So sit back, relax and enjoy this tutorial on creating great graphics for your Blog or Social Media platforms.  (I have used my laptop to create this video because it is the computer that I have Microsoft Office on.  The problem with recording a video on my laptop is any keystrokes are very loud and bothersome … so I am apologizing in advance for the ‘tapping’ of the keys .)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you already create your own graphics or is it something that you are likely to do?  I would love to hear your comments and also, I would love to see some of the graphics that you create.  Get creative and really have some fun with it.

In my next post I’ll show you how to use some FREE software to create your own graphics.

In this video, you will see the packages available with iFrame Engine, including the recently introduced FREE version which allows you to create one tab on one Facebook Page with limited modules.  If you want to create multiple tabs on multiple Pages, you will need to purchase the package that fits your needs.  Watch the video and see how easy iFrame Engine is to use as I edit one of my existing landing tabs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Easy, isn’t it?  If you are interested in creating your own Facebook Landing Tabs, give the free version of iFrame Engine a try.  You can always decide later if it is something that you will get a lot of use out of and if it warrants purchasing one of the paid packages.  For more information on iFrame Engine, check out the Hubze Website or the Hubze Blog.

Do you have any questions or concerns about Facebook’s iFrames?  Please leave your comments and/or questions below and I would be happy to help you out with any concerns or issues you are having with your Facebook Landing Tabs.  Share this post with on your social media sites if you feel it offers value to your followers.

So click play, and see for yourself just how easy this is …

Click here to view the embedded video.

Was that easier than you thought it would be?  Are you more comfortable about taking on the task of creating your own tabs?  Let me know your comments below and if you feel this post offers value to your followers, please share it on your social media platforms.

In my next few posts, I’ll be showing you another great app for creating landing tabs and a few ways of creating your own graphics.

Most of that time has been taken up by packing up a 3 storey house and moving.  I know, incredibly boring right?  But the other thing that has been taking up my time has been exciting (at least to me it has).  I have just launched my Graphic Design business – Online Marketing Vibe.

I started doing my own graphics when I first started my Blog.  At the time I used Power Point to create my designs.  Last September, I purchased an iMac and the Adobe Creative Suite 5 – Design Premium.  A hefty investment, but I wanted to do this right.  I started doing graphics for free in exchange for testimonials.  The response to my work was very uplifting.  I continued to do design work on the side until I finally realized that the graphic design element was where I was making the most impact.  I absolutely love doing it, so it only made sense to stop ‘playing’ with it and get my business fully up and running.  The response to the launch has been incredibly flattering and re-affirms that I am doing the right thing.

My background in the graphics field started in high school with drafting and architecture classes.  In the early 1990′s, I worked as a ‘Desktop Publisher’ and that was when I truly fell in love with graphic design.

Online Marketing Vibe’s mission is to help you create your online presence, or ‘vibe’, through professional graphics coordinated across your social media platforms.  Our ‘niche’ is the online marketing community and social media platforms.  Your ‘visual’ presence online is vitally important to your success.  Think about social media sites or Blogs that you have visited.  Does the professionalism of the design (or lack of it) have an impact on you as far as your first impressions and your overall opinion of the person or company?  We custom design Blog headers, Facebook Profile Pics and Landing Tabs, Twitter backgrounds, YouTube backgrounds and any other designs that you want.  In celebration of our official launch, we are giving away a FREE custom designed Facebook iFrames Landing Tab every week during the month of April.  You can enter to win the Landing Tab on our Website – www.OnlineMarketingVibe.com or on our Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/OnlineMarketingVibe.

Over the past month, I have learned that what they say about finding your passion and doing what you love is completely true.  Everything seems to be flowing and new opportunities are opening up on a daily basis.  If you’re not doing what you love, follow your heart and examine what it is that you truly love to do.  I guarantee that you’ll never work another day in your life! 

Don’t forget to leave me your comments.  I would love to hear if you think that the visual images on your Blog and social media sites have an effect on your success.

It is important to note that your current custom FBML landing tabs will continue to work for about another 6 months.  There is time to switch your landing pages over to the new format.  As of today, March 11, 2011, you will no longer be able to add the Static FBML Application to your Facebook Pages.  However, if you already have the application, you can continue to use it until sometime towards the end of the year.  A specific date is yet to be announced.  Keep in mind that this is a time of transition and many companies are in the process of creating and testing iFrame apps.  It might be a good idea to wait a little while before tackling the upgrade to iFrame in order to give developers an opportunity to fine tune these applications.

iFrame tabs feature better performance and more flexibility.  The downside, and what is creating a lot of panic, is that iFrame tabs require a developer to program.  This is not entirely true.  One option, which is discussed further below, is to use your WordPress Blog to generate the HTML code.  Also, there are several apps that will generate the code in the background as you design visually.

What Are Your Options?

If you are not familiar with the Static FBML App and the new iFrame format, don’t worry.  Static FBML is the application that has been used to create custom landing tabs for Facebook Pages.  If you currently have a custom landing tab that someone else developed and installed for you, your best option is to go back to that person to have it switched over to the new format.

If funds are a consideration and you are comfortable with taking on the task of designing and implementing your own custom landing tab, there are several options available.

Free Apps

Static HTML for Pages is a free application available right on Facebook courtesy of Involver.  This application claims to make the creation of html for custom landing tabs in the iFrame format very easy.

Static HTML: iFrame Tabs is another free app on Facebook that makes creating your iFrame custom landing tabs very easy.

For both of these apps, simply click on the “Add to My Page” link located on the left of the application’s wall under the profile picture.  If you are the administrator for more than one page, you can select which pages to add the app to from the pop up window that appears.

Another free app is the iFrame App for Facebook Pages by Wildfire.  This application is only being offered for free for the next 3 months.  So if you want this app, get it soon.

With most of these applications, you can just click on the tab once you have added the application to your page and edit it right there.  You will need to have your graphics and html code ready.  The easiest way to generate your custom tab’s html code is to set up/design your custom landing tab in a WordPress ‘New Post’.  Once you have generated your tab (keeping in mind it needs to be a maximum of 520 px wide), just click on the HTML tab at the top of the post edit area and copy and paste the html code into the iFrame app on your Facebook Page.  You will need to host any photos, graphics, opt-ins, etc. on your WordPress Blog.

Paid Apps

There are also a number of paid applications available that will enable you to create your own custom landing tabs.  The one that I use and recommend is iFrame Engine.  iFrame Engine is the new edition of FanPage Engine.  (Note:  These are affiliate links.)  It provides templates and a modular tool to assist you in creating your custom tabs.  You will need to provide your own graphics.  iFrame and FanPage Engine makes it very easy to build your custom landing tab … it is all visual and the code is generated behind the scenes.

WordPress for FanPages is another paid app which I have no experience with.  It is set up very similar to your WordPress Blog dashboard and you can choose from 8 themes (or templates) to create your custom landing tabs.

If you are experienced with html, you can use Dreamweaver (or another web developer software application) to develop your own custom landing tabs.  Keep in mind that you will need your own web hosting and SSL certificate if you are creating your own web pages to use as your custom Facebook landing tabs.

If this all sounds confusing to you and it is not something that you want to try your hand at, you can always hire a designer/developer to create or convert your iFrame landing tab for you.  This is a service that I offer through my Graphic Design business.  If you would like more information about this service, contact me at Wendy@Wendy-Hewlett.com.

Change is something that always brings a bit of stress with it.  The important thing is to remember that these changes will improve the functionality and creativity of our Facebook Page Landing Tabs.  The learning curve shouldn’t be feared when the outcome is a better end product.  You can always outsource the graphics and do your own set up using WordPress or one of the iFrame apps available or you can outsource both the graphics and the development.

If you are stressed about the changes, my advice is to take a deep breath, do a little research (there are lots of training videos popping up) and give a little time for developers to optimize their new iFrame apps to make the iFrames transition much easier and stress free.

What do you think about the new iFrames?  Is it too confusing?  Will you attempt to create your own landing tabs or outsource it?  Don’t forget to share this post on your social media sites if you feel it offers value for your followers.

I joined my particular team because of the success and reputations of the team leaders in online marketing.  The level of training and support provided by this team and all of its members is phenomenal.  The team has something that is hard to describe – an atmosphere; aura; dynamic – that in itself has been attracting leaders to our team; leaders in the online marketing community.  Then, a few weeks ago, we were introduced to an incredible, successful Network Marketer with a lot of experience and success in the offline arena of Network Marketing.  She is fun, excited, and extremely enthusiastic.  She has been a 6-figure earner for the past four years in MLM.  She has all of the facts on how to achieve success in Network Marketing and is passionate about helping others to duplicate her success.  She joined our company three months ago because of the potential that she saw in it after doing her due diligence.  But, even she can’t believe the level of success that she is experiencing in this very short time period.  She says that she has never seen this type of explosive growth in a Network Marketing company before.

What has really opened my eyes to the necessity to take our businesses offline, is this woman’s incredible success in just three short months.  And it’s not just her doing it.  Everyone that is following her lead is achieving this ‘explosive growth’ in their businesses!  So what are they doing that is sky rocketing them through the ranks?  Following the very simple system that has been created by our innovative company.  That’s it.  They are picking up the phone and letting people hear their excitement about the growth that is taking place and difference that our products are making in people’s lives.  But, they are not doing all the talking!  They are letting the tools do the work.  The bottom line is this is a relationship business.  We have to get off our computers and onto the phone if we want to experience massive growth in our businesses.

Online Marketing is an extraordinary tool for long-term success.  In the short-term, we have to get on the phone and tap into our warm markets in order to build the momentum necessary for success.  It’s that simple.  If you’ve got a product or service and a system that you absolutely believe in and that is truly having an impact in people’s lives, then the fear of getting on the phone and sharing it with everyone you know melts away.  You begin to realize that you are doing your friends a favour by sharing your products, service or business with them.  You are giving them the opportunity to better their lives.  If they choose not to take you up on the offer, no sweat.  You are only looking for people that are as excited about this as you are anyway.  Let them know that what your goals are with the product/opportunity and ask if you could call them back when you reach those goals to show them that they can do it too.

By the way, statistics show that the people you recruit into your business are more successful if you have made a personal connection with them prior to them joining.  If you have talked with them personally, their chances for success are higher than someone you have brought into the business through email, social media, capture pages, etc.  You want to talk to them about their goals and their dreams, get to know them and help them to get started fast and build massive momentum.

Get excited about it and let your excitement and enthusiasm show in your calls.  Develop your ‘story’ with the products/opportunity so that you can share it with your prospects.  Your enthusiasm is contagious … show them how happy and excited they can be in their lives.  They will be more likely to want what you have if they can see your zest for the products, the business and for helping others to duplicate your success.

If you would like to know more about this innovative company, dynamic team and the explosive growth we are experiencing, connect with me on Skype  (Wendy.Hewlett).

Service leadership means to lead by helping or enabling others, not by forcing them.  It is an art which can be learned and taught to your team.    It is based on building strong relationships and allowing team members to enjoy the satisfaction of  having performed well.  Service leadership can be defined as enabling or empowering others to accomplish something worthy.

“Service leaders are willing to place empowerment above personal power; contribution above their own ego satisfaction; and the needs of the team above their own needs for credit and acclaim.” ~ Toastmasters High Performance Leadership Manual

The Six Dimensions of Service Leadership

1. Vision & Values

Service Leaders have a clearly defined vision for their team’s success.  They know what they want to accomplish and each team member’s role.  They keep up to date on current events in their field.  They are knowledgeable and informed, so they are able to make timely decisions.  They have the ability to foresee problems and plan for them.  Service leaders are role models for the values that they represent.

2. Direction

Service Leaders set goals for the team.  People work more productively when they have clearly defined goals to achieve.  They are able to delegate to capable team members and they ensure that the tasks and priorities are sufficiently explained.  They know what activities are best delegated and what activities they are best to handle personally.

3. Persuasion

Service leaders are able to persuade others to believe in their vision.  When the whole team believes in the leader’s vision, they are more likely to commit to achieving that vision.  Leaders convey self-confidence in themselves and in their abilities.  The are able to communicate effectively with their team to ensure that each member is clear on the team’s direction and priorities.  They frequently remind the team of the goals and mission in order to keep them on target.  Leaders are good listeners.  They allow others to communicate their ideas and create an atmosphere where they are comfortable doing so.  Leaders follow through on their decisions and see them through to completion.

4. Support

Leaders ensure that everyone functions well as a team and provides the team with the tools and resources required to achieve the desired outcome.  They encourage creativity and provide guidance to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

5. Development

Service leaders are aware of the needs and goals of the team members and are able to provide opportunities for team members to accomplish these goals.  They also challenge team members to learn new skills or improve on their skill-sets.

6. Appreciation

One of the deepest human needs is the need for appreciation.  Service leaders give respect and recognition where it is due.  They show team members that they care by showing respect and appreciation for their efforts.  It could be as simple as communicating their gratitude.  In return, these leaders receive loyalty, dedication and higher productivity.  Leaders encourage team members to contribute ideas and they value these ideas.

These six dimensions represent the traits or skills necessary to become an effective Service Leader.  By evaluating your current skills and comparing them against the items listed above, you will be able to get an idea of the skills you need to develop.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists.  Fail to honor people, and they fail to honor you.  But of a good leader – who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled – they will say, “We did this ourselves.” ~ Lao Tzu (Ancient Chinese Philosopher)

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Couple of Important Notes

• In order to use the ‘Use Facebook as Page’ feature to comment on other pages, that page must have switched to the new format.  If it hasn’t switched over yet, you won’t be able to access that page under your FanPage account.  Also, you will only be able to comment on other pages, not personal profile pages.
• The new maximum dimensions for Facebook Profile pictures are 180px X 540px.  This is reduce from the old maximum of 200px X 600px.
• You will now have the ability to set filters on your wall, so that your visitors or fans will see the most relevant posts first.
• You will have the ability to receive notices when someone posts on your Page Wall.
• You can preview the new format, but once you upgrade to the new format, you will not be able to change back to the old format. Make sure you are ready for the change.

What do you think of the changes?  Are they going to help you, or hinder you?  As always, I would love to hear your comments and feedback.  Don’t forget to share this post with your Facebook friends so that they can take advantage of some of these cool new features too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Get creative and have some fun with the images.  If you don’t have Photoshop, stay tuned … I will post another video soon showing you how to do it without any special software.  Share this post with your social media followers so they can have a little fun with their profile thumbnails too.

In this video, the second in the series on Getting Started in Network Marketing, we take a look at what it takes to become successful in Network Marketing and preparing your mind for success.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information on Dr. Sukhi Muker, click here.

Last year I posted a chart on this Blog that highlights the difference in the mindsets of successful people versus average people.  Click here to see the post and print out the chart for reference.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below and let me know what you think about the achieving success in the Network Marketing industry.  Share this post on your social networks if you believe it offers value for your followers.