If your like Bucci Insurance Group and you have a well established online presence, but you want to continue to grow and are unsure how, this is the article for you. But first go to our Facebook page and like us!

At this point it is very clear that you need to run 2 power tools around your branding, your site or business: Twitter and Facebook Fan Pages, but when it comes to the later you have to dig a little deeper to get familiar with the possibilities.

1. Insights (Your In-House Analytics)

If you are already running a Fan Page, the first step will be to start paying attention to your analytics. Yep, Insights doesn’t include an incredible amount of analysis and reports but it sure provides enough data to get to know your audience a little better. So make that your first stop, see the genders, age groups and other available data before you start designing a strategy. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s located on the left sidebar of your page.

2. Big Profile Pic (Banner Style)

There is not much to do with Facebook in terms of customization and don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing or the site could be looking more like MySpace… but that means we have to leverage from any real estate available on the page and that is your profile picture.

3. Invitations & Bulk Messages

One of the main differences between a Profile and a Fan Page is that you can send bulk messages to all your fans. Also, and one of the first steps you should take is sending an invitation to join to all your friends with the “Suggest To Friends” feature right under the profile picture.

4. Facebook Widgets On Your Blog

So you are promoting your content on your Fan Page, now promote the other way. Bring your Fan Page to your blog or site by adding the Fan Box to encourage visitors to join the page.

5. Twitter Integration

You can’t ignore Twitter. Again, both ways, you can now sync your Fan Page to update your Twitter status.

6. Blog Promotion

You should always post links to the wall but if you are looking into taking it to the next level, add your blog to the tabs. Blogging networks such as NetworkedBlogs or Blogged allow you to integrate a feed and give your fans a little taste of your blog. At the same time, your blog is now part of a network and that can translate in some additional traffic and followers.

7. Facebook Apps

There are many applications you can integrate to Fan Pages that will help you promote user interaction. Some of them, like the Video app, are already a default on your page, but I suggest you browse through them and you will most likely find something great for your industry or business.

After Bucci Insurance Group’s Social Media Seminar last week many attendees were excited about the new ways they learned to leverage social media to increase business. The only problem however, is many guests were not even at the step where they had established social media sites. This video contains a tutorial explaining how to create a business facebook page and important information that should be included on your page.

Hope it helps, looking forward to “liking” your business Facebook page in the near future!

Our second annual social media was a success! Tim Sawyer of Astonish Results took the stage once again to impart some of his simple secrets to generating success for your small business via social media. Michelle Meenagh, a partner of Bucci Insurance and owner of Pic the Spot Photography was present taking some great photos.

As usual Tim engaged the audience with his exciting and inspirational nature. His primary message to attendees focused on the power in working together.  “This is the new community, but we have to stick together.” We’ve heard it said before there power in numbers, local businesses need to work together!

Google loves two things, time and back-links. Back-links increase search results, which generates more traffic to you and your partners websites, according to Tim Sawyer, “it’s a win, win for everyone.”

Bucci Insurance Group thanks Astonish Results, Radisson Airport Hotel, and all those in attendance who made this event a success. We look forward to working together in the coming years and can’t wait for next years seminar. Stay tuned for tutorials on building your own facebook page and other social media sites.

Just as the Social Media Revolution is here, Bucci’s free social media seminar almost is too! It’s not too late to register for this free seminar that will be teaching the ins and outs of digital marketing so you can improve and expand your business!

Join us for a free seminar

Thursday April 7th

5:00-8:00pm

Radisson Airport Hotel, Warwick, RI

Bucci Insurance Group welcomes special guest speakers: Tim Sawyer (President of Astonish Results, a leading Digital Marketing company based here in RI) and Kelly Donahue, Vice President of Raving Fan Managers at Astonish Results, as they present new and innovative ways to take your business to the next level and talk about the new face of marketing to the modern consumer!

Register Now

Astonish Results, a leading insurance digital marketing provider, focused on helping insurance agencies FIND, SELL and KEEP more customers profitably. Agencies look to Astonish Results because they know change is needed but don’t always know where to start.

Their system provides a number of tools that can be used to varying degrees, but all of them help agencies compete with direct writers on the Internet. Email marketing, CRM tools, website design, social media construction and strategy, SEM and SEO services, training, operations consulting, valuation and content creation are the core tools.

Currently, Astonish Results operates two offices, the main headquarters in Warwick, RI and a second office in Orlando, FL. Astonish represents close to 250 insurance agencies from nearly every U.S. state, including Alaska and Hawaii.

As a testament to their outstanding service and credibility, Astonish was listed as one of the top 100 private companies in 2009. Astonish was also selected as the number one fastest-growing private company and number one fast growing technology company in Rhode Island by the Providence Business News, Book of Business Lists 2010.

Bucci Insurance turned to Astonish in 2009 to improve business utilizing the vast amount of online tools available. “Since Bucci’s website went live in January 2010, we have seen great success both in business and in establishing ourselves in the Internet marketing community” said Tony Bucci, owner and founder of Bucci Insurance Group. I have had the pleasure of working with various Astonish employees, who have all been readily available and more than helpful when needed. They are truly a passionate and insightful crew, who are in it to help you.

Astonish Results President, Tim Sawyer, is a major asset to this fast growing company. His energy engages audiences all over the country; we were privileged enough to have him impart his knowledge at our social media seminar last year. He will be speaking again this year and I know we are all looking forward to exciting informational presentation.

If you are interested in pursuing digital marketing strategies to improve your business join Bucci Insurance Group and Astonish Results, Thursday, April 7th at the Radisson in Warwick for a free social media seminar and networking event from 5-8pm.

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with advertisements, emails and sales pitches creating a cluttered message. Personal relationships enable you to stand out and rise above the noise. Networking is the single most powerful marketing tactic to accelerate and sustain success for any individual or organization.

If you are local business in the Rhode Island area interested in tools to increase business, you need to attend Bucci Insurance’s free social media seminar. Networking is about making connections and building enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. This seminar is a place for you to generate relationships with other proactive businesses interested in the same outcome, more business. Not only will these relationships provide referrals, the seminar will also teach you how to leverage social media to increase business and continue these newly made networks via the Internet.

There were over 50 guests in attendance last year, meaning the potential for over 50 new referrals for your business. Please join Bucci Insurance for this free social media & networking event:

The Airport Radisson Hotel

If you are a growing business owner or even a regular Internet user you undestand the prominence of social media. what you may not understand is the importance of social media and how to use it.

Facebook adedd 100 million users in less than 9 months, it took television 13 years to reach 50 million. Social media is a revolution, if you would like to be part of the future join Bucci Insurance Group for a social media & networking seminar.

The event will discuss: business strategies, mobile technologies, strategic communications, business social networking, and how to leverage social media to generate business. Bucci Insurance Group welcomes special guest speakers: Tim Sawyer (President of Astonish Results, a leading Digital Marketing company based here in RI) and Kelly Donahue, Vice President of Raving Fan Managers at Astonish Results, as they present new and innovative ways to take your business to the next level and talk about the new face of marketing to the modern consumer!

No company wants to  be the next social media casualty, so join us for this free event:

Thursday, April 7th, 2011 at The Airport Radisson Hotel in Warwick, RI

6:00-8:00pm

Space is limited so reserve your spot now! Check out the event on Facebook for more information!

The advent of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin are providing unprecedented access to personal information instantly. From a claims investigation perspective this can be good and bad. Did you ever think you could get caught lying about a claim from a Facebook status you posted, “hit someone’s car today, oops.” The second you post this information it becomes readily available to the public, regardless of your privacy settings. Always keep in mind anything you post on the Internet is not private.

An example featured in Property Casualty 360 illustrates how one social media slip up can cost you. Alexis Muniz of Accord, N.Y., was sentenced to three years’ probation after a Facebook post led to her arrest.

The 28-year-old was arrested after investigators discovered a post on her Facebook page in which she boasted about her salary as an apartment complex manager while she was accepting workers’ comp. payments from her previous job. She was arrested for stealing $8,975 in workers’ comp. benefits, and was sentenced for felony charges of grand larceny and workers’ comp. fraud. She must serve three years of probation, and was ordered to make restitution.

Workers’ compensation claims are for primarily individualized factual situations based on a collection of social experiences involving work-related events.  The collection of personal information on social networks, such as Facebook, has become a treasured library of information that can be utilized to defend or prosecute these matters. Internet is becoming a prominent means of investigation and increasingly leading to more results than traditional detective work. Be aware of the content you are posting on the Internet it can always be traced back to you.

Are you a restaurant looking to increase business or a customer looking for a great deal? Well, whichever you identify with the Groupon can benefit you. Some of you may have recently heard about the Groupon because of their mildly offensive Superbowl ad. Though primetime marketing may not be their specialty, Groupon is great at promoting businesses within your local community and saving you money.

The Groupon is a little over a year old and is different from any coupon you have used before. Their platform is based on collective action. A new deal is offered locally daily through their website. If enough people sign up for the deal, your credit card is charged through a secure server and you receive a link to print your Groupon. Follow the instructions for that particular deal, and you receive a fantastic savings! Now, getting people to sign up is probably the biggest challenge. Referring your friends is one of the best ways, and if they sign up, you receive $10 in credit. If no one signs up you just don’t get the deal, no hidden charges! One of our most valued partners, My Laundry Hamper, a customer-focused laundry and dry cleaning pickup and delivery service for busy people located in North Kingstown raves about the benefits of the Groupon. Learn more about My Laundry Hamper and their services on our partner page.

Groupon also uses their consumer clout to help out in each local community. They feature local charities and organize support for community causes. Log on to Groupon.com today to start saving!

Valentine’s Day is not just for the most obvious significant others in your life. How about showing the people you spend the majority of your day with a little love?   This Valentine’s Day show your employees how much you value them! Since many of your employees spend countless hours on the computer, social media is the perfect tool to share your love. Mashable, the top news site for the latest social and digital media information, came up with a few tech savvy ways you can show how much you value your employees during this month of hearts.

1. Don’t Block Social Networks

It’s been proven that employees with free access to the Internet are more productive than those without. A University of Melbourne study showed that those who surfed for fun (within a “reasonable limit” of 20% of their time in the office) were around 9% more productive than those who didn’t.

The reason behind this is that taking regular short breaks from work can rest the mind, leading to better concentration, and therefore, better productivity.

There’s always going to be an exception to the rule, but we say show your staff you trust them to keep their social time online reasonable, and they will reward your trust.

2. Allow Browser Freedom

Keep your employees’ choice of software and online tools as free as possible. For example, don’t force your staff to use Internet Explorer. Your I.T. guys might prefer it to keep things simple, but with the add-ons and extensions available for the likes of Firefox and Chrome, you will likely find your staff is more productive using their browsers of choice.

3. Work in the Cloud

A work-from-home day is always useful for employees waiting on deliveries or with child care issues. By putting as much of your company’s shared content in the cloud as possible, it frees up your staff by offering more flexibility. This will also show your staff you trust them to work well, even when you’re not looking over their shoulders.

From a productivity point of view (as the recent Snowmageddon has shown), making your systems available remotely means work does not have to grind to a halt should adverse weather conditions make commuting impossible.

4. Don’t Ban Personal Cell Phones

It may be tempting to ban personal cell phones from the workplace, but just think of how that move affects your staff. Imagine the worry that can be created over not being able to be easily contacted, especially in cases of emergency.

Face it — one-off personal calls are probably not going to affect your balance sheet as much as employee unhappiness.

5. Friend/Follow Your Employees

Be sure to friend and follow your employees on mainstream social networks, not to check up on them, but to show you value them as people as well as staff. This is especially relevant for companies that describe themselves as “social.” How do you think an employee of such a company feels when they’ve not been friended by the boss?

6. Even Better, Set Up a Company Social Network

Set up a social network for your company on a platform such as Ning or Yammer. Your company’s social site is not going to give Facebook a run for its money any time soon, but it’s a really great way for everyone to find out a little more about each other, and show your staff you are interested in them without intruding on their personal online life.

7. Set Up Company Music Playlists

Allow music in the office (maybe just for set time periods, i.e., for an hour over lunch) and create company music playlists. The varied music taste of your staff will no doubt surprise you.

One way to do this is to share iTunes playlists across your company network. Collaborating on fun things as well as work is a great way to improve team dynamics.

8. Offer Rewards For Location-Based Service Achievements

Location-based social networking can be a fun way to incentivize your staff. Why not reward those that check in to your workplace the most? Think of it like a school’s good attendance achievement, and reward accordingly. This should help foster some healthy competitiveness among your staff, as well as show them you notice who is turning up to work.

 For guidance, check out these unique uses of Foursquare in the workplace.

9. Feature All Your Staff on Your Company Website

Give every single member of your staff a brief profile and a pic on your company website. This will demonstrate that every person who works in your organization — right down to the office cleaner — contributes, not just the bigwigs.

Additionally, consider letting all employees take turns to write posts for the company blog — there’s nothing like giving someone a voice to make them feel valued.

10. Set Up an Online Comments System

Set up an online system for feedback to give staff a virtual suggestion box for improvements. No one knows more about your company processes (whether that’s which clients are likely to go for a last-minute deal or when the copier jams) than your employees.

 Show how much you value their input by setting up an online forum to share feedback and offer ideas for improvements, which others can view and comment on.