facebook application development

05 Jun

19 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted by Matt Silverman, under Business, Facebook, Features, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, Social Media, Social Media Lists, Twitter, small business, tech, youtube

Did you hear that? It’s the sound of another week coming to a close. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “How will I ever get to read all of the social media tips, app reviews, and trend analyses I’ve missed?”

Well, this is the Internet — you could search and scroll your way around in the hopes of finding the resources you’re looking for. Or, you could simply take a peek below at our handy weekly guide to all that was new on the web in the last seven days.

This week’s roundup includes some social media sleuthing tips for that upcoming job interview, the innovative ways that lawyers use the social web to advance their careers, and some Apple-themed products for baby that will have you cooing uncontrollably.

Social Media

Top 10 Stop Motion Videos on YouTube
The painstaking art of stop motion video is widely honored on YouTube. Here are 10 of the best animations we’ve seen.
Top 10 YouTube News Bloopers
Who doesn’t love a good blooper reel, especially when it comes from those suit-and-tie-serious news anchors? For a laugh, check out these 10 greats that were just too good not to find their way to the Internet.
5 Things the Library of Congress is Archiving Online
You may not think of all your social media noodlings as a historical document, but that’s what the Library of Congress aims to create with its archive of the web. Check out what their huge project of capturing our time entails.
6 Websites for Remembering and Honoring Veterans
Though Memorial Day has passed, it’s never a bad time to take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices of those who defend our country. These six sites are full of important stories and resources.
How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results
While many attorneys and firms have been cautious around new media, some have reinvented their careers through blogging, tweeting, and sharing. Here are some examples.
4 Social Media Efforts to Aid the Gulf Coast
The Gulf oil spill tragedy has left many feeling powerless to help out, but pockets of non-profits are using social media tools for grassroots action. Here’s a look at their efforts.
HOW TO: Make a Great How-To Video
Tom Laidlaw, the CEO of the how-to video site VideoJug.com, shares some top dos and don’ts for the instructional format.
4 Tips for Producing Quality Web Videos
With the explosion of web video content, it’s harder than ever to get your productions seen and heard. Here are a few tips that will help you distinguish your videos.
How Does Facebook View the World?
Facebook may be the first large scale Internet company to survive a bold “shoot first and ask questions later” policy when it comes to innovation. Here’s a look at what they’ve done right, and what could be improved.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

10 Must-Have Apps for the New iPad Owner
With the long-awaited international launch of the iPad, thousands of folks will be app hunting in the coming weeks. We’ve highlighted 10 must-haves to start you off right.
10 Free Android Apps to Boost Your Productivity
Time may be money, but these absolutely free Android apps will help you save both by boosting your productivity.
5 Matching iPhone and iPad Cases
Are you a fashion-forward Apple addict? Then have we got the accessories for you. Clad your favorite phone and tablet in matching garb with these swanky cases.
10 Adorable Apple-Themed Baby Accessories
Prepare for cute overload! From outfits, to hats, to toy iPhones, these “iBaby” products will start your offspring on the path to Apple fandom while they’re still highly impressionable.
3 Key Location Trends for Moms
As location services become more mainstream, moms are taking advantage of related discounts, utility apps, and entertainment on-the-go. Here are 3 location trends to watch.
What the Future Holds for the Checkin
Location-based services, while still somewhat abstract in their usefulness, offer a wealth of social engagement opportunities that have yet to be implemented. Here are a few examples.
7 Awesome CSS3 Techniques You Can Start Using Right Now
From slideshows to navigation menus, here are seven of our favorite practical CSS3 techniques that you can experiment with.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

5 Small Business Social Media Success Stories
Small businesses can always learn from the success stories of others. Here are five companies that are kicking tail and taking names while staying on top of their social media efforts.
3 Ways to Ace Your Job Interview with Social Media
Social media can help you gain crucial insights about the company and people you’ll be interviewing with. Here’s how you can leverage that info for a successful meeting.
HOW TO: Organize Your Contacts for Networking Success
Now that you’ve accumulated so many friends and followers, learn how to gather and secure all their contact information on your desktop and phone.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Internet, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, twitter, youtube

02 Jun

5 Small Business Social Media Success Stories

Posted by Erica Swallow, under Facebook, Features, Social Media, Twitter, bantam live, butter lane, emerson salon, feather your nest, liberty bay books, small business, small business tips series, the social man, yelp, youtube

This series is supported by Bantam Live, a web-based collaboration workspace with “Social CRM” for small business teams. For more information visit BantamLive.com.

A recent study conducted by the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business showed that nearly one in five small business owners are integrating social media into their business processes, and that technology adoption rates in the U.S. among small businesses have doubled in the past year from 12% to 24%.

Whether your business is ahead of the curve or looking to catch up, small businesses on both sides of the track can learn from the success stories of others. Here’s a list of five companies that are kicking tail and taking names while staying on top of their social media efforts.

1. Emerson Salon Creates a New Business Model

In 2008, when co-owners Matt Buchan and Alex Garcia decided to buy and makeover a hair salon in Seattle, Washington, which they renamed Emerson Salon after Ralph Waldo Emerson, they decided that the Internet would be an important focus for their business. Little did they know that two years later, 75% of their business would be sourced from Facebook, Twitter and their blog. After talking with these savvy entrepreneurs, it was obvious that they had created a whole new business model in the hair and beauty industry, in which social media was king. Social media is so ubiquitous in their salon that Buchan noted that, “it’s rare for even a walk-in customer to come in and not have read our blog or seen our tweets.”

Buchan and Garcia have lent tremendous efforts towards building an online community while keeping up with the latest trends. You can measure their efforts by taking a look at their website. Right away, they have links to all of their social profiles, links to all of their stylists’ social profiles, their blog feed, and a button where users can book their next hair appointment online. Even more impressively, after booking an appointment, a user can share their appointment with friends on Twitter or Facebook. Since introducing social media into the mix, traffic to their website has more than tripled. It’s no wonder the salon believes so strongly in the power of connecting.

Lastly, Emerson Salon makes it a point to stay involved with the local community and build a place where customers can gather for just about anything. Buchan elaborated that, “whether it’s talking about the next local street fair, things we are passionate about (like the Lost finale), or just our latest hair cut special, social media is a great place to engage the community.”

2. Butter Lane Supports a Following

If there’s a cupcake bakery out there with an knack for social media, it’s Butter Lane. Not only are they on Facebook and Twitter, but they also run a Yelp offer and manage their Yelp venue page, maintain a blog on Tumblr, run group-buy specials on Groupon and LivingSocial, and have a special on Foursquare.

How do they keep up with all of it? Co-Owner Maria Baugh said she and her team are avid users of Postling, a social media management tool that allows businesses to see all of their brand activity on various social media platforms all from a single interface. Baugh noted, “It has a dashboard where we can see on one screen the most recent tweets, Facebook posts and Yelp reviews. And simply click one button to reply to any post immediately. Very convenient.” For small businesses who are strapped for time, a tool like Postling offers a one-stop place for staying in contact with customers.

For Baugh, the focus for Butter Lane will always be on perfecting their products and delivering excellent customer service. She stressed that:

“Obviously it’s crucial to make a great product, but it’s also extremely important to give the customer a great experience. It’s so incredibly simple, yet it’s so often overlooked. Go the extra step with service and you’ll win customers for life. Social media helps us do this in a variety of ways. Yelp particularly is very helpful for us to monitor our customer service and make sure our staff is going above and beyond. We take all of the reviews very seriously and have made modifications to both staff and product based on Yelp reviews over the months.”

It’s no surprise then that Butter Lane has gained a dedicated following. When recently asked to explain how Butter Lane had created a cult following, Baugh’s response was that, “it never occurred to us that people viewed us that way, and of course, we were thrilled. But if we do have any kind of cult following it is due in large part to our involvement in social media.”

3. The Social Man Gets Personal

In a business like social coaching, there’s no avoiding one-on-one conversations. A typical session could entail a lesson at the bar, a discussion on social dynamics, or a break-down of an interview with a hot girl. Jonathan Christian Hudson, founder of The Social Man, a small social coaching business based in New York City, explained the dynamics between coaches and clients. “Our clients have to trust us and like us in order to work with us,” he noted, “and there’s no better way I know of to demonstrate that than by putting our faces out there and having a real dialogue with them.”

Hudson asserted that one of The Social Man’s biggest competitive advantages was the natural personalities of his teammates:

“I’ve been told that the biggest thing that sets us apart is our personality. We come across as, and I’d like to think we are, down-to-earth guys –- the sort of cool brother that a dude always wanted. It’s the casual nature of the conversation we have with our audience that separates us from the pure marketers.”

Videos sites Blip.tv and YouTube have allowed The Social Man to get personal with clients and prospects. Through their channels on both sites, they run a series called “Ask the Social Man,” in which Hudson and his colleagues answer questions on dating and pick-up techniques. Since they began uploading daily videos, the company has seen a rise in site visits and sales.

4. Liberty Bay Books Starts Conversations

Liberty Bay Books is an independent bookstore located in Poulsbo, Washington that specializes in Scandinavian and nautical books. From a brief conversation with Owner Suzanne Droppert, you immediately understand that she places a very high value on conversation and the exchange of intellectual ideas. Social media, then, is a natural outlet for a community thought leader like Droppert.

Droppert began experimenting with social media after attending an educational seminar early last year. The presenter absolutely insisted the attendees join Twitter immediately. Droppert believes it is important to stay connected with online social conversations regarding your business’ space. She stays abreast on books, travel, food and local events via her store’s Facebook and Twitter pages. She also keeps the community up-to-date on book signings and in-store events on the company blog and YouTube channel.

In the end, Droppert’s goal is to share views, ideas and conversation with her customers and the authors who visit her store. Her social media efforts, which are an extension of her genuine interest in her customers, have led to a growth in sales, as well as a growth in genuine connections with her customers. Droppert mentioned, “People will mention they saw a post of mine on Facebook, and we’ll talk about it over coffee here in the store.”

The types of connections that Droppert has with her customers are rare in our fast-paced, self-centered world — something that every business, big or small, can work towards.

5. Feather Your Nest Makes a Name for Itself

Set in the tourist destination of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Feather Your Nest is a specialty shop for homemade and vintage-looking gifts. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy and their blog. Owner Gina Drennon, a web designer and self-starter, is a gem in the rough when it comes to Internet-savvy small business owners in her neighborhood. Drennon explained,

“Eureka Springs is a tourist resort with literally dozens and dozens of shops. We stand out in the crowd because very few [of those shops] are active in social media. Very few businesses here sell online, and those that do have not seen the success that we have.”

Drennon illustrated the situation perfectly. Eureka Springs is a town where not even use of the Internet has begun to blossom among small business owners. In that type of environment, an entrepreneur like Drennon is positioned to pull ahead. And that she did.

Drennon has made a name for her shop, and she has had tremendous success. Says Drennon:

“I’ve seen our web stats increase, followers increase, interactions increase, and most importantly, sales increase. But not only that, I’ve made many meaningful connections with bloggers and magazine editors that have featured our products and our store, which bring us huge amounts of attention that you really cannot put a price on. I can positively say that at least half of the national press we’ve received is due to contacts we’ve made over social media.”

Small businesses with shoestring marketing budgets should never underestimate the power of word of mouth generated by media. The folks at Feather Your Nest have certainly taken advantage of it.

There are countless examples of small businesses taking the reigns of social media and leading their businesses to success. Let us know which success stories stick out in your mind in the comments below.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, dgrilla

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Series supported by Bantam Live

Bantam Live is a web-based collaboration workspace for small business teams that combines “Social CRM” with project/task management and microblogging communication – all centered within a real-time activity stream. Business teams can share an address book and track contacts and conversations, track prospects and sales pipelines, and organize projects and tasks to get work done. With integrations to social networks, team members can search for keywords and reply to and import new contacts and their real-time profiles into Bantam Live.

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Internet, Tumblr, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube, blog, iStockphoto

Tags: bantam live, butter lane, emerson salon, facebook, feather your nest, liberty bay books, small business, small business tips series, social media, the social man, twitter, yelp, youtube

31 May

90+ Essential Social Media Resources

Posted by Matt Silverman, under Business, Business Lists, Facebook, Facebook Lists, Features, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Megalists, Mobile 2.0, Mobile Lists, Social Media, Social Media Lists, Twitter, Twitter Lists, iPhone Resource Lists, small business, tech, trending, youtube

Now you’ve gone and done it. You’ve come across a list so enormous, so useful, and so awesome, our futile attempts to describe it have been lost in the tubes of cyberspace.

We’ll just say this: No matter what you’re into — Twitter, Facebook, Mobile Apps, Business Development, or good-old-fashioned YouTube hilarity — you will find it below.

So put down your barbeque, send out another huge thanks to our men and women in uniform, and limber up your scrolling finger — it’s a big one.

If you dig the uber-list, be sure to send some comments our way down below!

Social Media

HOW TO: Disable Facebook’s “Instant Personalization” [PRIVACY]
New menus on the Facebook home page this week took users by surprise, and left many concerned about the privacy implications of being suddenly more “connected” to their favorite sites and interests. If you’re looking for ways to opt out of these new features, this guide will show you how.
HOW TO: Spring Clean Your Twitter Account
An untended Twitter feed can quickly become overgrown with useless tweets and dead weight users. These great tools will help you streamline your Twitter account in no time.
How Freelancers are Using Social Media for Real Results
Social media can be a boon for those who make their living gig-to-gig. Sheer networking is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to landing work via the social web. We spoke to freelancers in a variety of fields to find out how they make it happen.
9 Essential Social News and Bookmarking Sites for Designers
The design community is always hungry for content, inspiration, and tutorials. These nine networks are a great place to discover and share creative resources.
4 Ways One Non-Profit Uses Location to Increase Engagement
The National Wildlife Federation has been getting creative with their social media awareness campaigns, particularly when it comes to location-based technologies. This post discusses some of their innovations.
Tim Ferriss: 7 Great Principles for Dealing with Haters
For all the personal connections and open sharing done on social networks, you’ll always find a fair share of scathing negativity. Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week, gave a talk at The Next Web ‘10 event in Amsterdam, and had these seven points to share on the subject.
Gowalla CEO Talks About the Future of Social Media [INTERVIEW]
We sat down with Josh Williams to discuss the origins of his location-based network, and what current trends in the space mean for the future.
5 Free Services for Pre-Scheduling Your Twitter Updates
Whether for marketing purposes, event promotion, or just keeping your account fresh while you’re on vacation, a tweet scheduler can be a handy tool. Check out these five great ones, all of them free.
How Twitter’s New Media Blog Aims To Teach By Example
Twitter’s new blog highlights news organizations with smart Twitter integration in the hope of becoming a resource for the media. We spoke with Twitter about their strategies and goals.
Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube
Those stop-motion goodies are back, this time reenacting our favorite flicks in all their colorful plastic glory.
Top 10 YouTube Cover Songs
For better or worse, YouTube has become the ultimate repository of musical tributes. From guys in their bedrooms, to a capella cleverness, to guitar-wielding toddlers, this hand-picked list highlights some of the best around.
5 Ways to Support World Malaria Day Online
The fight to end malaria in the developing world has become a rallying cause on the social web. Check out these five easy ways you can make a difference online.
How Non-Profits are Using Social Media for Real Results
Social media has become an essential tool for non-profits in their efforts to spread awareness and raise funds. Check out some real-world examples of how some organizations have put the social web to good use.
Why Content Curation Is Here to Stay
At times, content creators and content curators have been at odds. But the sheer volume of “stuff” and noise on the web has made curation essential. This post discusses the status of the curator on today’s social web.
Social Enterprise: 5 Tips for Getting Execs on Board
There’s no longer much question about whether corporations need to be engaged in social media, but convincing the head honchos of the value can be challenging. We spoke to some of the top names in social strategy and got some great tips on bringing the boardroom up to speed.
How Does Twitter’s New Social Good Initiative Stack Up?
The recent launch of Twitter’s Hope140 campaign has already done some good for important causes, but how effective is it when compared to other social awareness and fundraising campaigns? This post discusses the pros and cons of tweet-based charity.
5 Ways Facebook’s Open Graph Will Impact E-commerce
Facebook’s new Open Graph technology could dramatically change how we interact with the web, especially when it comes to online shopping. These five predictions lay out what to expect from your favorite e-commerce sites in the near future.
Top 10 Wedding Dance Videos on YouTube
If you think you’ve seen some crazy nuptials, check out some of these dance moves, immortalized forever in the hallowed halls of YouTube.
HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
400 million people are using Facebook. If you’re looking for someone, chances are you can find them there. Here’s how to do it.
HOW TO: Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page
There’s a lot more to Twitter than just sharing your favorite foods in 140 characters. If you’re looking to make an impression with your profile page, check out these tips.
5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
Social media has the potential to make government more transparent and accessible. Here are five examples of how the social web can improve public services.
8 Tips for a Successful Social Media Cause Campaign
Social networks can provide unprecedented reach to non-profits and their partner companies, but there are some strategies to note before diving into the next campaign. Check out these eight tips.
4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom
Education has long faced resistance to new technologies, but social media can be a great resource in the classroom. Here are some tips on bringing it to the fore.
Top 5 Social Media Tips for C-Suite Execs
While your web-savvy employees may be hip to social media, getting upper management on board can be challenging. We gathered some expert advice, and lay out the value proposition in this post.
Why the Fashion Industry Loves Foursquare
Lifestyle brand Diesel recently launched a fairly tacit Foursquare campaign that demonstrates the great marketing potential for location-based services. This post details where they succeeded, and where they fell short.
Why Hasn’t Location Reached the Mainstream Yet?
Despite all the buzz about location-based services, most people don’t use them. Here are some of the reasons why, and a few predictions about the future of the trend.
HOW TO: Turn Slacktivists into Activists with Social Media
Non-profit Twitter and texting campaigns may be tapping thousands of new cause contributors, but is a $10 SMS really where their engagement ends? This post speaks to how non-profits can deepen that connection through social media.
Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation
Who are your kids friending on Facebook, and how much online time is too much? We asked the experts to weigh in on some concrete strategies for raising the first fully digital generation.
HOW TO: Get Notified When Someone Hacks Your Facebook
Did you know that Facebook can alert you when someone logs into your account from an unknown computer? Follow these simple profile steps to set up this important security feature.
In Defense of Facebook
With all the vitriol surrounding Facebook’s latest privacy gaffs, this post takes a moment to look at the people most responsible for our online privacy — ourselves.
How Facebook Makes Edgy Concepts Mainstream
Two years ago, the thought of sharing your location or credit card purchase history online would have seemed ridiculous. Today, it grows ever more mainstream thanks to major social networks like Facebook that make these early-adopter trends more comfortable for the average user.
Why Twitter Needs to Do More to Save Trending Topics
Twitter recently amended its trending topics algorithm in the hopes of producing more relevant and newsworthy results. But is this an interference in the natural development of popular topics? And is Twitter doing enough to remain a relevant source of real-time news? This post takes a hard look.
How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. Department of State and many of its embassies around the world are having great success shaping America’s image abroad through social media. We spoke with some of the diplomats and officials who are making a difference through Twitter and Facebook.
21 Rules for Social Media Engagement
If you’re creating a social media policy for your business, or even your personal brand, these 21 points are a surefire way to stay on track and on message in an online world full of noise.
5 Innovative Websites That Could Reshape the News
While traditional journalism remains in upheaval, a handful of startups have provided a glimpse at what the future of news gathering might look like on the social web. Whether these models are sustainable remains to be seen. Check out this post for look at some of these innovators.
5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
If you’re not cognizant of your Facebook privacy settings, you may be broadcasting things to the world (or even certain groups of friends or family) that you may not have intended. Note these important settings to ensure you stay in control of your social data.
How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies
Agencies around the world are finding that social media is more than a broadcast medium. Active engagement can serve the public in important ways. Here are some examples.
EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at the “Married on MySpace” Wedding [VIDEO]
We got an exclusive chance to go behind the scenes at the actual wedding of winning couple Dehlia and Graeham Ford-Feliz.
TwitPic Founder Talks About the Future of Twitter Photo Sharing [VIDEO]
TwitPic has become one of the most popular ways to share photos on Twitter. With a recent facelift and a lot of attention from prospective buyers, the company has some big plans in the works. We spoke to the founder, Noah Everett, to get his take on TwitPic’s rapid growth and future.

Business

10 Killer Tips for Creating a Branded YouTube Channel
Video is the way to go for businesses on the social web. Be sure to give these rules a run-down before embarking on a branded YouTube adventure.
10 Dos and Don’ts for Brands on Twitter
People expect different things from individuals and brands on Twitter, and crossing those streams could lead to a few common mistakes. Check out this list of tips to ensure your company plays by all the right rules.
5 iPhone Apps to Boost Productivity
With the right apps in tow, an iPhone can be productivity powerhouse. Check out these five recommendations.
5 Tips for Making Your Presentations More Social
Social media has opened up a wealth of opportunities to make business presentations more engaging. These five tips can transform your boring set of slides into a dynamic, real-time force of nature.
What Twitter’s New Ad Model Could Mean for Small Business
It’s easy to see the potential for large companies like Starbucks to leverage Twitter’s new advertising model, but what about small businesses? This post discusses the options.
5 Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
Many small businesses are still beholden to paper for a variety of reasons, but there are some easy changes you can make to your document systems to dramatically reduce that consumption. Check out these tools and apps that can get your business moving in a greener (and cheaper) direction.
4 Ways Foursquare Can Improve Your Workplace
Though mainly thought of as a location-based social game, Foursquare is showing some big internal potential for companies. Build camaraderie, enthusiasm, and knowledge among your team. This post can show you how.
HOW TO: Cultivate Your Brand’s Super Users
The customers who already use and love your product could be the most influential spokespeople for your brand. This post discusses how to identify these super users, and how to make the most of their passion.
HOW TO: Make Sure You’re Tracking the Right Data
The flood gates are open on social data, and if marketers don’t pay attention to the right things, the volume can easily get overwhelming. Here are some tips for honing in on the data the really matters to your marketing strategy.
What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business
Facebook’s latest big changes have big ramifications for marketers and businesses with a presence on the network and the web at large. Find out what these developments mean for your social strategy in this post.
10 Essential Tips for Building Your Small Biz Team
Your business’s most important asset is your team, and hiring the right individuals can be a challenge. Check out this advice in your hunt for that new slam dunk employee.
5 Ways Small Businesses Can Leverage LinkedIn’s New Features
LinkedIn’s new social feeds mean more opportunities to share and connect on the business network. Here are 5 tips for making the most of these new features.
HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Offline Networking Events
While online social networking is all well and good, don’t forgo an opportunity to translate your online reach into a meaningful offline connection. This post has some great pointers.
Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
Co-working is a great way for your small business to save on overhead costs while leveraging the natural synergies between your team and other professionals working out of the same space.
10 Must-Have BlackBerry Apps for Small Business
The king of business mobile devices can do a lot more than just send e-mail and make calls. These 10 apps can boost your productivity, and keep you connected on the go.
The Local Advertising War Will Be a Clash of the Internet Titans
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and even Foursquare are on track for a cataclysmic battle for location-based advertising dollars. Here’s a look at where we stand, and what to expect.
5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money
If you’re looking to trim a few dollars from this quarter’s budget, the resources you need may be starting back at you from you from this very screen. Check out these penny-pinching tech tips.
How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
While you probably won’t learn the nitty-gritty details of a deal on Twitter, VCs and angels use social media extensively for research, promotion and other purposes. This post explores some of their strategies.
Which Department Owns Social Media?
Does a company’s social media presence belong to the marketing department? Customer service? Legal? We asked the experts how they categorize the versatile medium for business.
13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
Are you effectively managing your LinkedIn profile? Here are 13 tips for making yourself visible and presentable on the business network.
HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your business, no matter what industry you’re in. We spoke to the experts for their cost-cutting tips.
4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook
Even if you sell to other businesses, Facebook can still be a great place to engage customers and drive sales. Check out these four strategies.
Why Your Company Needs to Embrace Social CRM
Social media is changing the rules of customer engagement. Your company needs to understand and embrace Social CRM to meet the needs of the new social customer. This post discusses how.
5 Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories
When most think of social media for business, fun, consumer-facing brands come to mind. But what about B2B and niche products? These five success stories may surprise you.
5 More Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
Looking for ways to reduce your small business’ carbon footprint and operating costs? Cut your paper consumption with these five web-based services.

Mobile

4 Reasons the iPhone Is a (Video)Game Changer
The iPhone has truly taken the video game world by storm, and there’s plenty yet to explore in mobile gaming. Check out this analysis of the current trends, and what they might mean for the future of the industry.
HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player
If you shun the iMusic lifestyle, you can still keep all your favorite tunes at your fingertips with an Android device. This post will show you how.
Top 10 iPhone Apps for TV Fanatics
Whether you’re addicted to Lost, or have taken up the guilty pleasure of Gossip Girl, there are great TV tie-in apps that will keep you up to date, and tapped into some great bonus materials.
8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness
Whether you’re looking to get in shape or stay that way, your mobile device can help. The Android Market is full of health-minded apps that can keep you on track toward physical fitness. This post reviews eight of the best.
10 Free iPhone Apps To Learn A New Skill In 10 Minutes
Have you ever wanted to learn origami, CPR, or Morse Code? There are apps for those, and many more skills, so fire up your iPhone and check out this list of freebies.
How Mobile Technology is Affecting Local News Coverage
The news-gathering game has changed, thanks to the ubiquity of smart, multipurpose handhelds. Whether you’re using your own device to report and disseminate the news, or you’re tapping a social web of mobile updates and Twitpics for sources, the mobile-savvy journalist is out at the front of the industry.
7 Ways Journalists Can Use Foursquare
While Twitter and Facebook have been established as great places to make and break news, Foursquare’s growing popularity offers some interesting location-based opportunities for journalists.
8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
Looking to add a few tricks to your Android’s photography bag? Check out these eight apps that will have you cropping, filtering, and snazzing up those mobile snaps in no time.
How the Next iPhone Will Improve Your Productivity
The upcoming release of the new iPhone and its accompanying OS upgrade means a lot of important changes for power users. Here’s a breakdown of the key features.

Tech

HOW TO: Give Your Inbox a Master Cleanse
If your inbox is bursting with social media notifications, useless newsletters, and unsolicited messages, you’re certainly not alone. Use these tactics to bring your unread count back into a reasonable realm.
HOW TO: Secure Your WordPress Blog
WordPress is certainly a secure platform right out of the proverbial box, but there are always ways to protect your blog or site from the more nefarious denizens of the web. Heed these tips for more secure blogging.
5 Real-Time Location Trends to Watch
The location game is heating up faster than you may think. Keep on top of things by noting these important trends, as relayed by Joe Stump, CTO of SimpleGeo, who spoke at The Next Web ‘10 event in Amsterdam.
Why Schools are Turning to Google Apps
The state of Oregon has made the bold move to embrace Google Apps for its entire education system. The reasons and benefits are compelling, and could open up a wealth of possibilities for schools around the country.
8 Ways to Repurpose Your Old Electronics
Why toss your obsolete gadgets in the landfill when you could transform them into art, data storage, and other useful items? Here are eight suggestions for keeping your gadget habit in the green.
5 Quick Tips to Solicit Useful Design Feedback
Designers can (and should) take their work very personally, but this often makes it hard to receive constructive criticism. Here are five easy ways to get the feedback you need to keep a project moving forward.
5 Charities for Donating Your Old Electronics
Just because you no longer have a use for your second generation iPod doesn’t mean it should be headed for the scap heap. Take a moment to note these charities where your old gadgets can be put to new use.
7 Ways to Customize Your Real Life Online
Sometimes, a startup can offer unique products that a big retailer or e-commerce outfit just can’t. These seven websites will customize all sorts of cool stuff — from shoes, to chocolate, to pet food.
10 Awesome Webcam Feeds From Around the World
Live webcams offer a real-time, remote glimpse at some interesting locations. We’ve hand picked these ten great ones for your viewing pleasure.
How Big Live Promises Big Change for Online Music Fans
The soon-to-be-launched service Big Live aims to bring concert enthusiasts together on a social network-style platform. This post outlines some of the offerings of this ambitious project.
NFC Technology: 6 Ways It Could Change Our Daily Lives
Near field communication technology, which enables data to be transferred between mobile devices at close range, has been around for some time. Recently, it has been gaining traction as a practical way to shop, do business, and more. Check out these examples that could become commonplace in the near future.
5 Great Ways to Find Music That Suits Your Mood
There are plenty of ways to generate a playlist based on artist, song, or genre. But what if you just need a tune-stream for a broken heart, or an energizing workout? These five web apps can do it with a few clicks.
Why Much of Your Favorite TV Content Still Isn’t Online
With web video consumption growing, why has TV been so reluctant to fully embrace online viewership? We spoke to researchers and TV executives for some answers.
HOW TO: Add Facebook “Like” Buttons to Your WordPress Blog
This post goes over several ways to implement Facebook’s “Like” buttons and other social plugins into your hosted WordPress blog or website, so that you can hook into the Facebook social graph.
WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features
The official launch of WordPress 3.0 is almost here, and it packs a host of excellent new features. Peruse this list to find out what all the hubbub is about.
6 Free Websites for Learning and Teaching Science
Release your inner science nerd and check out some of the web’s wonderful free resources for the pursuit of knowledge about our world. From genetics, to robots, to the infinite cosmos, these sites abound with information for students, teachers, and the just plain curious.
10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online
We dare you not to kill some time with these fabulous classics from gaming’s golden yesteryears. Strap in and click through to start reliving your former 8-bit glory.
5 Tools For Integrating HTML5 Video in Your Website
HTML5 is coming, and with it the coded potential to displace Flash as a viable medium for web video. These tools will get you rolling with the new format.
Five Amazing App and Gadget Demos from Google I/O [VIDEO]
Google and its partners are rolling out some amazing new products and toys in the near future. We were on the ground at the I/O conference to get a hands-on video look at some of these developments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, M-X-K

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, LinkedIn, Twitpic, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube, iStockphoto, video

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube

24 May

How Hospitality Companies are Using Social Media for Real Results

Posted by Jennifer Van Grove, under Business, Facebook, Features, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, coffeegroundz, disney, foursquare, real results, roger smith hotel, royal caribbean, small business, social media marketing

The Real Results series is supported by Gist, an online service that helps you build stronger relationships. By connecting your inbox to the web, you get business-critical information about key people and companies. See how it works here.

Often, we think of our offline lives as distinct from our online presence, but social media is real life. Look no further than the hotels you stay in, the restaurants where you dine, the airlines you fly on and the theme parks you take your family to for proof. More often than not, there’s a Twitter and Facebook account — possibly even a Foursquare presence — behind the venue in question.

Because social media is a platform for the customer’s voice — and that voice can be heard by anyone in the world — the hospitality industry as a whole has embraced social media in a huge way.

Hospitality businesses of all sizes — from the biggest hotel chain to the little neighborhood cafe — have found their own unique way to harness the power of Facebook and the distribution possibilities made available via Twitter.

Personalizing Customer Service

Customer service is the most obvious way for the hospitality industry to use social media, and Twitter is the perfect vehicle for resolving customer issues or making a guest’s day with a simple “thanks for visiting” tweet.

But the best in the business are going above and beyond in the customer service arena. For example, the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels use social media sites like Twitter and Foursquare to improve their customer service efforts and better meet the needs of their guests.

As the E-strategy Development Manger for the hotels, Jade Bailey makes sure that her team greets and caters to guests who check in there on Foursquare or tweet about being somewhere on the property, both on social sites and in person. The team has also seeded Foursquare with numerous tips inside the hotel, enlightening guests on the fascinating stories behind some of the more lustrous decorative embellishments.

Smaller businesses are going the extra mile as well. CoffeeGroundz — an independent coffee shop in Houston, Texas — uses Twitter as a way to make its customer service more personalized than its bigger competitors.

The store’s general manager is credited with making CoffeeGroundz one of the first businesses to take to-go orders via Twitter, an effort that began in October 2008. In addition to to-go orders, the boutique coffee spot now also accepts table and event reservations via direct message on Twitter.

Storytelling

At the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, social media has become immersed within the hotel’s unique culture. At its core, the Roger Smith Hotel is about storytelling — with a focus on art and people — and social media has become the way in which the hotel can share these stories and create new ones.

In fact, Brian Simpson, the hotel’s director of hospitality, says that while the hotel certainly attempts to connect the dots between social media and sales, ROI is not the focus of the team’s social endeavors. “We’re less concerned about how many rooms are booked because of social media, and more focused on telling stories and connecting people … you can’t pay a marketing firm to make those connections.”

It’s this type of open thinking that keeps The Roger Smith at the forefront of the social media curve.

Simpson primarily relies on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the hotel blog to distribute and collect stories, but also recognizes the value of location-centric social networks like Foursquare and Pegshot. He approaches each social site with a different strategy, saying, “We take all of these stories and figure out which social media networks support them best.”

Simpson points to an event back in 2009 as a catalyst for some of its creativity. The artsy hotel then hosted a Social Media Breakfast, which led to interest from other social media and web groups, and ultimately inspired Simpson to actively immerse himself in the social media culture.

Because The Roger Smith is independent, Simpson found ways to bend the rules for groups and startups, making the hotel inviting to all types of social media event organizers. For Simpson, exposure is key and hosting these events helps get the hotel’s name out there. Today, the hotel is essentially the social media-friendly hotel of New York; events are booked for each night of the week and its become the official hotel of many a New York web conference.

“We’ve made social media a part of the hotel,” says Simpson. “If we stopped doing social media, the culture wouldn’t change, but the stories that get told about us would change, and that would change the perception of the hotel.”

With storytelling at the center of everything the Roger Smith does online and off, Simpson is also looking for the next great way to engage current and potential guests. He says, “now that everyone’s on Twitter, and everyone has a Facebook Page, our objective is to find out what’s next and stay ahead of the curve.”

The hotel is also being extremely avant garde with its approach to installation art. They’ve commandeered an art studio on Lexington Avenue outside the hotel and turned it into an experimental space where art meets social media. The space is dubbed the RS Pop-Up Shop, or RS POP, and it’s open to up-and-coming designers and artists who want to showcase their work with social media flair.

Each selected RS POP participant is heavily supported with social media exposure, so artists and designers are featured both in the art studio and online via the hotel’s social media channels.

Disclosure: The Roger Smith Hotel has hosted Mashable events.

Making Good with Mom

Mom is a very important person in the hospitality space. She books the hotels, makes travel arrangements and handles most of the money matters. Mom is often the decision maker for the family.

As the former Vice President, Public Relations/New Media at Universal Orlando Resort, Cynthia Gordon developed The Universal Mom Squad to make Mom’s experience at the park second to none.

Gordon says, “Hands down the best way to reach moms is online and through mom bloggers. Let’s face it, mom bloggers are a full-fledged Internet phenomenon. You have 42 million women online, with nearly half of those visiting blogs to get advice and recommendations. Mom bloggers have powerful voices and their opinions are valued by their readers.”

She credits Disney for its social media outreach efforts saying it “took the lead in courting mom bloggers and inviting them to experience their parks’ new attractions and services.”

Gordon is referencing the Walt Disney World Moms Panel — 43 hand-picked moms, and a few dads in the mix — who serve as online advisers and help answer park-related questions on behalf of Walt Disney World. The moms answer submitted questions and the inquisitive can browse through topics, search for answers, submit their own question or learn more about the panel. The program started in 2008 and new moms are added to the group each year.

Another hospitality brand catering to moms is the Royal Caribbean International cruise line. The company recently took the opportunity to invite a group of moms participating in the weekly hashtag Twitter event #gno (Girls Night Out) aboard its Oasis of the Seas cruise ship to host one of its Twitter parties while at sea.

The moms aboard the ship engaged with other moms the world round, spreading the message that cruise vacations are ideal for fun, family travel — there’s no cooking, cleaning or child care concerns to worry about. As the host, Royal Caribbean was a part of the thousands of tweets generated during the two-hour Twitter party.

Employee Education

Often, social media is siloed to an individual department. This situation sets the customer up for failure. Imagine an eager customer — aware of a company’s social media presence — who ventures out in the real-world and encounters employees with zero knowledge of their own company’s Twitter account or Facebook Page. The end result defeats the entire purpose of social media.

If social media is on the menu, then everyone from the doorman and the bartender to the CEO should know about it. Those in the know should make it a point to educate staff on their own social media presence and promotions, as well as encourage employees to embrace social technologies for their own personal use.

Simpson says this is what helps set the Roger Smith Hotel apart from its bigger competitors. He works with his social media partner Adam Wallace to maintain the Roger Smith accounts, but the two of them have also prioritized educating the hotel’s 100+ member staff. Together, they’ve inspired nearly a quarter of the team to take up tweeting by teaching them that it’s just about conversation.

As such, one of the hotel’s bartenders has developed his own following on Twitter. Simpson says that often the bartender will tweet while working his shift and even offer to pick up a drink for the first few patrons who stop by.

In connecting the dots between social media, management and staff, the hotel can ensure that guests’ expectations are superseded, and not deflated, when they walk in the door.

Series supported by Gist

Gist helps you build stronger professional relationships by bringing together information from across the web for all your contacts and their companies giving you the right information at the right moment to get a first meeting, deliver an amazing pitch, or just find a better way to make a connection. Gist does all the work for you, assembling a dynamic collection of all your contacts and their companies from your email inbox, your social networks, or even your CRM system automatically building and updating their profiles as new content is published – by them or about them.

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Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Internet, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, iStockphoto

Tags: business, coffeegroundz, disney, facebook, foursquare, MARKETING, real results, roger smith hotel, royal caribbean, small business, social media, social media marketing, twitter

22 May

24 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted by Matt Silverman, under Business, Facebook, Features, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, Social Media, Social Media Lists, Twitter, small business, tech, trending, youtube

If we had to choose one word to sum up this week’s essential resources, it would have to be “business.” If you own a business, work for a business, or even give money to businesses in exchange for goods and services, you’ll want to scroll on down and take a look at how even one week’s worth of social media news has shaped your industry.

Additionally, we we still have some good old fashioned mobile app reviews, some important Facebook privacy tips, and an interesting look at the way governments and agencies are using social media to better engage. So what exactly are you waiting for? Get started!

Social Media

In Defense of Facebook
With all the vitriol surrounding Facebook’s latest privacy gaffs, this post takes a moment to look at the people most responsible for our online privacy — ourselves.
How Facebook Makes Edgy Concepts Mainstream
Two years ago, the thought of sharing your location or credit card purchase history online would have seemed ridiculous. Today, it grows ever more mainstream thanks to major social networks like Facebook that make these early-adopter trends more comfortable for the average user.
Why Twitter Needs to Do More to Save Trending Topics
Twitter recently amended its trending topics algorithm in the hopes of producing more relevant and newsworthy results. But is this an interference in the natural development of popular topics? And is Twitter doing enough to remain a relevant source of real-time news? This post takes a hard look.
How the U.S. Engages the World with Social Media
You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. Department of State and many of its embassies around the world are having great success shaping America’s image abroad through social media. We spoke with some of the diplomats and officials who are making a difference through Twitter and Facebook.
21 Rules for Social Media Engagement
If you’re creating a social media policy for your business, or even your personal brand, these 21 points are a surefire way to stay on track and on message in an online world full of noise.
5 Innovative Websites That Could Reshape the News
While traditional journalism remains in upheaval, a handful of startups have provided a glimpse at what the future of news gathering might look like on the social web. Whether these models are sustainable remains to be seen. Check out this post for look at some of these innovators.
5 Essential Facebook Privacy Tips
If you’re not cognizant of your Facebook privacy settings, you may be broadcasting things to the world (or even certain groups of friends or family) that you may not have intended. Note these important settings to ensure you stay in control of your social data.
How Social Media is Changing Government Agencies
Agencies around the world are finding that social media is more than a broadcast medium. Active engagement can serve the public in important ways. Here are some examples.
EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes at the “Married on MySpace” Wedding [VIDEO]
We got an exclusive chance to go behind the scenes at the actual wedding of winning couple Dehlia and Graeham Ford-Feliz.
TwitPic Founder Talks About the Future of Twitter Photo Sharing [VIDEO]
TwitPic has become one of the most popular ways to share photos on Twitter. With a recent facelift and a lot of attention from prospective buyers, the company has some big plans in the works. We spoke to the founder, Noah Everett, to get his take on TwitPic’s rapid growth and future.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
Looking to add a few tricks to your Android’s photography bag? Check out these eight apps that will have you cropping, filtering, and snazzing up those mobile snaps in no time.
10 Awesome Vintage Video Games You Can Play Online
We dare you not to kill some time with these fabulous classics from gaming’s golden yesteryears. Strap in and click through to start reliving your former 8-bit glory.
5 Tools For Integrating HTML5 Video in Your Website
HTML5 is coming, and with it the coded potential to displace Flash as a viable medium for web video. These tools will get you rolling with the new format.
Five Amazing App and Gadget Demos from Google I/O [VIDEO]
Google and its partners are rolling out some amazing new products and toys in the near future. We were on the ground at the I/O conference to get a hands-on video look at some of these developments.
How the Next iPhone Will Improve Your Productivity
The upcoming release of the new iPhone and its accompanying OS upgrade means a lot of important changes for power users. Here’s a breakdown of the key features.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money
If you’re looking to trim a few dollars from this quarter’s budget, the resources you need may be starting back at you from you from this very screen. Check out these penny-pinching tech tips.
How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
While you probably won’t learn the nitty-gritty details of a deal on Twitter, VCs and angels use social media extensively for research, promotion and other purposes. This post explores some of their strategies.
Which Department Owns Social Media?
Does a company’s social media presence belong to the marketing department? Customer service? Legal? We asked the experts how they categorize the versatile medium for business.
13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
Are you effectively managing your LinkedIn profile? Here are 13 tips for making yourself visible and presentable on the business network.
HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your business, no matter what industry you’re in. We spoke to the experts for their cost-cutting tips.
4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook
Even if you sell to other businesses, Facebook can still be a great place to engage customers and drive sales. Check out these four strategies.
Why Your Company Needs to Embrace Social CRM
Social media is changing the rules of customer engagement. Your company needs to understand and embrace Social CRM to meet the needs of the new social customer. This post discusses how.
5 Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories
When most think of social media for business, fun, consumer-facing brands come to mind. But what about B2B and niche products? These five success stories may surprise you.
5 More Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
Looking for ways to reduce your small business’ carbon footprint and operating costs? Cut your paper consumption with these five web-based services.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, IlexImage

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Android, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mashable, Twitpic, Twitter, iStockphoto

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube

21 May

5 Surprising Social Media Business Success Stories

Posted by Rick Burnes, under Business, Business Lists, Facebook, Features, List, Lists, Social Media, Twitter, contributor, small business, social media marketing, trending

Rick Burnes leads the content production team at HubSpot, a marketing software firm that produces the Inbound Marketing Blog and Inbound Marketing University.

Chances are, most of the businesses you interact with as a consumer are on social media. Your local restaurant is blogging, your grocery store is on Twitter — even your favorite candy is on Facebook. Companies in mainstream, consumer-facing industries are all over social media.

But how about other businesses? Manufacturers? B2B service providers? Equine dentists? Are they experimenting with social media?

You bet. Here are five examples, all at different stages of their experiments, and all indicating the breadth of business use of social media.

1. Equine Dentist Builds Relationships With Facebook

How do you turn a regional service business into an international destination for industry thought leadership?

Facebook.

At least that’s what worked for Geoff Tucker, an equine dentist based in Palm City, FL.

In a business driven by relationships, Geoff says that Facebook allows him to build new ones. “People do business with people who they’re friends with. Period,” he says. “And Facebook is a great way to get to know people. It allows people to see that I’m a person.”

As he builds these relationships using social media, Geoff is also expanding his company’s reach. He says it was his blog, his Twitter feed, and his Facebook account that helped him win appearances on Horse Talk Radio and HorseGirl.tv.

So what’s this done for his business? Geoff says that over the last year, Facebook alone has generated about 100 leads and 10-to-15 customers.

2. Steel Building Manufacturer Taps New Verticals

As a manufacturer of prefabricated steel buildings, SteelMaster was initially hesitant to get involved in social media.

“It’s steel buildings,” explains Michelle Wickum, director of marketing for the Norfolk, VA company. “How is that going to tie to Facebook? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but when we looked at the growth in Facebook and social media, we felt we had to get our arms around it.”

About a year ago, SteelMaster put its first toe into the social media water. The company discovered two important applications for their business. First, they found that Facebook is an excellent way to post pictures of customers’ steel buildings. Not only do the pictures engage existing customers — they also demonstrate to prospective customers the range of uses for SteelMaster buildings. “Photography for us is the hook,” Michelle explains.

Perhaps more importantly, SteelMaster found that social networks like Twitter and Facebook gives it exposure to and create demand in specific verticals where it previously had little traction. Chicken farmers and woodworkers don’t typically think to use steel buildings, but when friends and colleagues share pictures of their SteelMaster buildings on Twitter and Facebook, the farmers and woodworkers become interested.

3. Full Social Media Integration for Marketing Paint

Idea Paint is a Boston-area startup that sells paint that turns surfaces into dry-erase boards. The company uses social media throughout its sales and marketing process.

The company blog, where employees publish videos, images and stories of product installations, is the hub of Idea Paint’s social media activity. The company uses Twitter and Facebook to share content published on the blog — then to listen to, respond to, and interact with the community that content engages.

Marcus Wilson, Idea Paint’s head of marketing, says this system gives the company a level of customer intimacy and global reach and that was unheard of 10 years ago.

What’s this mean in terms of business results? Social media is now one of Idea Paint’s largest sources of leads and traffic — and it is growing steadily. Meanwhile, the company’s Twitter and Facebook reach grew 70% in Q1 2010, and is expected to grow an order of magnitude in Q2.

Idea Paint produced this video on their social media strategy, exclusively for Mashable readers:

4. Integrating Twitter Into the Paper Selling Process

One year ago, the marketing team at Neenah Paper, a manufacturer of high-quality paper products, confronted a growing problem: It was becoming harder and harder to reach new potential customers. Their traditional channels — phone conversations and in-person meetings — were not working as well. Prospects were tuning them out.

Jamie Saunders, Neenah’s marketing communications manager, noted that most of the company’s potential customers — designers, graphic artists and printers — were spending their time in front of their computers, and that social media could be a way to better engage them.

So Neenah took a step into the social media world. While the experiment started with Neenah’s marketing team, its sales team was one of the biggest beneficiaries. They discovered they could do prospecting and nurturing via Twitter. Today the company has 10 sales representatives across the country using their personal Twitter accounts on behalf of Neenah to close new business.

Jamie says these sales reps are finding that social media is simply a more effective way of engaging with their prospects. “It’s an invitation to have a conversation. You’re getting permission to have a conversation — a conversation that used to happen in person.”

5. Leading the Online Aviation Maintenance Discussion

In November 2008, a handful of auto executives flew their private planes to Washington, DC to testify before Congress in support of federal aid for their industry. This perception of corporate excess created an outcry, and the private aviation industry’s image was damaged.

At that time, aircraft maintenance and support company Duncan Aviation had just started using social media. The company discovered that the new medium could be a way to positively shape the conversation — to add its perspective and improve the industry’s damaged reputation.

Beth Humble, now Duncan’s social media lead, explains that while social media is an important part of Duncan’s strategy, the company doesn’t aspire to create a Comcast- or Coke-like presence on the social web. Instead, the goal is simply to influence the right people.

“There are a lot of industry people that we network with that are on Twitter: Journalists, other aviation bloggers, and industry and media outlets,” Beth explains. “If you connect with the right few people, you can really get in there and connect with thousands of people.”

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget
- 13 Essential Tips for Landing a Job on LinkedIn
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, FANDER09

Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter, blog, iStockphoto

Tags: business, facebook, List, Lists, small business, social media, social media marketing, trending, twitter

20 May

4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook

Posted by Leyl Master Black, under Business, Business Lists, Facebook, Features, List, Lists, Marketing, Social Media, contributor, small business, social media marketing

Leyl Master Black is a Managing Director at Sparkpr, one of the world’s top independent PR agencies. Leyl has more than 15 years experience driving high-impact communications programs for emerging technology companies.

A couple of months ago, we talked about ways to engage your fan base on Facebook. Several readers asked how B2B companies could take advantage of the tips we shared, and I know that some organizations are still wondering if it even makes sense to try to reach a business audience on Facebook.

In my view, Facebook presents a unique opportunity to connect with and educate your target market in a way that your website and even your blog can’t match. The trick is coming up with meaningful content that people will want to share, and that brings them back again and again.

Here are some tips for creating a powerful presence on Facebook that will engage a business audience.

1. Become an Industry Resource

Whatever business you’re in, chances are that you’re keeping up with industry news and maybe even writing about it on your blog. You’re likely running educational webinars or speaking at industry conferences. You’re also engaging with customers, helping to solve their business problems and maybe even documenting the process with case studies. This means that you probably already have a large number of resources to share. Why not funnel this content onto Facebook and make your Page the go-to place for insights and information on your particular industry?

A good example of this approach is 360i, an award-winning digital marketing agency. Tapping the deep expertise of its team, 360i keeps its Facebook Page updated with industry insights on topics that matter to the brand marketing audience, such as how businesses are taking advantage of Google Places or new trends with Foursquare.

The 360i team showcases industry research and reviews cool new technologies that marketers can use in their programs. They post a weekly summary of all the important industry news, and provide readers with astute commentary that puts the news into context. In short, they’ve positioned themselves as experts in digital marketing and become a valuable resource for their target audience on Facebook.

2. Engage the Community

In the past, your customers may have had little interaction with each other, and the outside world could only see a list of customers on your website (if you put them there). As a marketer, you wouldn’t know what all your customers were doing with your products, or even how to reach them.

Now, you can use Facebook to engage directly with your customers and make them part of your marketing efforts. For example, you can ask customers to share their successes on your wall and get feedback on new product features. You can encourage them to recognize great service people and reward them for their input with a discount or other promotion. You can also solicit customer references for case studies and media opportunities and find out who’s doing something innovative with your product.

BigCommerce, a company that offers e-commerce shopping cart software, routinely reaches out to its Facebook fan base to identify reference customers and uncover interesting use cases for the media. For example, when the company wanted to promote the success of its recently launched Facebook shopping application, they simply posted a query on their page asking which customers had seen a boost in sales from the application and who would be willing to talk to the media. Within 24 hours, the company had generated fifteen new customer references and were able to immediately turn this information into media coverage.

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

There are now a host of different applications for Facebook that let you do more than post on your wall. If you’re selling B2B products online, you can set up a shopping tab on your page to drive traffic to your e-commerce site and encourage viral sharing of your products. Get Satisfaction, a popular social CRM and customer support platform, recently launched a Facebook version of its application so your customers can ask questions and get support right on your Facebook Page.

You can also set up a promotions tab using Fan Appz to offer special deals to your Facebook fans and even use these deals to support lead generation programs. For example, if you sell software licenses, you could offer a 20% discount on the annual fee for people who enter the promotion code at an upcoming webinar or bring the coupon to your booth at a conference.

4. Lighten Up

While many of us use Facebook in our day-to-day business, the vast majority are usually there to have fun and engage with friends. So no matter how serious your product is, inject some humor and levity into your page.

For example, if you’re selling enterprise security software, why not do a poll where people rate the most evil tech baddies in films like Hackers and The Terminator? If you’re a marketing agency, you could do a “Which Mad Men Character Are You?” quiz that assigns users an identity based on their answers, which can then be shared with their friends. Just keep it relevant to your industry and safe-for-work.

And even if your website needs to stay “all business,” Facebook is where you can give a face and personality to the company. You could do an “employee of the month” feature on the page where you profile someone who’s making a big difference at the company or who achieved a significant milestone. Include photos or even a short video.

You can highlight what the company or employees are doing in the community or in support of a particular cause, which has the added benefit of putting the weight of your fan base behind these efforts. You can also consider posting behind-the-scenes photos of engineers hard at work on the next product release, or a smiling customer service rep on the phone with a client. All of these ideas will help your fans make a stronger and more personal connection with your company.

These are just a few examples of how companies can use Facebook to engage with B2B customers, and I’m sure there are many more out there. If you’re using Facebook to market to other businesses, I’d love to hear what else has worked for you!

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

- 10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers
- 13 Essential Social Media Lessons for B2B Marketers from the Masters
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Tags: b2b, business, facebook, List, Lists, MARKETING, small business, social media marketing

20 May

4 Tips for B2B Marketing on Facebook

Posted by Leyl Master Black, under Business, Business Lists, Facebook, Features, List, Lists, Marketing, Social Media, b2b, contributor, small business, social media marketing

Here are some tips for creating a powerful presence on Facebook that will engage a business audience.

1. Become an Industry Resource

2. Engage the Community

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

4. Lighten Up

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

- 10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers
- 13 Essential Social Media Lessons for B2B Marketers from the Masters
- How Venture Capitalists are Using Social Media for Real Results
- Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
- What Facebook’s Open Graph Means for Your Business

Reviews: Facebook, Get Satisfaction, Twitter

Tags: b2b, business, facebook, List, Lists, MARKETING, small business, social media marketing

16 May

5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Tech to Save Money

Posted by Jolie O'Dell, under Business, Business Lists, Facebook, Features, List, Lists, Money, OpenOffice, Social Media, Twitter, open source, paperless, save money, small business, tech

Money Keyboard Image This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

It goes without saying that small business owners are always looking for ways to save money. And technology is a great way to do just that.

By its very nature, technology is intended to make complicated things simple and expensive things affordable. Think about sending a bill to a customer; back in the day, it took paper, correction fluid, a stamp and a trip to the mailbox to accomplish this task. These days, it can be as quick and cheap as sending an e-mail.

Here are five easy ways small businesses can save money using technology.

1. Go Paperless

Invoicing, accounting, HR and other business processes are complicated enough without mounds of paper stuffed into alphabetized files. The more paper you keep, the more work-hours you spend tracking that paper down. In most cases, it’s possible to go entirely paperless with the majority of your record-keeping while simultaneously making your data easier to organize, store and link when needed.

A paper-free system is not only more green; it’s also a huge time-saver for you and your staff, and it will save you more than a few expensive trips to the office supply store. We estimate that more than a few of your customers will appreciate the change, too.

2. Go Distributed

You can use technologies such as IM clients, VOIP calls, video chats, project management software and in-the-cloud document storage to get a lot done from remote locations. In the short term, this can save you overhead (and earn you major brownie points with your staff) if you let folks work from home on Fridays; it can also ease the pain of sick days and vacation time when urgent tasks pop up. In the long term, being able to have employees work remotely can allow you to hire offsite workers; one thing we’ve learned about Gen X and Millennial employees it that many of them are willing to take a lower salary in exchange for the ability to work from home. In cases such as this, you save on both salary and capital expenses.

3. Go Open Source

Free and open-source software (FOSS) can be far and away less expensive to obtain and maintain for a small business owner. For example, you could spend hundreds on programs like QuickBooks, Microsoft Word and Photoshop, or you could get GnuCash, OpenOffice and GIMP absolutely free of charge. The interfaces are generally of great quality, and will contain all or most of the familiar tools you’re used to using in industry-standard, professional software. In all likelihood, your clients will never know the difference, and you’ll save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in software licensing fees.

4. Go Beta

“Beta” has come to have different meanings for different kinds of software; essentially, the term means you’re working with a not-quite-there-yet product. Oftentimes, these beta products are actually quite polished — some even have fewer bugs than what you see in major proprietary software releases! If you get onboard with an early-stage software company, you might get to use their software for free while they work out the kinks.

If you hear of a new company doing work that would directly benefit your business, get in touch with them and ask to be a beta tester. Keep in mind, though: There likely will be kinks, so be prepared and back up any essential data. If you’re not “beta friendly,” this might not be the best option for you.

5. Go Social

Guess how much it costs to create a Facebook Page or Twitter account to promote your business within your local community or to your target audience? Nada. Don’t let the “social media experts” convince you that there’s some big mystery to marketing on the web. If your customers are online, be present there, too, and see what happens. Read up on social media marketing on blogs, and keep an eye out for industry experts.

Most of all, listen to what your customers are saying about you online to figure out how you can serve them better and increase your own revenues. Free tools for social media monitoring and marketing abound, and it’s up to you to use them. Many small businesses have cut marketing back to social media alone and have seen substantial returns from focusing their efforts on a medium that truly works.

Whatever you do, though, don’t adopt a new bit of technology that will increase the number of steps your team has to take to accomplish a simple task. Organization is good, but process overkill is very bad, indeed.

If you’ve got tips to share or ways you’ve used technology to cut work hours and save money, be sure to let us know about them in the comments.

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

- 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Leverage LinkedIn’s New Features
- How One Small Biz Turned Their Company Retreat Into Social Media Success
- Growing Your Business: 5 Tips From the Founder of Foursquare
- 5 Simple Tools for a Paperless Office
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Pgiam

Reviews: Facebook, GIMP, Twitter, iStockphoto

Tags: business, facebook, List, Lists, money, open source, OpenOffice, paperless, save money, small business, social media, tech, twitter

15 May

21 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted by Matt Silverman, under Business, Facebook, Features, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, Social Media, Social Media Lists, Twitter, small business, social networking, tech, trending, youtube

Spare a moment from your fly fishing, or cricket playing, or whatever it is you actually do on the weekends and reflect back on all of the great content you missed out on because you were “too busy doing your job.” Whatever.

Fortunately for you, we’ve gathered up another boatload of great resources into one handy post, perfect for your weekend perusal. Scroll on down and pick out whatever catches your eye. This week you’ll find some important Facebook tips, a breakdown of the upcoming WordPress release, and some sweet BlackBerry apps for business.

Not enough? We’ve got wacky wedding dance videos too. You’re welcome.

Social Media

Top 10 Wedding Dance Videos on YouTube
If you think you’ve seen some crazy nuptials, check out some of these dance moves, immortalized forever in the hallowed halls of YouTube.
HOW TO: Find Long Lost Friends on Facebook
400 million people are using Facebook. If you’re looking for someone, chances are you can find them there. Here’s how to do it.
HOW TO: Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page
There’s a lot more to Twitter than just sharing your favorite foods in 140 characters. If you’re looking to make an impression with your profile page, check out these tips.
5 Ways Government Works Better With Social Media
Social media has the potential to make government more transparent and accessible. Here are five examples of how the social web can improve public services.
8 Tips for a Successful Social Media Cause Campaign
Social networks can provide unprecedented reach to non-profits and their partner companies, but there are some strategies to note before diving into the next campaign. Check out these eight tips.
4 Tips for Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom
Education has long faced resistance to new technologies, but social media can be a great resource in the classroom. Here are some tips on bringing it to the fore.
Top 5 Social Media Tips for C-Suite Execs
While your web-savvy employees may be hip to social media, getting upper management on board can be challenging. We gathered some expert advice, and lay out the value proposition in this post.
Why the Fashion Industry Loves Foursquare
Lifestyle brand Diesel recently launched a fairly tacit Foursquare campaign that demonstrates the great marketing potential for location-based services. This post details where they succeeded, and where they fell short.
Why Hasn’t Location Reached the Mainstream Yet?
Despite all the buzz about location-based services, most people don’t use them. Here are some of the reasons why, and a few predictions about the future of the trend.
HOW TO: Turn Slacktivists into Activists with Social Media
Non-profit Twitter and texting campaigns may be tapping thousands of new cause contributors, but is a $10 SMS really where their engagement ends? This post speaks to how non-profits can deepen that connection through social media.
Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation
Who are your kids friending on Facebook, and how much online time is too much? We asked the experts to weigh in on some concrete strategies for raising the first fully digital generation.
HOW TO: Get Notified When Someone Hacks Your Facebook
Did you know that Facebook can alert you when someone logs into your account from an unknown computer? Follow these simple profile steps to set up this important security feature.

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

10 Free iPhone Apps To Learn A New Skill In 10 Minutes
Have you ever wanted to learn origami, CPR, or Morse Code? There are apps for those, and many more skills, so fire up your iPhone and check out this list of freebies.
WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features
The official launch of WordPress 3.0 is almost here, and it packs a host of excellent new features. Peruse this list to find out what all the hubbub is about.
6 Free Websites for Learning and Teaching Science
Release your inner science nerd and check out some of the web’s wonderful free resources for the pursuit of knowledge about our world. From genetics, to robots, to the infinite cosmos, these sites abound with information for students, teachers, and the just plain curious.
How Mobile Technology is Affecting Local News Coverage
The news-gathering game has changed, thanks to the ubiquity of smart, multipurpose handhelds. Whether you’re using your own device to report and disseminate the news, or you’re tapping a social web of mobile updates and Twitpics for sources, the mobile-savvy journalist is out at the front of the industry.
7 Ways Journalists Can Use Foursquare
While Twitter and Facebook have been established as great places to make and break news, Foursquare’s growing popularity offers some interesting location-based opportunities for journalists.

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business

HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Offline Networking Events
While online social networking is all well and good, don’t forgo an opportunity to translate your online reach into a meaningful offline connection. This post has some great pointers.
Why Co-Working Makes Sense for Small Businesses
Co-working is a great way for your small business to save on overhead costs while leveraging the natural synergies between your team and other professionals working out of the same space.
10 Must-Have BlackBerry Apps for Small Business
The king of business mobile devices can do a lot more than just send e-mail and make calls. These 10 apps can boost your productivity, and keep you connected on the go.
The Local Advertising War Will Be a Clash of the Internet Titans
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and even Foursquare are on track for a cataclysmic battle for location-based advertising dollars. Here’s a look at where we stand, and what to expect.

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Mashable, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube

Tags: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube

Social Media

Tech & Mobile

Business

1. Emerson Salon Creates a New Business Model

2. Butter Lane Supports a Following

3. The Social Man Gets Personal

4. Liberty Bay Books Starts Conversations

5. Feather Your Nest Makes a Name for Itself

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Social Media

Business

Mobile

Tech

Personalizing Customer Service

Storytelling

Making Good with Mom

Employee Education

Social Media

Tech & Mobile

Business

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

1. Equine Dentist Builds Relationships With Facebook

2. Steel Building Manufacturer Taps New Verticals

3. Full Social Media Integration for Marketing Paint

4. Integrating Twitter Into the Paper Selling Process

5. Leading the Online Aviation Maintenance Discussion

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

1. Become an Industry Resource

2. Engage the Community

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

4. Lighten Up

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

1. Become an Industry Resource

2. Engage the Community

3. Expand Beyond Your Wall

4. Lighten Up

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

1. Go Paperless

2. Go Distributed

3. Go Open Source

4. Go Beta

5. Go Social

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More business resources from Mashable:

Social Media

Tech & Mobile

Business

Need a Facebook App Development Company