Guest Post by Alicia Ranch-Traille. For a small business, the successful use of social media involves a bit more than simply “liking” a few things on Facebook. If you want to make an impact on the social media scene, you'll need to run your presence like an election campaign. You'll want to appeal to multiple networks, track what people are saying about you and prompt those people to leave a positive review every time they check out of your site. If that sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is a lot of work. 1) Monitter. This is where Monitter comes in handy. 5) Disqus. MORE >>

Despite the many business benefits of blogging , it remains an underutilized tactic. Recent research shows that only 37% of the Inc. 500 fastest-growing companies and just 35% of the Fortune 100 enterprises maintain blogs. While blog adoption is actually slightly higher among small to midsized businesses (SMBs), roughly half are still not taking advantage of this medium. Here are six compelling reasons for organizations of all sizes to make blogging the center of their social media and content marketing efforts. Search engine optimization (SEO). Fresh content. Flexibility. Ownership. Leads. MORE >>

Tweet The world of social media is more diverse than most people realize. It’s not just about posting on all of your channels, which takes a certain skills-set of its own. You need ideas to create and share interesting and valuable content. You need analytics to see what’s working and what’s not. You need leadership to create conversations and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry and with your customers. And you need to take a few risks to make sure that you’re not missing any opportunities. At least in theory. The same is true about social media. MORE >>

Here’s the latest post in our “INDUSTRY INSIDERS” column. Every Monday, we’ll be bringing you the inside scoop from several awesome association technology vendors and consultants who will share the insights they have gleaned from years of working in our association industry. All of them are  smart and savvy bloggers, and we know you’ll enjoy what they have to say! ———————-. Why “How to…”? Because I feel it represents basic human behavior at its best. It is what I like to refer to as “what your mama taught you”. Be a Leader. MORE >>

Mobile is BIG. Really big. In fact, mobile — with a deeper penetration than electricity and safe drinking water — is the most pervasive technology ever invented. If 2011 was the year when mobile data, specifically mobile apps and mobile Web, reached the masses, then 2012 will be the year that companies everywhere on the planet do more than merely ‘go mobile.’ ’ They will focus efforts and resources on providing people an optimized experience on mobile. Annette Tonti provides a detailed overview of mobile and her five tips for driving traffic and engagement. In the U.S. MORE >>