How to add a Facebook Badge to your Web Site or Blog

You've seen the links on everyone's pages: "Follow me on Facebook" they say. But how do you put one of those fancy badges on YOUR site? How can you attract fans to YOUR Facebook fan page?

Here's how:

1. Log in to your Facebook account. Once you're logged in, you'll be on your Facebook home page

2. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. You'll see a list of links in the bottom right. Click on Advertising

3. Click on Pages, near the top of the page (it has a flag next to it.

4. Toward the right hand side you'll see a button that says "Create a page." Click on "Manage your existing pages," right below that button.

5. Now, you'll either see a list of the pages you manage or, if you only have one page, you'll be taken directly to it. If you see a list of pages, click on the page for which you want to create a badge.

6. At the bottom of the column that's to the left of the Facebook ads, click on "Get your badge."

7. Edit your badge to customize its appearance. You can choose to display any combination of your name, picture, fans and recent updates. You can also change its layout and orientation - horizontal or vertical. Save your changes.

8. It will ask you where you want to place your badge. If it's for your blog, simply follow the instructions to insert it on your blog. If you want it for your web site, select other, and then copy and paste the HTML code that it gives you. You can then insert this code directly into your web site's code, or hand it off to your web developer who will do it for you.


Happy badging!




To learn more about my professional copywriting services, visit my web site at www.ryanparton.ca.

Go Green For less $$$ with Eco-Friendly Window Film

Spring is finally here, which means it’s home improvement time once again in the Comox Valley.

Against a backdrop of growing environmental awareness and a looming HST that could increase the average family’s energy bill by as much as $200 a year, it’s not surprising that this year’s hot trend in home improvement is eco-friendly upgrades that won’t break the bank.

While heat pumps, Energy Star appliances and even solar panels tend to steal the “green” spotlight, more and more people are discovering another option that’s much more affordable and can reduce their energy consumption by as much as a quarter: window film.

Window film, at its most basic level, consists of a polyester substrate that’s applied to the inside or outside of a home’s windows or skylights. Residential window film has improved dramatically since it was introduced in the 1950s, and today’s consumer can choose from a wide variety of films, each with its own unique properties and benefits.

There are solar films that greatly increase the insulating effect of glass, one-way visibility films that protect your family from nosy neighbours and security films that strengthen glass by 300 per cent while making it completely shatterproof. Most window films today also block 99 per cent of the sun’s UV radiation, which virtually eliminates the fading of flooring and furniture.

The film that’s getting the most attention this year, however, is one that does it all.

“I call it Super Solar Window Film, and it’s the one that everyone’s asking for this year,” says Dave Barlow, who owns Safe & Sound Window Film in Comox. “In the summer, it blocks up to 83 per cent of the heat that enters your home. In the winter, it increases the insulating effect of glass by as much as 35 per cent.”

Customers who have had the film installed, says Barlow, have reported energy savings of as much as 20 to 25 per cent. Given that the film costs as little as six dollars per square foot fully installed and is guaranteed for as long as the customer owns their home, the film generally pays for itself in just a few years.

“Since the home renovation tax credit, a lot of folks have beautiful new hardwood and laminate flooring,” says Barlow. “The flooring experts all agree, the only way to ensure that your flooring won’t fade, bleach or discolour is with window film. So you’re protecting your investment, you’re lowering your energy bill and you’re reducing your environmental footprint. It’s not just a win-win – it’s a win-win-win!”

Dave Barlow will be on hand at the Safe & Sound Window Film booth at this weekend’s Comox Valley Spring Home Expo, in the Comox Valley Sports Centre. For more information, call 250-339-7003 or visit www.SafeAndSoundWindowFilm.com.



To learn more about my professional copywriting services, visit my web site at www.ryanparton.ca.

Why Every Canadian B2B Business Should Register for GST (or HST)

I just had a conversation with a fellow business-to-business (B2B) professional in the Comox Valley and I was shocked that he was not registered for GST. As he didn't earn more than $30,000 each year through his business, he didn't have to register. I had to explain why he should register voluntarily - not next month, not next week, but TODAY!

The advantage of not registering, as he saw it, was that he didn't have to charge his clients GST (or HST, as will soon be the case here in BC). I explained that since all of his clients are businesses, the vast majority of which are GST registered, they don't care if they pay GST or not, since they get back any GST paid for business expenses.

The advantage of voluntarily registering for GST is that, once he registers (which I'm sure he now will), he can be reimbursed for any GST paid on HIS business expenses. Money for nothing, as Dire Straits would say.

So to recap: if you're a B2B business, chances are very good that your clients don't care if they're charged GST or not, since they get it all back anyway. If you register, you get back all the money you spend on GST on business expenses. If you don't register, you lose that money (or, more accurately, you give it oh so generously to the government - ain't you swell!

So if you're a B2B business, go and register. Don't be dissuaded by folks that tell you you don't have to if you make less than $30,000. You always have the right to voluntarily register no matter how much income you earn.

To register online now, click the following link:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/bn-ne/bro-ide/menu-eng.html

Local Copywriter to Represent B.C. Writers

One of Canada’s most prestigious writing organizations has selected a local copywriter to represent British Columbia on its national board of directors.

Ryan Parton, who writes marketing copy for local businesses and operates Ryan Parton Writing Solutions, was named B.C.’s Regional Director of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) in February.

“It really was a surprise and an honour to be chosen,” said Parton, who just returned from his first PWAC board meeting in Montreal last week. “I received some really positive feedback from the ideas I brought forward in Montreal. My next step is to introduce myself to PWAC’s B.C. members and to find out how I can best represent them at the national level.”

The Professional Writers Association of Canada is comprised of more than 600 of the nation’s top writers, including 110 in B.C. and three in the Comox Valley. Members of PWAC represent a diverse cross section of Canadian writers, including journalists, novelists and poets, but Parton is one of only a handful that specializes exclusively in writing marketing copy.

“Copywriting is unlike any other kind of writing,” said Parton. “You need to capture and hold the reader’s attention, and of course you have to convince him to hand over his hard-earned money.

“A lot of business owners will just put up a web site, print a brochure or run an ad without giving any real thought to the writing,” he added. “But it’s the writing that’s going to largely determine whether your marketing earns you money or costs you money.”

In light of Parton’s marketing expertise, his fellow PWAC board members were quick to name him co-chair of the organization’s Communications Committee. This committee is responsible for the maintenance of a members’ blog, as well as the production of PWAC marketing collateral.

Next up on Parton’s PWAC agenda will be the organization’s annual general meeting and national conference, which is being held in Toronto this summer.

To find out more about Ryan Parton Writing Solutions, visit www.ryanparton.ca or call 250-702-1103 for a free consultation. To learn more about PWAC, go to www.pwac.ca.




To learn more about my professional copywriting services, visit my web site at www.ryanparton.ca.