A survey of 600 small business owners across the United States indicates that 90% are actively engaged in social networking sites and 74% perceive social networking as valuable — if not more valuable — than networking in-person. When 42% of owners say that 25% of new customers discovered them through sites such as Facebook and Foursquare, it is crucial that your business is online and social. You also need to integrate internet communications into your normal routine of business networking. The takeaway is clear. You need to be where your customers are. MORE >>

What is the most important step in implementing a social media strategy for your business? What most businesses fail to realize (those who start using social media without a plan or any type of integration) is that the social media sphere would rather be listened to first and communicated with… second. We are in control of how we respond, interact, and praise/degrade every brand underneath the sun. Businesses who jump into the conversation and broadcast a message but fail to interact are failing miserably at the art of communication within social media. MORE >>

There’s no doubt social media opens up a lot of opportunity for small businesses, but it also creates a lot of questions. Where The smartest brands like Nike, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, don’t start with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You see, most large brands and business owners are in such a hurry to use social media that they rush right past the ‘story’ to the ‘telling.’ Instead, smart brands choose their message very carefully before they say a thing. Think Advertising Brands Facebook Social media purpose small business MORE >>

Many small businesses are unsure about what to put on their website beyond their services team and contact details. Too many websites for small businesses can date and look stale. Blogging is a useful tool for any business. For any small business this can be a useful tool. Imagine you run a small chain of hairdressing salons. You are busy, as all small business owners are, but understand the importance of your online presence to attract new customers to walk through your doors. Image by robpatrick via Flickr. MORE >>

Today’s guest post is by Beth Hrusch, Senior Editor at Interact Media, a business blog writing service that teaches writing tips and best practices. recent study by Employers indicates that over half of small businesses believe in social media as an important marketing tool.  The average small business uses it to promote, much in the same way they use ads, direct mail and other forms of traditional marketing. Social media for business promotion is fine.  Businesses can do the exact same thing with their customers, using the same sites. MORE >>