Author: Kyzson

Despite the rapid growth of digital media, paper remains an essential part of everyday life and business operations around the world. From household, office documents, brochures, packaging, books, and magazines to name cards and product labels, paper continues to serve practical, professional, and marketing purposes across many industries. Different paper sizes and materials are designed for specific uses, helping businesses choose the right format for printing, packaging, advertising, and communication.

Understanding the most common paper sizes and materials is important for designers, printers, marketers, and business owners. Standard paper sizes such as A4, A3, Letter, and Legal are widely used for documents and promotional materials, while paper types such as art paper, kraft paper, ivory card, and corrugated board are commonly selected based on durability, appearance, and printing requirements.

1. Bond Paper - Used for office printing, photocopying, reports
2. Art Paper / Coated Paper - Used for brochures, catalogues, magazines
3. Matt Paper - Used for flyers, menus, posters
4. Gloss Paper - Used for marketing materials, photo printing
5. Ivory Card - Used for premium packaging, certificates
6. Simili Paper - Used for cheaper version of flyer, books, notebooks, forms
7. Kraft Paper - Used for packaging, paper bags, wrapping
8. Duplex Board - Used for product boxes, cartons
9. Corrugated Paper Board - Used for packaging or shipping cartons
10. Newsprint - Used for newspapers
11. Tracing Paper - Used for design sketches, architectural tracing
12. Tissue Paper - Used for wrapping, decorative packaging
13. Synthetic Paper - Used for waterproof labels, bunting banner and outdoor signage prints
14. Recycled Paper - Used for eco-friendly printing and packaging

Paper was first developed in ancient China. Early forms existed before the 2nd century BCE, but the Chinese court official Cai Lun is traditionally credited with refining papermaking around 105 CE. He improved the process using tree bark, hemp, old rags, and fishing nets, making paper cheaper and easier to produce than bamboo slips or silk. Paper technology later spread to the Islamic world, then to Europe, eventually becoming one of the most important inventions in human history. 

Modern paper sizes are largely based on the ISO 216 standard, which uses the A, B, and C series. The concept began in 1786 when German scientist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg proposed a paper ratio of 1:√2, which keeps the same proportions when folded in half. Germany later standardized this as DIN 476 in 1922, and it eventually became the international ISO 216 standard in 1975. A4 became the most widely used paper size globally.

Although digital media dominates modern communication through websites, social media, online advertising, and mobile devices, paper still offers advantages that digital platforms cannot fully replace. Printed materials provide a physical experience, stronger brand presence, and higher perceived value. Packaging, catalogues, brochures, menus, business cards, and premium printed materials often create a more lasting impression than digital visuals alone.

​Today, paper and digital media work together rather than compete against each other. Businesses commonly use digital platforms for speed, convenience, and global reach, while paper remains valuable for branding, packaging, retail displays, printed marketing materials, and face-to-face communication. As a result, understanding paper sizes, materials, and their applications remains highly relevant in the current world.

If you're running a small or medium-sized business (SME) in Malaysia, government grants can significantly accelerate your growth. However, most businesses fail—not because they are not eligible—but because they apply without a clear strategy.
​
This guide breaks down a practical, step-by-step approach to help you secure SME grants and scale your business effectively.

Before applying for any grant, you need to position your business correctly.

Most SMEs describe themselves too simply: “We are a printing or display supplier.”
Instead, reframe your business as: “A digital-driven exhibition and retail visual solutions provider.”
​
Why this matters:
Agencies like Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation prioritize companies that demonstrate:

• Digital adoption
• Scalability
• Export potential

Before submitting any application, prepare these essentials:
1. Company Profile Deck

• 10–15 slides
• Services, portfolio, client list
• Before/after visuals
• Revenue model

2. Problem & Solution Statement

• Define a real market gap
• Present your solution clearly

3. Digital Roadmap

• Website upgrade
• SEO strategy
• CRM / automation tools
• Optional: AI integration

4. Financial Overview

• Revenue (last 6–12 months)
• Cost breakdown
• Growth projections

5. Compliance Documents

• SSM registration
• Business licenses

Step 1: MDEC Digital Grant (MADANI)

Provider: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation
​
Funding Amount:
Up to RM5,000 (50% matching grant)

Best Use:

• Website development
• SEO improvements
• CRM systems
  ​

Strategy Tip:
Treat this as your foundation. A strong digital presence improves your chances for larger grants later.

Website >>

Step 2: SME Corp Business Accelerator Program (BAP)

Provider: SME Corporation Malaysia

Funding Amount:
Up to RM200,000 (50% matching)

Best Use:

• Equipment upgrades
• Production scaling
• Workflow optimization

​
Strategy Tip:
Frame your application as:
“Enhancing operational efficiency through digital integration.”

Website >>

Step 3: MTDC Technology Fund

Provider: Malaysian Technology Development Corporation

Funding Amount:
Up to RM4 million

Best Use:

• Smart display systems
• Interactive or AR technology
• Product innovation

​
Strategy Tip:
Position your company as transitioning from:
Vendor → Technology-driven solution provider

Website >>

Step 4: MATRADE Export Grant

Provider: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation
​
Funding Support:

• Overseas exhibitions
• International marketing

Strategy Tip:
Focus on export-ready offerings such as modular display systems for regional markets like Singapore or the Middle East.

Website >>>

The real advantage comes from combining multiple grants strategically.

Recommended Flow:

1. MDEC Grant (RM5K) → Build digital presence
2. SME Corp BAP (RM100K–200K) → Upgrade Operations
3. MTDC Fund (RM500K–1M+) → Develop technology
4. MATRADE → Expand internationally​

​
This approach transforms your business from:

• Local SME → Scalable, funded company

 How to Increase Your Approval Rate?

1. Use the Right Language Include keywords such as:

• Digitalization
• Automation
• Scalability
• Export readiness

2. Avoid Common Mistakes

❌ Weak statement:
“We want to buy new machines.”

✅ Strong statement:
“We aim to automate production processes to increase output by 40% and expand into regional markets.”

3. Show Clear ROI Example:

• ​Current revenue: RM300,000/year
• Projected revenue: RM800,000/year
• Export potential: RM1.5 million

Agencies want measurable outcomes. - Bonus: A High-Impact Positioning Idea -

To stand out, position your business as:
“An AI-powered modular exhibition and retail display system provider with rapid deployment capabilities.”

​Enhance it with:

• Online ordering platform
• Smart LED or interactive displays
• Export-ready solutions

This shifts your image from:

• Traditional supplier → Innovation-driven company

Editor: Kyzson

​Malaysia’s digital economy continues to grow at an impressive pace. With high smartphone penetration, improved logistics, and the rise of digital payments, online shopping has become a daily habit for millions.

Key factors driving growth:

• 📱 Mobile-first shopping behavior
• 🚚 Faster and more reliable delivery services
• 💳 Secure digital payment systems (FPX, e-wallets)
• 🎉 Massive online sale campaigns (e.g., 11.11, 12.12)

Choosing the right platform depends on your goals:
For Buyers:

• Want cheap deals? → Shopee / Temu
• Want branded goods? → Lazada / Zalora
• Want unique items? → TikTok Shop / Taobao

For Sellers:

• New seller? → Shopee
• Brand/business? → Lazada
• Content-driven selling? → TikTok Shop
• Clearing used items? → Carousell

Malaysia’s online shopping ecosystem offers something for everyone—from bargain hunters to premium shoppers and small sellers to large brands. As digital adoption continues to rise, these platforms will only become more competitive and innovative. Whether you're buying your next gadget or starting your own online business, choosing the right platform can make all the difference.

Search, Compare before Buy

Interested in accepting credit card online as well as internet banking for your online eCommerce website? The following services provider at below is few of option you can look in to. There are few more other in market than the listed name below but I think the listed name below will help you to decide which payment gateway provider is more suitable for you.

Author: Kyzson

Fiuu: Fiuu is a Malaysia-based payment gateway that lets you receive local and cross-border payments across South East Asia. You can use popular regional payment methods across South East Asia.

Payment Express Is a high growth, innovative global leader in payment technology. Providing PCI DSS compliant payment solutions, we're certified with all major card schemes. A global end to end platform for ecommerce, retail and unattended that facilitates payments seamlessly in real time. 

Award winning digital platform has successfully executed over MYR 1 billion in transactions covering cross-border trade payments and individual remittances. We've achieved such rapid success by optimizing our treasury operations with machine learning algorithms and integration with blockchain solutions for swifter disbursement. MoneyMatch is expanding globally at a rapid pace with operations in three countries already with many more to come!

​Touch ‘n Go has been a part of Malaysia’s mobility journey for over two decades. With 25 million active cards, 1.2 million active TNG RFID users, and 13 million unique customers, Touch ‘n Go continues to champion Malaysia’s mobility ecosystem through tolling, parking and transit powered by innovative technology.

HitPay is an all-in-one payment platform designed to help Malaysian businesses accept, manage, and grow payments easily across online and offline channels. It is built במיוחד for SMEs, offering a simple and scalable solution without complex setup requirements.
The platform allows businesses to accept cards, QR payments, e-wallets, and bank transfers, including popular local methods like DuitNow, while also supporting 50+ payment methods and over 150 currencies for global transactions.
One of HitPay’s key advantages is its no-code, plug-and-play approach, enabling merchants to start accepting payments quickly without technical knowledge. Businesses can integrate HitPay with eCommerce platforms like Shopify or use features such as payment links, invoicing, recurring billing, and POS systems.
​
HitPay also offers a transparent pricing model, with no setup, monthly, or subscription fees, charging only per transaction. This makes it especially attractive for startups and small businesses looking to minimize upfront costs.
Additionally, the platform supports omnichannel payments, allowing businesses to manage online sales, in-store transactions, and B2B payments within a single system.

​Established in the year 2011, AsiaPay Malaysia is a wholly owned subsidiary of AsiaPay Limited which is one of the leading payment service providers in the Asia Pacific region. PayDollar is a payment gateway platform developed by AsiaPay, a Hong Kong-based payment service provider with over 20 years of experience. 

Stripe is a global financial technology platform that provides businesses with the infrastructure to accept payments, manage revenue, and build scalable financial systems. It combines payment processing, APIs, and financial tools into one unified platform, enabling companies to operate both locally and internationally.
Stripe allows businesses to accept payments online, in person, and across borders, supporting over 135 currencies and multiple payment methods. This makes it highly suitable for companies that want to expand globally or serve international customers. 

​ManagePay Systems Berhad (“MPay”) is a provider of end-to-end electronic payment (“e-Payment”) solutions for banks and financial institutions, merchants and card issuers with operations in Malaysia. The Company is currently listed on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia with market capitalization in excess of RM120 million. 

Airwallex is a global financial platform that enables businesses to accept payments, manage multi-currency accounts, and perform international transactions within a single system. It is designed to simplify global commerce by combining payment processing, foreign exchange (FX), and financial operations into one unified platform.
Airwallex allows businesses to hold, receive, and send funds in multiple currencies, often providing local bank details in key markets. This helps companies reduce conversion costs and avoid unnecessary FX fees. The platform supports payment acceptance in over 130 currencies and a wide range of payment methods, making it suitable for businesses with international customers.

eGHL began long before the year 2000, where they started as a business department under GHL System. They were rebranded as a subsidiary of GHL Group of Companies in 2013 and officially launched as eGHL on 15 April 2014. Today, eGHL are running in 5 countries, connecting payments in over 48 currencies.

​The PayPal Express Checkout with In-Context flow gives your customers a simplified checkout experience that keeps them local to your website throughout the payment authorization process and enables them to use their PayPal balance, bank account, or credit card to pay without sharing or entering any sensitive site.

ADAPTIS is a modern payment platform / ecosystem developed by NTT DATA Payment Services (the company behind iPay88 / GHL).
It is designed to help businesses accept payments, manage transactions, and grow across online + offline channels.

iPay88 is a Malaysia-based payment gateway that provides businesses with solutions to accept and manage payments across both online and retail (in-store) environments. It is one of the leading payment service providers in Southeast Asia, supporting thousands of merchants and offering strong regional coverage.
The platform enables businesses to accept a wide range of payment methods, including credit/debit cards, online banking, and e-wallets, ensuring flexibility for customers during checkout. For retail use, iPay88 also supports POS systems, mobile payments, and terminal integrations, allowing businesses to bridge online and offline sales into a single payment ecosystem. 

Zota is a global payment platform that acts as a “marketplace for payments,” enabling businesses to accept and manage payments across multiple countries, currencies, and payment methods through a single system.
The platform is designed to simplify global commerce by providing one API integration, allowing businesses to connect to a wide network of payment providers without needing multiple separate integrations. This helps reduce technical complexity and speeds up market expansion.

Do you have any other payment gateway company's contact? If do please feel free share below :)

David Nour is the thought leader on relationship economics, the quantifiable value of business relationships. The Nour Group, Inc. helps organizations drive growth through unique return on their strategic relationships.

By now, you have a robust profile on LinkedIn, you tweet several times a day with hashtags, you have a Facebook Page, several videos on YouTube, and you’ve even created several clever boards on Pinterest. You attend a handful of networking events every month, and you venture out to interesting events like SXSW a couple of times every year. But after all that, how do you build your social circle and influential contacts in key centers of influence?

How do you maintain, nurture, and ideally, bridge the gap between relationship creation and relationship capitalization? How do you turn friends and followers into active, interested social currency. How do you foster engagement to create valuable, lasting relationships?

Well, it has to do with the evolution of our on- and off-line business relationships. How do our business relationships evolve, why do we screw some up, and how can we repair them? Why do some partner, client, investor, supplier or even colleague relationships tend to accelerate naturally, while others fizzle and never fully materialize as you had hoped?

Quite simply, the manner in which we build business relationships has evolved. Find out how to keep the pace.

Initial Contact
You meet someone or, ideally, are referred through a trusted introduction. Tossing an unsolicited email over the wall is a losing proposition. Online and in-person relationships are getting more sophisticated, better protected and constantly pressured for efficiency and effectiveness.


The critical focus here is to add value in every interaction, to provoke, or to provide a contrarian perspective. In other words, if you want to elevate yourself above the noise, ensure that a person remembers your conversation. I recommend that you become well-read in a variety of topics, listen intently, question constantly, and capitalize on the value of brevity (aka Twitter etiquette). Finally, get to the point without pontificating.

Additional Interaction
If, during the initial contact, you made a strong, positive and value-centric impression, people will begin to seek you out. The conversation was impactful enough to warrant immediate action on their behalf.

Their follow-up email starts, “I left our visit excited about the conversation on X topic,” or “I enjoyed meeting you and discussing X technology.” The timeliness of their response should communicate that your interaction was a priority.

But what if the roles are reversed, and you’re the one following up? Here are my recommendations.

• Pre-Initial Contact: Research the event, the topic of discussion, potential attendees, industry trends, topical conversation starters and recent similar events. And get there early! If you’ve already been introduced online to the person you’re targeting, reinforce credibility by association. If you were engaged around an interesting topic, bring up a question to jump-start the next interaction.

• During the Event: Engage proactively, be present in each conversation, add value, don’t be a conversation hog, and don’t distribute business cards excessively. After speaking, immediately capture a couple of notes about the conversation. Be as diligent disengaging from conversations as you were proactive in initiating them. Finally, anticipate their needs; simply meeting their current or articulated needs is not enough. Don’t let them ask you for more.

• Immediately After: Send a brief follow-up note the same day, and include something of value, for example, a link to relevant data, a PDF of an article, a couple bullet points of interest, or an introduction to an influential relationship. Finally, proactively suggest a next step.Be interested but casual. Pace yourself — too much, too fast turns most people off. Be poignant, practical and pragmatic and always give them options, for example, “Can we meet or Skype next Tuesday or Thursday at these times? If next week is bad for you, let me know what the following week looks like on your calendar.”

• If the person’s business stature is higher, position yourself as a peer and don’t get delegated to others down the food chain. If the business stature is same or lower, be humble and make time. Most importantly, be candid: “Apologies in advance. I travel extensively, so please don’t take my unavailability as a lack of interest — it’s simply a lack of immediate bandwidth.”

• A Week Later: If you haven’t heard anything in a week, call and email to make sure they received your follow-up. Be professional and polished, and remember to add value at every interaction.If you don’t get any response, ask yourself whether you could have done anything differently. If you didn’t add sufficient value in your early interactions, pestering them won’t do much good. Move on and focus on working with, helping and adding value to relevant, responsive contacts.
  
  

Additional best practices: Demonstrate unquestionable integrity, have pride in the relationship, garner a personal passion to work together, and earn a person’s vested interest in the long-term viability of the relationship.

Never lose sight of the fact that your performance, execution and results rely on fostering relationships. Lack thereof will dilute your credibility and relevance. Remain competent within your industry and among your peers, and the resulting value will match the effort.

Author: Kyzson

The ability of QR codes to connect people with each other and to multimedia digital content is very useful for businesses and consumers alike.

The Origins of QR Codes While QR codes are still considered a novelty here in the United States, they’ve been actively used for over a decade in Japan where they were invented.  QR is a registered trademark of Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota.  Denso Wave has elected not to exercise their patent rights of QR codes and that has encouraged their widespread use.

There are other software companies that have created 2D codes that work much like QR codes, with Microsoft being the most notable.  Microsoft developed their own proprietary software to create codes known as MS tags.  Unlike QR codes, which can be read by a number of different readers, MS tags can only be read by the Microsoft Tag Reader.

Choosing to use QR codes or MS tags is a personal choice.  It seems that MS tags presently allow for more possibilities for creative graphic designs, such as incorporating images and logos into the tag. 

How QR Codes WorkQR code Generators – There are a number of sites for generating QR codes and they’re all free.  An Internet search for QR code generator will offer many choices.

One that has worked well for me is Kaywa, a site created by Datamatrix, which is another pioneer of 2D codes.  You can use it to create QR codes that link to a web page, text, phone numbers, or SMS.  Another with even greater capabilities, including customizing the color and format of your codes is Kerem Erkan.

QR code Readers – The QR code reader app that works well on my iPhone is i-nigma, which claims to be the most widely used reader in the world.  It accommodates virtually any type of camera phone. For the android, you can also try Barcode Scanner. If you already own the popular price-checking app Red Laser, they’ve recently adapted their technology to accommodate QR code reading.

Applications for QR Codes
Sharing – There’s no limit to how, or even how much, you can share with QR codes.  While a video or landing page is easily shared, you could go further and share an entire eBook and even multiple pieces of content that share a common link.

QR code Like button to the author’s Facebook page.

Community – Sharing is how you build community, and one of the favorite arenas for doing this is Facebook.  You can use Likify to create a QR code that links your mobile device to a fully functioning LIKE button for your Facebook page.

Calls to Action – After building a community, the next logical step is to mobilize them to take action.   What are you trying to accomplish?  You can alternate special offers by simply linking your QR codes to new landing pages, and you can combine then with email opt-ins to build your list.

The QR code above takes visitors to a Facebook page welcome tab where the calls to action are Liking the page and a list opt-in.

SEO and SMO – Earlier this month I wrote an article on social graphs where I discuss how web objects such as images, music clips, and videos add valuable content to your social graph.  QR codes enhance both your search engine and social media optimization.  Now you can increase traffic to those searchable objects to further optimize them by encouraging more sharing.

Social Proof – To help build a community offline, it can be helpful to use your vibrant online communities as social proof of your influence and expertise.  As one example, you can use QR codes to link to specific blog posts that have earned an abundance of activity.

Analytics - QR codes most commonly link to urls, which is why link shortening services bit.ly and goo.gl now automatically generate a QR code for sharing your shortened links.

This screenshot shows how bit.ly serves up analytics and a QR code for a shortened link. Scan it to go to a list of recommended QR code readers.

Practical Uses of QR Codes
Here are some ways for using QR codes that are mostly in practice now, as well as we will be seeing in the very near future.

Where
QR Codes could be used:

• The back (or front and back) of your business card.
• Your brochures and other marketing materials.
• The sides of trucks and trailers.
• Product tags and packaging
• Convention and event nametags
• Restaurant menus
• Event ticket stubs
• Point-of-sale receipts

What
QR Codes could link to:

• Installation instructions
• Sources for replacement parts and service
• Directions to your business
• The process for hiring your professional services
• Valuable coupons and special offers
• Recommendations for complementary products and services
• Free mp3 downloads
• Customer feedback forms

How
You can you maximize your effectiveness with QR codes:

• Provide explanations about their use and benefits
• Encourage actions that support your marketing plan
• Assuage the fears of the technically challenged
• Give reasons to come back
• Experiment with the size, location, and color of your QR codes
• Study your analytics
• Make the process fun, such as a QR code scavenger hunt
• Experiment​

Search engine optimization or SEO is actually a complete package of services that every website needs to have these days.

The competition is such that if you are seriously focusing on internet as a means of marketing and making money, then you cannot do without an SEO strategy.

With search engine optimization, everything about the website, that is, on and off the page, can be improved.

Through SEO, the web traffic to the website can be increased and search engines will also find the website good enough to be ranked high. But all this is done in an effort to make the website more visible and be able to generate more sales.

For any business, every visitor viewing its website is a potential buyer. More potential buyers are brought in with SEO and this means that there are more sales.

SEO is also not a process which can be forgotten at any point or can be achieved fully only once. You need to always improve and improvise the SEO methods so that your website is always ranked high and is seen by more and more people.

Remember that nothing in the internet world is static. There is always movement and changes so you need to stay updated.

A good SEO strategy can be broadly broken up into four steps. Each of these is important and integral to the whole, as the whole thing can only provide the desired results.


The first of these steps is the website analysis.

1. During this phase you should do a detailed study of your website, analyze it point by point, its structure, layout, content, SEO details, visitor reactions and appeal.

2. You should be able to see what keywords are being used, how effective these are depending on the ranking of the website on search engines.

3. Then, you will see if the visitors are allowed to post their feedback, what the feed backs say, how good and relevant is the content, what follow-up procedures are done to keep a client, the RSS feeds on your page and links.

4. You should also be able to check which search engines your site appears on and check the effectiveness of your search engine marketing (SEM).

 
The second phase is to analyze your rivals or competitors in the same way.

While each detail is noted as for your site, a comparative study is also conducted. The competitors are first identified according to the audience and then every detail is noted starting from ranking to website structure and even links. These services will help to put your links on these sites on a sharing basis.

The third step is to define what needs to be done after studying your website and comparing it to your competitors' websites.

The three steps above should provide you with ideas on how to improve the web traffic to your page and in effect, increase your sales.

The fourth step is the implementation plan and the assessment of the results achieved.

Please note achievements do not happen overnight, they are a gradual process... so be patient ~~~

By Author: M. Moume

Online selling & auctions are great places for entrepreneurs and bargain shoppers alike. Online selling site or auction sites are like giant flea markets; they provide a forum for buyers and sellers to find or sell just about anything.

There are many ways to approach online auctions. For many, selling items on Internet auctions sites is a hobby and a good way to supplement their income. For others, it is a job and way of life. For buyers, it’s a great way to find good deals on rare, unusual collectibles or everyday items.

Here is few top sites you may look in to to kick off you business:

INTERNATIONAL SITE

eBay
www.ebay.com

Amazon
www.amazon.com

Webstore
www.webstore.com

Onlineauction.com
www.onlineauction.com

Quicksales
www.quicksales.com.au

Overstock
www.overstock.com

Webidz
www.webidz.com

Cqout
www.cqout.com

uBid
www.ubid.com

ePier
www.epier.com


MALAYSIA SITES

Mudah
www.mudah.my

Lelong
www.lelong.com.my

MyBarang
www.mybarang.com

Shoppy
www.shoppy.com.my

Autoworld - Car Selling Site
www.autoworld.com.my

Hope the above resources able to assist you search to selling online, if you have any good site that come across your mind and would like to suggest, feel free to leave at the comment. THANK YOU!!!

Searching & hunting a good place to showcase your products, services and websites for free in the online world is a dream for everyone – Facebook has made this a reality. With half a billion Facebook users and thousands of online communities to choose from, Facebook has brought potential customers much closer to you.

There is much more to marketing on Facebook than just creating a profile. Keeping your fans engaged is the key. Don’t be a hard sales brand, but be a community they love being a part of. Here is few tips that able to show you how you can use the medium of Facebook to increase your visibility and your customer base as well as retain the ones you have!

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CREATE YOUR PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK 1. Facebook Profile: By creating a profile for yourself or your business, you are establishing your identity. This will take you a long way in developing relationships with fellow users and in positioning your business. You profile lets you interact with people on a personal note, more so if it’s a local business.

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o Profile Picture:Always put your best foot forward, which means use the most flattering picture as your profile picture.  No matter what they say, a book is judged by its cover. for examplae M.A.C makeup’s profile and thought it was really catchy with the colors used on the face. Hundreds of indifferent people with little time to spare are going to decide whether to add you based on your picture. So, make sure you get this one right!

o Add Friends: After creating a profile, don’t wait for things to happen. Add new friends every day and the word will spread that you’re on Facebook. Before you know it, you’ll be starting your day by accepting friend requests! However, make sure you don’t add more than 25 – 30 people a day as excessive adding can get your profile removed from Facebook.

o Wall: This is your main platform to interact with Facebook users. Post messages on your wall and also comment on members’ activities, though, only when relevant. A cafe once commented on my status when it was something about food. And there! A personal connection was built in a second! However, make sure you don’t spam people every other day or they may remove you from their friend list.

o Photo Albums and Videos: Photos and videos are a great way to showcase the latest collection of your product. I know many people who love to see what goes on behind the scene during a photo shoot or while a baker does his magic in the kitchen. Moreover, the first thing most Facebook users check are photo updates. So take your camera and start taking nice images!

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2. Fan Pages: Facebook Pages, known as Fan Pages, are designed for businesses, brands, companies, products and celebrities. It enables public figures, organizations and other entities to create an authentic and public presence on Facebook. You can encourage users to become fans of your page and share information with them by uploading pictures, videos, status updates, hosting discussions and displaying wall posts. Unlike Facebook Profiles, Pages are visible to everyone on the internet and are generally better for long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers.
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3.Groups: Facebook Groups allow people to come together around a common cause or activity to express their views. One of the best features of groups is the ability to send messages directly to members’ Facebook inboxes.  It’s a great way to form a community and help your brand image.

Nowadays, it’s almost a necessity for movies to establish their presence on Facebook during its post-release period as Facebook users look for movies here. The good thing here is that you can send bulk invites to your friends, while it is manually done on Pages. Groups are generally better for hosting quick active discussions and attracting attention.

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4. Events: Simply put, Facebook Events can help you connect with your target audience and invite them for your events, even if they aren’t on your friend list or one of your fans. Events can be created individually or even from Profiles, Pages. What make it so special is Facebook gives you a choice between making the event Public and Private.
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HOW TO USE FACEBOOK FOR ONLINE MARKETING??

Social Media Marketing is still in its infancy. Lets consider this as an advantage because there are not many set rules, you can try & experiment with different methods & techniques. However, if you don’t want to experiment, here are some tried and tested methods that will ensure success:

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5. Be Unique and Keep Updating: There’s nothing more boring than bland Facebook pages. Add lots of personality and fun to your profile. If possible, try to create applications just for your page. Offer something different so that they keep coming back, instead of letting them wait for updates from you. If you check Dell’s Facebook page, you’ll see that it keeps updating its status and gives new information on their products and about technology.

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6. Use a Big Profile Picture: Who says size doesn’t matter?! Using a big profile picture is one of the best ways to brand your Facebook page. Facebook allows images of up to 200pix wide x 600pix high to be used as profile images Pages. This way, you stand out in a crowd.  Check out Bob Marley or Johnny Depp’s page on Facebook and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

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7. Tag Fans in Photos: You can tag your fans in pictures of new collections, or even ask them to tag themselves as a part of a game or contest. Musician Lenny Kravitz uploaded pictures of his concert in Italy in 2009 and asked everyone to tag themselves. This gave him good publicity as the update on being tagged appeared on the fans’ walls.

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8. Exclusive Landing Page for Users: Use different pages to target different sets of people. Take new users to a page that encourages them to ‘Like’ you or to a page they would find interesting enough to keep coming back. Members/fans can be directed to the wall or a game page that might interest them. Red Bull’s profile page is designed in a way that users are given a hint to ‘Like’ the page, while fans are taken directly to the Wall. You can get innovative in designing landing pages and targeting different people. 

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9. Reward Loyal Supporters: Encourage loyal supporters to join your Page and reward them. Tabs or badges like ‘member of the month’ that can be placed on their profiles for visibility can be awarded to them. A happy customer on Facebook can get you lots of attention.  Remind users to Like and Share information about you. When their friends see the updates on the News Feed, it’s highly likely for them to do the same.

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10. Use Contests and Polls: Holding contests encourage fans to interact directly with you. Domino’s ‘Show Us Your Pizza’ is a contest where people can send pictures of Domino’s pizzas they’ve orders. The best picture will be chosen by Domino’s and the photographer gets a prize of $500 and a chance to get his picture featured in an ad. This has received a lot of attention from Facebook users.

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11. Actively Participate Outside Your Page: Find other Facebook pages related to your industry or topic using Facebook Search & start actively commenting on their posts & updates. This is a great way to build relationships in your industry and even adds credibility to your business. If you’re willing to offer free advice on communities and discussions, it will encourage people to check your website out.

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12. Integrate Facebook Social Plugins to Your Site: The Like button on your site enables users to share pages from your site back to their Facebook profile and the Recommendation button gives users of your site personalized suggestions for pages that they like. There are many more buttons like LikeBox, Comments, Live Stream (Just like what you see in my website) etc that you can add to your website. With this, you can see for yourself what your target likes and design your product/service accordingly.

You can also integrate Facebook Connect Plugin in your blog which will enable Facebook users to leave comments on your blog without registering. The comment they make will be put up on their wall instantly which will be visible to all their friends. So, you effectively get a lot of exposure without doing much!

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13. Marketplace: With Facebook Marketplace, you can buy and sell anything using the listing service. The Marketplace application page displays all the most recent listings in your networks. The difference between normal listings and the Marketplace is that you don’t see another boring list of business, but they show up as the site’s own updates. For example, a sales listing would show up in news feeds as “John is selling Abstract Art.” In this case, John can be a ‘friend’ of your or even a friend’s friend. You can find out what people want, what they are offering and also how you are connected to these people on Facebook.
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14. Don’t Just Write for an Audience of Teenagers: It’s time we free ourselves of this misconception. Facebook isn’t filled with youngsters. Though Facebook has many youngsters who belong to the age group 16 to 25, we see an increase in the number of people from other age groups who use Facebook regularly. According to Pingdom, 61% of Facebook users are over 35 years old. In fact, the 26 – 34 age group rivals the 18 – 25 age group in both the US and the UK. So, make sure communicate to your target the right way.

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15. News Feed: The Facebook News Feed gives your posts wide exposure by syndicating it, like an RSS feed.  When a user joins your group, responds to an invitation, or engages you in any way, Facebook automatically adds that transaction to each user’s “mini feed” in the form of a “recent news” stream. This stream unifies all actions so that everyone can see what’s been going on with your business.