in the Facebook architecture, they are two very different things each with their own unique behaviors.  Profiles are personal pages generally intended to allow for communication between friends, making new friends and generally having fun.  The majority of Facebook users have only a profile and even if you intend to use Facebook strictly for business, you should have one too.  Pages, on the other hand, are designed for businesses or clubs or public figures.  Profiles have all sorts of privacy settings, pages have none to speak of.  Pages are open the public.  The owner of a page can control who posts to the page but not who sees the page.

There are tons of reasons you should set up a page in addition to a profile but the most basic is that it keeps a barrier between you and your customers but still allows for genuine interaction.  Another great reason to put a page up is that Facebook can supply you with a simple java script you can paste into your website that will put a “fan box” on your company’s website.  The fan box allows anyone who logs onto your main site to see your Facebook page.  Any links, videos, photos or announcements you make there will automatically be fed directly to your webpage! Comments made on your Facebook page will also show up.  So if one of your customer gets on your Facebook page and raves about the service they received from you, anyone who views your website will be able to see that review right there!

But Facebook allows you to reach new audiences as well.  As people begin to “like” your page, their friends will sometimes get notices that they like your page and they may check it out too. If your new follower has 200 friends on Facebook, at some point in time, most (if not all) of those 200 friends will see a blurb for you page on their home screen!

If you post useful or valuable information regularly, it’s likely that they will tell their friends to follow you or will simply share your comment, photo, video or whatever you shared.  This is the ultimate in word of mouth marketing, allowing you to get personal with your target audience and get true recommendations and referrals.

Another great service Facebook offers to allow you to promote your page or business is Facebook advertising. Because Facebook collects a lot of data about their users, they can direct your ads to very specific demographics.  You can target only people who have kids, or live in a specific zip code or mention a particular word on their profile.  The options are nearly unlimited and the great thing is you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.  You get your logo in front of their eyes for free!

Facebook is just the tip of the iceberg.  Social Media Networking is the wave of the future and Facebook is way ahead of the curve for a lot of reasons.  Wise use of this valuable resource can bring you a whole new market for very little expense!  If you are not yet on Facebook you owe it to yourself and your business to get started today!

Related articles

• Facebook Secrets to Boost Your Business (globalthoughtz.com)
• Facebook 101: A Simple Guide To Understanding When & How To Use Basic Features (searchengineland.com)

At Fashion Penny we provide designer inspired fashions not designer copies.  You will see in our inventory of fashion jewelry alternatives to pricey designer jewelry.  Many people may be familiar with knock off sites and imitation fashions.  This is especially popular with watches, purses and jewelry.  However, at Fashion Penny, this is not the type of cheap imitation we supply.  Instead, we supply high quality, high demand fashion alternatives for the person who wants to look like a star without having to make a celebrity’s salary.

The cheap imitation fashions many people are familiar with are illegal.  They infringe on trademarks by using well recognized trademarks.  For example, the world famous Chanel “C” mark or the Gucci “G” symbol are often copied in purses or jewelry so that a similar looking product is available without the high price associated with it.  The problems with this are that not only is it illegal but it is a cheap, subpar imitation of the original.  With Fashion Penny fashions we keep abreast of latest fashion trends from celebrities including what designers they are using.

We then use high quality materials and expert craftsmanship to create alternatives that are inspired by but not exact copies of the originals.  We use laboratory and genuine gem stones and high quality metals to create stunning looks that you can use to recreate a similar look to those you see at movie premiers and on the red carpet.  Your favorite celebrity looks are at your fingertips without the high cost of paying for designer jewelry.  Designer inspired fashions are found in all the most popular stores in the world.  You can find clothing lines that have been inspired by haute couture for years.  This same premise is used to design and create our exclusive line of high demand jewelry.  You can take the latest jewelry fashions as seen worn by your favorite celebrities and create a similar look for less!  It is all perfectly legal plus you won’t have to settle for cheap, substandard imitations.

Related articles

• InexpensiveFashionJewelryBlog.com Announces Fashion Jewelry Trends and Styles (prweb.com)

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but that isn’t the only gem ladies love.  Women love all types of jewelry and because it is used as a fashion accessory they can never have enough.  An outfit can be dressed up or down, made flashier or more conservative all with the proper use of jewelry.  But ladies are not the only ones who love jewelry.  Although men may not be as enamored of jewelry, they certainly like to look their best too.  This is why jewelry is such a great gift for all occasions.  Whether you want to make a statement or just give a gift that shows you care, jewelry can do just that.  But, there are some tricks to buying jewelry so go into it with a plan.

What are the best occasions to give jewelry?

The simple answer to that is every occasion and all occasions.  But, to be more specific there are some popular gift giving occasions where jewelry is most often thought of as a gift.  St. Valentine’s Day and Christmas are the two biggest holidays for giving jewelry but also in there are Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  Birthdays and anniversaries are popular events in a person’s life where jewelry is appropriate but you can always be creative whenever there is a special occasion.  Graduations, promotions or any significant time is the ideal gift giving opportunity.

Starting a new job and want to wish your loved one luck?  How about a tasteful charm bracelet?  Has your significant other been working very hard lately?  How about a thank you of a pair of earrings?  But really, the best time to give the gift of jewelry – and the time it is appreciated most, is for no special reason at all.  Surprise your loved one on some random Tuesday with a new necklace and you are sure to earn some brownie points!

What kind of jewelry should you purchase?

Jewelry, like art and fashion, are highly personal and it can sometimes be difficult to choose a piece for someone else.  However, there are a few ways you can never go wrong.  If you are lucky enough to know the person well you probably know their taste in fashion and favorite colors.  Use their typical color palette to coordinate jewelry.  Does your loved one typically favor conservative, muted colors?  Choose deep ambers, gold, silver and earth tones in classic lines.  Does the person you are shopping prefer to make a statement?  Choose bright, bold colors and larger pieces that show a bit of bling.

Unless you are sure the person you are shopping for wants to make a change it is safest to opt for jewelry they will be comfortable with and will like.  This is about buying them a gift not buying a gift you want to see them wear.  You want to avoid buying a piece of jewelry you may think will look great on them but is completely the opposite of what they would typically wear.  You might find your gift stashed more often in a drawer than being worn.  So, play it safe and opt for a piece the other person is sure to get use of.

What is the intention of the jewelry?

Let’s face it, not every piece of jewelry is meant to be worn every day.  So, consider the occasion you are purchasing it for and how it should be used.  Is it an anniversary and you want something for those special occasion date nights?  Choose something a bit flashier that is designed for evening wear.  Is it Mother’s Day and you are looking for a daily reminder of your love?  Choose a piece that can be worn with casual and office wear.

With a bit of planning you can easily buy the perfect piece of jewelry to suit any occasion.  Jewelry is a timeless gift that is ideal for any occasion – or no occasion.  So next time you want to surprise your loved one, do it with jewelry!

In recent years health conscious products have come to the forefront of people’s concerns.  This affects all aspects of life including jewelry purchases.  Lead is a toxic substance that can cause severe health issues when exposed to it, especially for prolonged periods.  So, it is highly advisable to wear lead-free jewelry.  In addition to it just making sense, though there is recent legislation that makes it necessary for some jewelers to exclusively carry lead free products.

California has enacted the strictest laws pertaining to lead in products.  Even for jewelers who do not reside in California you may still be affected by the legalities surrounding it.  If you have an online business, ship to California or even attend trade shows in California, you have to abide by their guidelines.  Plus, because California is often a leader in such legislation, many more states may follow.  With California being the strictest, it is a safe bet that if you are abiding by California law then you are abiding by all other states’ laws in the US.

Carrying lead free products makes sense from both a safety and business perspective.  However, because of the newness of such concerns it is often difficult to find large quantities of quality wholesale lead free jewelry.  This is where Fashion Penny excels.  We carry high quality, fashionable jewelry that is in high demand.  Plus we carry a vast selection of lead free products our retailers can choose from.

We have a wide array of gold and silver plated lead free jewelry to offer our resellers.  These are made from the best materials with the finest craftsmanship.  Many of our designs are inspired by world famous designers who cater to the stars.  So, your customers will look incredible in the latest fashions as seen on some of the hottest celebrities around.  Not only will they look great but they will buy it at a fair price and have a fashionable product that is lead free!  It is no wonder so many choose Fashion Penny as their stop for lead free fashion jewelry.

SEO is a broad term that stands for Search Engine Optimization.  When someone types a search term into a search engine, that search engine brings up what it thinks are the best matches for that term. Using good SEO practices on your retail jewelry website will help increase hits and direct more traffic to your retail business.  The best part about SEO is that it is inexpensive.  If you are able to do the work yourself, it is free advertising and even outsourcing the SEO research and writing is cheaper than most advertising campaigns that put your advertisement above or beside the search rankings.

Why is SEO Important?

A good, well optimized website that uses good SEO practices is going to get more attention from customers.  When a potential customer types in a search term, the website with the best SEO is going to be the one listed at the top of the search engine’s list.  Thinking about most people’s behavior when using a search engine, they are going to click on that top link first almost 100% of the time.  In terms of getting customers to find your online jewelry business, there is no better way than getting a good search engine ranking.

How does a Search Engine Match a Search to a Site?

Search engines work off of keywords.  When someone types in “retail jewelry” into a search engine, for instance, the search engine matches those words with the websites that best match those words.  The matching is done based on matching the searcher’s term with a number of things that each website contains including the website’s text as well as tags that are buried in the site and the graphics of the site.  Specific portions of a website get special attention from the search engines as well, most notably blogs because there is new content that goes into these more often than the website itself.  All of these things help get a page ranked at the top or near the top of a search engine.

Identifying Good SEO Keywords

The key to SEO then is to identify the best keywords for your business.  Because retail jewelry businesses are all over the internet, the secondary goal of SEO is to find all of the lesser used search terms and focus on those as well.  For the person wanting to start an online jewelry business, the search term “online jewelry business” may well be the term they would search for.  However, getting into the mindset of a customer and coming up with the search terms they are likely to use will help with your SEO quite a bit.  While “discount jewelry” may be overloaded with other websites, alternate searches will make it easier for your SEO work to get you to the top for the search term.

The other way of getting good SEO terms is to research them online.  The major search engines actually have search engine optimization information buried in their sites.  For instance, doing preliminary work on an AdWords campaign will give you information about related terms to a common term which will show how often they are typically used in a week as well as how much an advertisement costs based on that term.  By looking at this information, it is pretty easy to see which terms are incredibly popular and which ones are less used but still good to focus on with the SEO for your website.  Balancing the popularity of keywords with good usage of the keywords in your site and tags will get you the best ranking, the most clicks and the most sales.

Your retail jewelry website is obviously a big part of your business plan to make money selling jewelry.  From getting people to your site to converting visits to your site to sales, the words on your site represent you and your business and how they are crafted can mean success or disaster.  If your web site’s writing is well written, it speaks volumes to your eye for detail.  If it is poorly written, many people will be leery of doing business with you.  Well written sites will have used good SEO practices that help get the site noticed by search engines as well.

Effective Writing Tip 1 – Watch the Basics

For many people, writing is not their strong suit.  However, we all have had the basics pounded into our head thanks to years of schooling, not to mention a life of mostly effective communication by speech.  Your website must be free of grammar and spelling mistakes.  Why?  Well, you know those poorly written spam emails you get about winning the lottery or to be the intermediary to transfer millions of dollars to your account from a dead Nigerian prince.  One of the reasons people typically don’t respond is because they are poorly written.  A website that is full of grammar and spelling mistakes, at best, shows a lack of attention to detail.  The customer can take this lack of attention to detail to mean the business is run poorly, shipping won’t happen on time or the quality of the product won’t be up to par, simply because there are grammar and spelling errors.

If you are doing your own writing, take the time to write and read, then re-read, take a break, then re-read your content again.  Whether you are working on your web site’s home page or the last product description, there should be that attention to detail both in the spelling and grammar but also in simply making sure the sentences sound right.  Read the copy out loud and make sure it sounds like something someone would say.  For non-native English speakers, this can be a bit more of a challenge but it still can be done.  Remember, you are writing your way to profits!

Effective Writing Tip 2 – SEO Keyword Usage

If you have done any SEO research, you will know what keywords you should be using on your site.  From the opening page to each product description, these keywords need to be added but do so sparingly.  Like salt in any dish, too much of a good thing becomes something unpalatable.  While it may even read without sounding too full of a particular keyword, using the keywords too often will make the search engines think you are stuffing the articles with keywords to assure that they get noticed and used for rankings.  While finding information about the exact balance is impossible and the major search engines are all different, the general rule is to use any particular SEO term around two times per one hundred words of text.  If it works to have it three in one paragraph and only one in another, this is fine.  Assuring that the keywords appear in the first and last paragraphs is vital as well and if the page can start or end with the keywords, it is even more powerful.

Whether you are doing the writing yourself for the web page or are developing new content daily for a blog to help further promote your retail jewelry website, the words you use reflect your business in a very powerful way.  They are your first impression and if it excellent, your profits will be excellent as well.

For businesses that are ready to expand into paid marketing avenues the transition may seem a bit scary.  After all, you have no guarantees anything will work and you are using your hard earned dollar on the gamble that your investment will bring about a positive return.  One of the best methods for those starting out on this path is to look for budget advertising and marketing techniques.  These are low risk, low investment advertising methods that allow you to get your feet wet.  They are beneficial because if they work, it gives you the confidence to try more aggressive approaches but if they do not, they do not take too much of a bite out of your budget.

Some techniques you may want to consider include:

• Print a brochure for distribution in local venues
• Hire a freelance writer to create articles and blogs for your website
• Start local with neighborhood and community newsletters
• Join a professional organization for networking
• Hold a limited time sale
• Invest in a banner advertisement in a related, popular website
• Use pay-per-click advertising with low caps
• Take out a small ad in a newspaper or magazine
• Use vehicle advertising
• Carry professional business cards
• Direct mail advertising
• Donate items to a charity fundraiser

All the above advertising and marketing techniques cost some money but there is a very small investment.  There is also a possibility of high rewards from that investment.  Make sure you do not out all your hops into one type of strategy.  Instead, use several of the ideas.  The benefit of being budget advertising techniques is that you can utilize several of them at once without breaking the bank.

Keep in mind that low cost advertising typically also means low risk.  However, it does not necessarily mean low returns.  Some of the most effective marketing and advertising methods are actually the least expensive – or even free!