Social Media Tips & Trends

Social media is all the buzz in small business circles these days. But what exactly do we expect from the medium as small business owners and how do we make it work for us? What follows are a series of articles on tips and trends (what works as well as what doesn’t) that we’re hoping will help small business owners find their way in this perplexing new world.

Tips

Are you a highly effective blogger? Yes, blogging is an important part of your social media campaign, so let’s think way beyond just Facebook and Twitter. Here’s a post on the top habits you’ll need to succeed in the highly competitive blogging world out there. Annemarie Cross

What’s your strategy for reaching out and making connections? Make no mistake, the social part of online marketing is not easy. Whether using Facebook, Twitter or blogging, the best laid plans don’t always work. As a result, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan. Basic Blog Tips

Why social media is about more than just connections. If you think you can connect your way to social media success, think again. It’s very important that what you are building is a community, and one with real people you want to connect with and who want to connect with you. Chris Brogan

Trends

Social media: A security threat? You may hear lots of positives about what social media can do for your business. But how about some of the negatives? Well, it just so happens some IT professionals are convinced the dangers might outweigh the benefits. smallbiz technology

Social media best practices. Social media has become hugely popular as a PR tool, but how small businesses use it can also be important. What is your business’s philosophy when approaching social media? Have you carefully considered the message you’re sending? gaebler.com

Social media gives small business reach. In the old days you might have had to buy plenty of TV and newspaper advertising to get similar results and even then, you couldn’t target your audience that well. Today, a Facebook presence can do the same or better as those old school alternatives, helping small businesses capture interest and generate fans. Los Angeles Times

Tools

Social media for the ecommerce entrepreneur. Social media can be a boon for ecommerce businesses for obvious reasons. With both marketing and sales online, audiences can be moved quickly and easily from marketing message to the opportunity to buy. Here are some tools that make this kind of marketing easier. ecommerce-guide.com

Tools to improve small business social media. You won’t likely be able to ignore the importance of social media to your small business in the coming years, but the key to success in this as in every other aspect of your small business is to work smarter not harder. Here are some tools to give you a hand. The Globe and Mail