Social media and sales are both based on relationships, yet these two have had a hard time coming together. Brands that aggressively sell online, in the media, and in brick-and-mortar shops have been very hesitant to "sell" in the social space. That could be, in...

06 September, 2013

*This wouldn’t be a proper blog post about legal “watchouts” if I didn’t include a disclaimer. The following post includes best practices, suggestions and my own interpretation of the laws.  I am not an attorney – just a cautious social media marketer.  Consult your brand’s...

05 September, 2013

It's not totally out of left-field to assume that the brand with the most marketing dollars to spend, or the largest Facebook fan base would achieve the highest level of social media marketing success. Well, it turns out that marketing departments don't openly disclose budgets...

29 August, 2013

Facebook just dropped a bomb on the social media marketing world this afternoon. In a completely unexpected move, the social network made all social media marketers and small business owners jump for joy by making it much easier to run promotions on Facebook. How? Read...

27 August, 2013

One of the most respected figures in SEO said that Facebook shares and Google +1s impact search rankings more than almost any other factor. An even bigger authority said “not true,” in this week's Social You Should Know. Also, a reminder that I’m hosting a free...

25 August, 2013

Nitrogram 50, an Instagram engagement and analytics platform, tracks the top 50 most popular brands on Instagram in real time. Brands that consistently rank here and are consistently named in many social media marketer's "favorite brands on Instagram" include Nike, Starbucks, Sharpie, Victoria's Secret, Forever...

23 August, 2013

If you were hoping to read about some controversial surgery that could enhance your tweeting abilities, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. However, what you will find is something much, much better. Mercy Health, a regional medical system located in Western Michigan, live tweeted a kidney transplant...

22 August, 2013

There are still plenty of brands that have "get more fans" as a primary goal for a social media program. If you have ever created fan-gated programs, either for tabs on Facebook or as stand-alone microsites, you probably have experienced the challenges these pose for...

21 August, 2013