This Infograph gives Social Media skeptics a better grasp on the processes taken and how the word of mouth can be spread throughout the internet using many different social networks. Social media is effective every time so long as you care about your consumers and provide the customer service they search for.

eMarketer just posted some great stats showing plans to grow small business with social media’s proliferation.

“36% of small businesses look to step up with Twitter and Facebook

Small businesses are confident about their ability to weather the recession, with more than one-half saying they have either fully recovered or will do so by the end of 2010, and nearly three-quarters claiming they will drive recovery in the overall economy, according to the “Third Annual FedEx Office Signs of the Times Small Business Survey” from FedEx Office and Ketchum.

To that end, almost two in five small-business owners reported they would be growing their businesses with social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. That was up from less than one-quarter who planned to up their game with social in 2009 and made social media the only tactic to increase in importance since last year.”

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Social media has been an increasingly effective part in the marketing strategies of many big and local businesses. The main question when Foursquare came around with their innovative geolocation sharing network was; How do we use this to benefit our brand or business? But the Foursquare team has added a few cool features with their network, bringing the game focus to the site, while continuing to build on their own marketing and professional relationships. Today we have some unique ways in which Foursquare has become an effective business marketing tool for more. (more…)

We’ve all heard how awesome Twitter is, but there is always that initial question when getting started; how do I get people to follow me? Well thankfully Twitter offers some original and new features that can direct users in the right way to joining the discussions they’re interested in.

With Twitter trends users can search a specific topic to see which people are tweeting about what. Simply type a topic in the search bar on the right panel. You will then be directed to all the people who’ve mentioned that topic within a tweet, updated in real-time. Connect with these other users by responding to their tweets with worthwhile information from your area of expertise.

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So we all agree Facebook is as necessary as a website if you’re going to make any kind of traction with online marketing, right? Good. Now that we have that cleared up, let’s talk about some ways NOT to use Facebook for your business.

Facebook has given businesses a way to connect directly to consumers on the consumers’ terms. It’s the epitome of why online marketing works. Facebook’s tools give businesses a way to engage them, bring them in and let them experience their brands. However, they can be used negatively without the restaurant or brand even knowing. Obviously this is detrimental as abusing a consumer’s acceptance of you will result in ejection and a bad reputation to their friends. Not good. So, let’s stave off some common pratfalls by other brands….

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Banning usage may not be best choice

Many IT professionals are down on social media usage in the workplace, both because they believe it hinders productivity and might compromise security. As companies adopt usage policies, employees continue to check out Facebook and other potentially forbidden sites.

According to a survey by security solutions provider nCircle, about three-fifths of US security and IT professionals say their company has a social media policy, and two-fifths ban all usage of social media on the job.

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