11 Reasons You Can’t Ignore Social Media in 2009

So, do you still think social media is a fad that we’ll all look back on and laugh at in the future? You can keep thinking that, but you’ll be stuck on the sidelines while social media continues to grow in 2009. In fact, let me give you 11 reasons you won’t be able to ignore social media this year

1. Everyone is Using it

2. Social Media is Gaining Trust

3. It’s Still Growing

4. Our President Uses it

5. When One Social Network Falls, Another Rises

6. It’s Fast

7. Cost Efficient for Companies

8. It’s Passionate

9. It’s Free

10. Social Media is Versatile

11. The Internet is Social

Are you ready to pay attention to social media in 2009?

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10 Principles of Social Media

The 10 Core Principles of Social Media:
Associations are inherently good – Knowing more people expands opportunity and conversation.

Information wants to be free - Free society runs on free information. Information hoarding is the enemy of discourse and growth.

Economies have currencies - All economies trade on specialized currencies.

Decentralization is freedom - Decentralized power structures spur creativity, growth, and innovation.

Rules beget rules – The more rules you have, the more rules you make.

Karma is real – You give more, you get more.

Context is Fluid - How you view an object today will be different tomorrow. Don’t destroy tomorrow’s value.

Immediacy in all things - Strike while the iron is hot. Eat when the food is fresh.

Communication is blood - Communication is the river upon which information flows.

Findability is power - Unfindable information or people are irrelevant.

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Most Small Businesses Fear Search Engine Marketing

If you’re a traditional small business chances are you realize the potential benefits the Internet can possibly bring. You’ve spent years building your in-store sales and spent countless hours working on plans to drive foot traffic to your store. But what about online? You know the opportunity is there, but something’s holding you back. 

A good majority of small businesses are still weary of creating a presence online mostly because of fear of the unknown. Worse, many of these small businesses are lost when it comes to online marketing. They need help with understanding marketing to the online crowds. According to a new survey by Microsoft, more than half of all small businesses with an online presence aren’t doing any kind of paid search marketing because of a variety of reasons.

The survey goes on to report that those small business that ARE doing paid search marketing are actually very satisfied and happy with their results (higher than 70 percent).

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Interested in learning how Search Engine Marketing can benefit your business, contact us!

10 Reasons Commenting is Good For Bloggers

Blogging is not just about saying your piece, it is also about going out and joining the conversation where it is happening. It’s about reaching out to people and exposing yourself (steady!) to new ideas. Some giving as well as all this taking back we focus on.

It’s the right thing to do - people complain about not enough comments on their own blog but don’t take enough time to comment on others.

Make friends and influence people - Blogging is partly a networking activity.

Create Commentable Content – By observing which posts you commented on and which you did not (or couldn’t no matter how hard you tried!) you develop an awareness of what works to attract comments.

Comments = Ideas - You managed to comment. You never know who is reading -  You never know unless you try.

Keep Match Fit - Comments should be short, fast, to the point and make an impact.

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10 Awesome Ways to Integrate Twitter With Your Website

There’s no better time to start utilizing Twitter integration tools than right now. Here are 10 of the most useful ways to start turning your site readers (or your client’s customer base) into Twitter followers, and vice versa.

1. Twitter Widgets

2. Twitter Buttons

3. Twitter Tools

4. TwitThis

5. Tweet Suite

6. Chirrup (for WordPress blogs)

7. Twitt This

8. Intense Debate

9. Aweber

10. Twitterfeed

Learn more about these Twitter Tools >

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Businesses turn to social networking sites for marketing

More and more businesses are seeing the value of incorporating social networking Web sites — no longer just the domain of college students — into their overall marketing plan.

Social media sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, offer ways for users to blend communication with friends and businesses seamlessly. With the exception of paid advertising spots and certain applications, it is free to set up pages on the sites.

Businesses are finding ways to interact with clients through video, blogs, messaging and more.

Using social media isn’t the best option for every company. But when it works, it can be powerful, and inexpensive.

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Social Networks Are the New Web Portals

To be sure, social-networking sites like Facebook, like the portals before them, aggregate services to provide one-stop shops for Internet users. But they’re competing, too, in a race to provide a social context for Web usage generally. Facebook Connect and MySpaceID are new tools that offer users a way to make their social networks portable.

Social networking sites are  growing at exponential rates and attracting users of all ages.

Facebook’s fastest-growing segment is users over 25 years of age. 

LinkedIn, the business-oriented social networking site, claims more than 30 million active members with an average age of 41.

As social meta-Web emerges, the players that own and harness social applications will radically reorganize and reshape the Web in ways we can only imagine today, and that will profoundly alter our experience of the online world.

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Six Neglected SEO Tips That Can Save Your Business Big Bucks

Every marketing tactic gets more scrutiny when budgets face the severity 
of a struggling economy. Marketers are increasingly responding to the 
accountability found in digital marketing, placing their budget toward 
efforts that they can clearly measure against. Put SEO under this 
microscope, and it consistently delivers. 

1. Eliminate Navigation Bars

2. Check Your Code

3. Go for Quick Wins

4. Meta Info – Describe yourself

5. Optimize Your Keyword Platform

6. Be Reachable

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The Ultimate Small Business Twitter List

Twitter, which allows you to broadcast text messages up to 140 characters in length, is fast becoming the place where a lot of information is being shared online.

Here a list of the people and organizations to consider following on Twitter if you want to keep your finger on the pulse of small businesses. In other words, who are the people on Twitter who regularly provide information by, about and for small businesses? 

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Being Local Replaces Going Global

Much ink has been spilled about how the world is shrinking. But local brands still account for the overwhelming majority of consumers’ purchases — a fact brands ignore at their peril.

Proven brands that many people think of as global, like McDonald’s, have learned that in order to succeed they need to adapt their products and their marketing activity to suit local tastes.

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