8 Brands That Benefit From Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is one of the most efficient, yet misunderstood, social media marketing tactics.
It’s not new. In fact, it’s almost as old as blogging itself. It started becoming a standout tactic just a few years ago.
This post answers one of the most frequently asked questions: Is guest blogging good for “big guys?”
By the way, “guest posting, the time waster” is one of the myths I busted in my previous post for Social Media Examiner. Today’s article is one more argument in favor of guest blogging.
Guest blogging is about placing your content for free outside of your own blog to increase its reach. A guest post thus is a piece of content you write for someone else’s blog and include your author information to build exposure and awareness of your brand. 
30 Social Media Predictions for 2012 From the Pros
How will social media impact businesses in 2012?
We sought expert opinions from a wide range of pros you’re likely familiar with.
We are grateful for the dozens of social media professionals who have written over 600 articles for us since we started Social Media Examiner in October 2009.
To give you a glimpse of what we can expect in the next 12 months, we decided to tap their knowledge and expertise. Here are their predictions of where social media is headed in the next 12 months.
#1: Businesses consolidate social media activities
Michael Stelzner @mike_stelzner
As the social media landscape becomes more crowded in 2012, businesses will pick their battles and dig in. What used to be simply Facebook and Twitter is now Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (and who knows what’s next). On top of this, you have many specialty networks like Foursquare, Yelp and Instagram.
The old mantra of “be everywhere” will quickly be replaced with “be where it matters to our business.”
12 Google+ Marketing Tips From the Pros
Are you struggling to figure out how to market your business with Google+? Looking for some tips and ideas? You’ve come to the right place.
We asked 12 experienced social media professionals to share their best tips on Google+ for business with you.
Here are 12 ways you can use Google+ to promote and market your business.
#1: Personalize your page URL
Ben Pickering @bpicks
Carly Simon’s 70′s hit “You’re So Vain” gave vanity a bad name. But using a so-called “vanity URL” can be a smart move when it comes to your online presence.
While Facebook allows page owners to create vanity URLs of the structure facebook.com/YourName, Google does not currently do the same.
By default, Google+ page URLs look like this: https://plus.google.com/103145815507039304597/posts. It seems likely that at some point Google will allow for personalized page URLs, but until they do, there is a service that can help.
How to Use Social Partnerships to Amplify Your Marketing
Would you like to combine forces with another company in a collaborative promotion?
Want to know why this is wise and how to do it? Keep reading…
Going Beyond the Customer
Many marketers have a relentless focus on a single dimension of social interaction: the brand-consumer relationship.
Thinking that the “social” in social media marketing is all about your relationship with consumers is constraining.
Rethinking the role of other relationships can dramatically improve the effectiveness of those very marketing efforts designed to engage your target customers.
While social channels facilitate new ways of tapping into “partners” and as the line between personal and professional relationships has blurred, it is important to view business relations in a new—and yes, more social—light.
5 Reasons Your Business Should Be Blogging
Does your business blog?
Have you been thinking it might be time to consider a blog, but aren’t sure (a) you can pull it off and (b) it will provide value?
Keep reading. This article will help you (or someone you know) understand the value of a business blog.
Is Google the Only Reason to Blog?
I have a question for you, and it’s a serious one: If you never garnered another single visitor to your company blog through search engine optimization (SEO), would you still have one?
For many, especially execs who don’t necessarily “get it” when it comes to content marketing, the answer would be, “No way!”
But for those persons and companies that have watched the magic of blogging and its effect beyond SEO, the answer would be a resounding, “Of course!”
That’s what this article is all about. There’s much more to having a company blog than just getting more visitors to your website because Google decided to send them there.
In fact, here are 5 other powerful reasons why you should be blogging, and I look forward to hearing what you would add in the comments section at the end.
Win the Small Biz Dream Contest: Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever!
*UPDATE: Congratulations to P.J. Jonas of Goat Milk Stuff and Erica Conroy of Coupsmart, the grand-prize and second-prize winners in the Small Biz Dream Contest. All 10 winners won a free pass to Small Biz Success Summit. P.J. also won 3 hours of consulting from John Jantsch. The top winners also won a library of marketing books and John Jantsch’s Complete Small Business Marketing System. Go see the winning entries.*
Do you own a small business?
Would you like to win free private coaching from the world’s foremost small business expert?
A creative photo can get you there.
Social Media Examiner is hosting the “Small Biz Dream Contest.”
The grand prize includes private coaching from John Jantsch (author of Duct Tape Marketing) along with free tickets to Small Biz Success Summit 2012.
What is the contest?
It’s fun and simple. You simply take a photo and post it on our special Facebook page. We used Strutta to create a contest that complies with Facebook’s standards.
This is Mike Stelzner's dream in 2012 (and yes he drew the sign).
5 Tips to Sell Your Blog
Do you wonder if your blog has the potential for a big payoff?
Here are 5 tips to position your blog to attract corporate buyers.
The $315 million–dollar acquisition of Huffington Post by AOL definitely raised some eyebrows as bloggers started to realize that they’re holding “real” assets that can attract top-dollar investments.
But for many, it may seem like selling your blog isn’t even a remote possibility. Perhaps you’re still trying to figure out how to make it attractive for readers.
As you consider what’s next for your blog, start thinking like an entrepreneur and recognize that your blog has the potential to earn income like any other business.
Here are tips to take your blog to the next level, while making it more attractive for corporate buyers.
Copyright Fair Use and How it Works for Online Images
You’ve heard the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when that picture is protected by copyright, the picture is only worth three words: cease and desist.
OK, that’s kind of a lawyer joke. But it illustrates how protective people are about finding their images used online without permission.
Copyright laws were established not to give the author the right to deny their work to other people, but instead to encourage its creation.
Article I, Section 8, clause 8, of the United States Constitution states the purpose of copyright laws is “to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”
It’s a delicate balance between the rights of the creator and the public’s interest. When in conflict, the balance tips more heavily toward the public’s interest, which is often contrary to what the creator believes to be fair or just.
This article will cover exactly what copyright is and what it covers.
And then we’ll look at the concept of fair use as it pertains to using images online. The goal here is to better understand how to use images others create in a way that is both respectful of the author’s ownership rights and allows others to use it.
Small Businesses Set to Excel with Social Media in 2012
Do you own a small business? Are you tired of hearing how big businesses are succeeding with social media?
If so, Social Media Examiner has some exciting news…
But first, much has been said about big companies such as Red Bull and Cisco, and how they harness social media to drive massive traffic to their sites and generate enormous sales.
But when small business owners are asked about social media, many have no idea how to use it in a practical way that can impact their business goals.
4 Steps to Selling With Social Media
Are you wondering why your social media efforts aren’t working?
Social media success sometimes appears arbitrary.
Perhaps you’ve wondered, “Why does company X generate leads and business from their social activity while my company wastes resources on blogs that don’t get read and tweets that go unanswered?”
Social media is so new, sometimes the path to success is unclear and it’s easy to lose your way.
If you want to demystify the experience and improve your ROI (return on investment), you need to make sure that your marketing and campaigns include these four essential components:
