SmallBusinessNewz

Blinded By the Hype Light

In the small business world, it's becoming increasingly easier to get caught up in the hype of the latest trends in marketing. Do you have a Facebook page? A Twitter account? Are you offering coupons to Fousquare users?  The truth is none of these matter if you can't find an applicable way to utilize them that makes sense for your own business.

Is Facebook as Important to Your Strategy as Google?

According to data from Compete, Facebook has surpassed Google as the top source of traffic for major portals like Yahoo, MSN, and AOL. In December, 15% of traffic to these sites came from Facebook and MySpace. 13% from just Facebook. They say it's among the top traffic drivers for other types of sites as well.

Social Media Marketing About Goals, Just Like Any Other Marketing

If you're still trying to figure out ways in which you can use social media to help your business, perhaps you would do well to consider that marketing through social media is not necessarily that different than marketing in general. Rebecca Kelley the Director of Social Media at 10e20 recently discussed why it's not that different in an interview with WebProNews.

Search Marketing Without Social? Good Luck.

If you didn't already have a reason to use social media to market your business, consider Google's recent Labs release, Social Search. The feature returns search results (when possible) based on related updates from people you are connected with on various social networks, blogs, etc.

9% of SMBs Are Marketing with Twitter

A new study from BIA/Kelsey found that 32% of small business advertisers plan on including social media into their marketing mix within the next 12 months. It also found that 9% of small and medium-sized businesses are currently using Twitter for marketing. "Social media is clearly gaining traction among SMB advertisers," said Steve Marshall, director of research and consulting, BIA/Kelsey. "As local consumers

In Case You Missed These Twitter Nuggets

We cover a lot of Twitter-related storylines and tips at WebProNews, and they often reflect things that can be applied directly to small businesses. With that in mind, I often find such topics worth noting to our SmallBusinessNewz audience as well. There were a few Twitter-related articles we ran on WebProNews this week that you, the small business owner, might be able to take something out of. So here they are.

Different Ways to Get ROI From Facebook

The Search Engine Strategies conference is in progress in San Jose. One of the sessions at the event was about turning the social web into real ROI (return on investment). The session focused on best practices in how marketers can leverage the social web as a simple way to quickly build and manage effective campaigns.  

Using Apps on Your Facebook Page for Engaging with Customers

First off, if you run a business, you have to acknowledge how important Facebook is. It continues to grow rapidly, and is getting connected with more and more websites, applications and devices. Even Nintendo just launched Facebook Connect integration with its portable DSi device.

Small Business Stories You May Have Missed This Week

As you may or may not know, I spend a lot more time writing for WebProNews than I do SmallBusinessNewz. That's not because I have any less respect for SmallBusinessNewz readers. WebProNews is just our flagship publication, and it requires a lot of my time.

Twitter-Approved Marketing

Hopefully you're not thinking, "Oh no, not another Twitter article." Frankly, I wouldn't blame you, because we are all certainly bombarded with everything Twitter. But when you're running a small business, it's not really something that should be ignored.