Leveraging LinkedIn for SMB Success
Social media networks are powerful tools for executives to use to build brand and revenues, as Gene Marks explains in a recent post at Deluxe for Business.
Take LinkedIn, for example – an entrepreneur could launch a brand profile as a part of his or her small business strategy and use it to garner fans and followers, which could later be tapped as potential buyers. This is similar to how a business would use Facebook – amass fans, then market new goods and services to them. is one of the few social sites that reach out specifically to professionals, and since there is no need to add any personal life information, you don’t have to worry about keeping one separated from the other.
Gene Marks: “Entrepreneurs can leverage LinkedIn in other ways. For business-to-business firms that have relatively small client bases, LinkedIn can enhance relationship-building. When it comes to making sales, establishing a relationship can go a long way – the more a business owner knows about his or her targets, the easier he or she can connect with them.”
Saving Your Small Business Social Media Sanity!

Image: DannyBrown.me
Source: Catalyst Enterprise Solutions
What do you have to say to your clients and prospects and what do they have to say about your business or company? You certainly do not need social media to reach out to your customers and clients but it doesn’t hurt to spread your name and brand in a way others looking for someone in your field can clearly see. Social media is about more than just marketing though. It’s about learning from those you engage with.

Karen Leland
The flip side, however, is that social media management for your small business can become maddening, due to the attention drain it requires. Social media attention-deficit is on the increase, but Karen Leland at Sterling Consulting Group provided a great 5-point primer, and a cute dog story to go with.
Source: Karen Leland | Huffington Post
Earlier this week, I came across a springy King Charles spaniel happily chewing on a tennis ball, when he suddenly became aware of his owner filling up his water bowl at the drinking fountain.
Four Things a Small Business Must Do in Social Media
Business owners often ask us what they should they be doing for social media their company. In our “expert” (LOL) opinion, this question cannot be glossed over, let alone without doing bonafide research. That being said, asking is the first step and so we will answer it with the help of social media expert Nicole Fletcher (follow her).
Here is Nicole’s quick list of what your company MUST first be doing to get into the swing of things – (source: Jacob Tyler)
1. Create a Facebook fan page and Twitter account and use them. Keep them updated with fresh, relevant content and bring in your personal network for growth. Ask your community what they want to hear about and then provide them with that information. Talk to them, respond to them and do it in a timely manner…not just today, but tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. Make time for these tools – you’ll be glad you did.
Next-Generation WordPress Websites Do It All
Created primarily-initially for bloggers, one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that WordPress is only for blogs. With its state-of-the-art characteristics however, WordPress has now become an excellent open-source web publishing platform and content management system which boasts impressive web standards, aesthetics, flexibility and great usability among its users.
Blogging platforms tend to have less functionality than the more robust non-blog Content Management Systems, but over the years WordPress has been extensively developed towards increasing sophistication. And since WordPress is free and released under GPL (General Public License), any user is allowed to modify it to meet virtually any purpose. Thus, when properly modified its one of the best content management systems available for WEBSITES.