It’s not enough to simply have a social media presence. You need influence and reach to make sure your message reaches the optimum number of people. But how do you get those things? With a little time and patience, and these 10 things, you could be on your way to building social media clout. . 1. Find evangelists One of …

Small businesses traditionally have small advertising budgets. But one of the best ways to compete on a shoestring with the big guys is through social media, and there’s no doubt that YouTube is a giant among them. Considered “the Mecca of viral advertising,” YouTube has over 120 million U.S. viewers. Free to use and upload to, YouTube is an excellent …

Online video marketing has exploded, with companies large and small using it to cultivate business. From aspiring artists and politicians to authors and tax consultants, anyone interested in revving up their website traffic can easily and affordably make video marketing magic. If you haven’t used this strategy to promote your products or services, now is the time to get started. …

Your brand — whether you’re a corporation, a small business or an entrepreneur — is, in some senses, who you are. It’s how people identify with you or your company. When using social media to further your brand, it’s so very important to understand how finding the right balance between brand and personality can lead you to success.

When it comes to social networking, you may be using Facebook to create deeper business relationships; Twitter for quick communication and news sharing; and LinkdIn for your overall professional networking. But might there be another level of social media linkage that can be well worthy of your time? To that end, here’s a short list of solid social networking sites …

We all want to get retweeted. It’s one of the most effective ways to spread your influence and reach. Unfortunately, we have very little control over when and how often we get retweeted. But there are some reasons why you might get retweeted that will give you a better understanding of how to make it happen more often.

Back when I was a journalist covering sports in the Southeast US, I’d always get a really wide range of assignments. My favorites, however, were the ones that involved a bunch of different sources in one place. All I had to do was show up and my job was suddenly easier. I was going to them, right where they were. …

This week, Hitwise broke the news that Facebook topped Google to become the most visited U.S. Web site in the Facebook vs Google battle for the internet, at least for the week ending March 13th. Facebook accounted for 7.07% of U.S. Web traffic that week, while Google received 7.03%. According to media experts, the continuous rise in Facebook popularity emphasizes …

Most companies are not looking for their business challenges to be explained to them; they are looking for a prescription to solve them. Today, numerous online services are all clamoring for consumer attention, all suggesting that solutions are just a click away. Moreover, consumers seem to be increasingly encouraged to use the Internet to meet personal needs: for example, buying products …

So, let’s assume the iPad will survive, but hardly thrives … How will it impact the business world? Well, other than for a Notepad-like capability, there’d be few reasons to buy an iPad for work. However, there is one very functional aspect of the iPad, and that’s the ability to write/type on a decent size QWERTY keyboard. Imagine being in …

While it has been reported that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, was sited during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Apple chose the Oscar night to air its first iPad commercial. The 30 seconds commercial presented a user breeze through the iPad features in a relaxed mode. The Apple iPad sale will launch on April 3rd but the pre-ordering of the highly …

Believe it or not, Blackberry phones are more popular and pervasive than the Apple iPhone. The Blackberry smartphone is the go-to option for many business users because of its huge offering of business apps. From spreadsheets to memo recording, you can find all types of business applications that’ll make you more efficient. Which apps are useful for your business? Here’s …

It’s said that small businesses realize about half of their customers through word of mouth. This business axiom begs a couple of questions: Does this hold true for your business? Do you have a referral strategy of some kind in place? Could Twitter assist in spreading the word about your products or services? Think about it: When it comes to …

When it comes to choosing a content management system (CMS), the small business and Internet marketing crowd has stampeded to WordPress.org. That’s due to the universe of (mostly) free WordPress plugins offered around the Web, allowing you to customize your site with bells and whistles unlike any other CMS makes possible. But if running a WordPress site for business, you need …

Ever get involved in a discussion where, at the very beginning, you’re sure you have a great understanding of the topic, but by the end you doubt your knowledge of the subject? Those conversations aren’t very much fun. If you ever find yourself in a discussion on how corporations should set guidelines for social media use, expect it to happen. …