Dear Friend,

This past month I completed the Google AdWords certification process for the fourth time in seven years. I am proud to announce that my firm now has qualified for Google AdWords Certified Partner Status.

This newsletter showcases some cool ways you can use Facebook for your business. Facebook is the place to be for businesses, so don't miss out on this great opportunity to connect with others.

Best Regards,

Nancy McCord

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AdWords Certified Partner | Facebook Vanity URLs | Facebook Fan Welcome Page

McCord Web Services Becomes a Google AdWords Certified Partner

Just this past month I finished taking the last of two Google AdWords certification tests. This is my fourth test since I became a Google AdWords Qualified Professional. This time however passing the test allowed me to certify my business as a Google AdWords Certified Partner. That’s big news!

Not only am I a Google AdWords Certified Individual, but now my company has met the criteria of management of ad spend to qualify as well. Receiving the Google AdWords Certification is hard. I know, I have studied countless hours in addition to my regular work load. Over the years I have seen the tests become easier and then harder.

The very first Google AdWords certification test was killer, the second one two years later was totally watered down to allow more managers to be part of the AdWords program, the third exam two years later was tougher, and this last two part exam in the new AdWords Certification program was really tough.

What this means is that fewer people will pass to become certified and so the title Google AdWords Certified Individual or Google AdWords Certified Partner now actually means something – that your account manager is proficient not only in Google AdWords jargon and what Google thinks is important about AdWords, but effective in real account management scenarios.

If you are looking for a Google AdWords Certified consultant or account manager, I invite you to visit our website to learn more about our Google AdWords account management programs.

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How to Create a Vanity URL for Your Facebook Fan Page

It is easy to do a vanity URL for your profile page, but how do you do one for your Fan Page and can you even do one. Yes you can! Heres’s how.

1. Log into your Facebook account. Make sure you have set yourself up as an administrator for any Fan Page that you work on as well or you will need to login to each account as the owner separately to do the following.

2. Go to this URL: http://www.facebook.com/username/ Select your Fan Page name from the drop down menu if you have multiple pages you work on. If your fan page is not selectable you may not have 25 fans yet and so you will need to get a minimum of 25 friends first to be able to have a vanity URL. If your page name shows up, enter your desired easy to remember name in the field and then click check availability.

3. Confirm that this is the URL you want and then update your Facebook Fan Page badges and links on your website.

Sometimes the name that matches your business is not available. There could be several reasons why.

1. Facebook may not be allowing this name.
2. Someone may have tagged this name but not published the Fan Page yet.
3. The name is too generic.
4. The name selected may be a recognizable trademarked name.
5. The name or combination of words may be considered offensive.
6. Some other unknown Facebook criteria has prevented you taking the name.

If this happens to you, you can visit the Facebook Fan Page support center: http://www.facebook.com/FanpageHelpCenter where you may be able to get additional help with your problem.

Have fun with this tip and leave a comment with your new Facebook Fan Page vanity URL below! Mine is facebook.com/mccordweb

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How to Create a Facebook Fan Welcome Page

I'm sure you've seen them - Facebook Fan Page Welcome Pages; specially created pages with images and links to your website the first time you hit someone else's Facebook Fan page. Well, here's how to create one for your own Facebook Fan Page.

First off, this is for your Fan Page and not your personal profile. The welcome page you create will only be visible to people who are not your fans yet. When they fan you, or now "like" you as Facebook has changed the descriptor from "fan me" to "like", they will be directed to your wall and won't see your welcome page again on entry.

Welcome pages can be great to give an overview of your business, link to important information about you, showcase products or services, or even direct customers to your online store.

Here are the steps to follow to set up your own Welcome Page.

1. Make sure you are logged into your Facebook account and are on your Fan Page administration page. This page will start with Settings, Wall Settings, Mobile, and then Applications just to name a few. Under "More Applications" click the "Static FBML" Link. Follow the link and click on the new Facebook page that appears to add this to your page.
   
   
2. Click back into the manage your page section again and look for a new item in your page management control panel that is called FBML. Click edit. A new screen opens that is titled FBML. Change this to a one word or two word header such as Shop Now or Welcome. This name will appear on your Facebook tab, so it has to be short.
   
   
3. In the page content enter your information. You can either create a line break between paragraphs by using simple html code such as <p> before each paragraph and ending with </p> after each paragraph or pushing enter to create the needed white space.
   
   
4. For web users who know their way around a bit of html you can link in images using html code and a complete URL from an image hosted on your own website's server, and even link to pages or products using html code as well. If this part is over your head, you should get your webmaster involved. This page does not take complex html code only very simple elements such as images or links. That being said you can liven up the experience using html and image elements on this page.
   
   
5. Click "save changes". You are not done yet, but almost. Navigate back now to your edit fan page control panel and then "Wall Settings" go to view settings. Under "Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else" select your new Welcome or Shop Now page from the drop down. Voila, now when a new possible friend/fan comes to your Facebook Fan page for the first time, they will see your Welcome page.

If this sounds too complicated for you, you may want to consider paying us to set this up for you. You can visit our Facebook Fan page for pricing and Fan page management levels.