I just read a book called The DragonFly Effect (@DFlyEffect), written by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith and they had some really solid tips on using social media to drive social change. It was named for the only insect that is able to move in any direction when its four wings are working in concert. I never thought of it that way, but I like it. In the book, they reveal how four key actions come together to produce colossal results.

“By learning how to effectively Focus, Grab Attention, Engage, and Take Action, everyday people can produce extraordinary results” – whether they are trying to provide clean water, find an organ donor, or change a kid’s behavior through fun. Read more »

Given the huge spike in social media usage, many are wondering whether to create a business page on Facebook. Let me think about this. Uh, YEAH. Rather than explaining HOW to create a business page on Facebook, I’m going to talk about the many reasons WHY you should do it. I recommend that you create a business page (previously called Fan Page) as soon as you’re ready to expand your business to social networks (like today or tomorrow).
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Although I haven’t even been tweeting a year, I’m hooked – and I’m sure it has nothing to do with my addictive personality. It’s a whole new way of communicating. It’s invaluable for breaking news and insights into just about anything you like. This is an informal guide to using Twitter for newbies.

What are you going to get here you can’t get someplace else? Thoughts on what is cool about Twitter, how to Vespa your way around Twitterspace, and some mistakes I’ve (hopefully) learned from. Other than that, maybe you’ll see something you think is CRAZY, and you can comment. Read more »

Welcome to our first guest post by Joshua P. Romero, the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for California Western School of Law. He oversees the school’s social media programs, including its YouTube channel. He is the writer, director, and producer of a national award-winning YouTube video for a Fortune 500 Company online contest.

This spring, YouTube hit a milestone – it surpassed Google for the number of video searches conducted in a month. Fifty-one percent of 18-55 year-olds go to YouTube at least once a week. As much as 62 percent of adults watch video online, up from 33 percent in December 2006. Read more »

Designing websites for over 10 years, I’m still amazed at the number of businesses that invest in their website and leave no budget for marketing the site. The site itself is only a TOOL to showcase your product or service. The plan should fit into your overall marketing plan (which fits into your business plan). Even if you don’t have all that, you can start marketing your site with this blog post.

The good news is search engines are so powerful, once you take the steps to Make Your Site Search Engine Friendly, you’ve made some smart decisions that will pay off for years to come. Some of these suggestions will be structural and won’t involve an ongoing time commitment, while others will involve a more dedicated approach. In any event, marketing always takes both consistency and evaluation to be effective.

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