The PR people have always recognized value of partnerships between companies in press releases and stories pitched to the media, but brands rarely think to champion strategic partners via social media the way they might champion consumers. Many folks in the B2B space often blame the lack of social media content opportunities on the fact that what they do doesn’t directly impact consumers, but I don’t buy it. Every company touches people in some way; as an employer, and a community stakeholder. Get social with your favorite cause  . MORE >>

We’ve reached a critical point in the evolution of social media as a business tool. We’re at the point of social media saturation, and something’s got to give. The crux: that the days of social media as an experiment are over – it’s time for a more mature approach to social media within companies in order for social media to be viewed as a sustainable communications and business function. Six Essential Shifts in Social Media Strategy. Setting better objectives for social media. MORE >>

Social marketing software company Awareness has just released the second part of its bi-annual State of Social Media Marketing report for 2012, and it makes for some pretty interesting reading. Surveying 469 marketers from a variety of industries, expertise and verticals, the report looks at how businesses are using social media (or not), the key pain points, and where businesses are heading in 2013. Some of the key findings include: 44% of companies with social marketing budgets of $100,000 or more are using social CRM software, compared to 16% in general. MORE >>

Nearly ever business professional now acknowledges the value of social media for facilitating online conversations that connect a tribe that is passionate about an idea, purpose, or brand. In other words, most business leaders understand the value of social media. Surprisingly, there was hardly a mention of content, how and why it fuels your social media channels. And this is an association of members who are in the content business! The value of  Content marketing is common knowledge in my world, and your expertise is common in yours. MORE >>

Advertising is a form of media that fits well with the small business mindset. Unlike traditional advertising campaigns, social media takes time to do its job. This also leads to a temptation is to set up business pages on every social network to drive traffic to your websites. Learn how to use social media to humanize your business. This is the power of content marketing  - bringing truthfulness to the marketing equation. This is also why personal social media accounts that are linked to a business can accomplish more than a business account. MORE >>