In a recent Nielson ratings study, it was found that 3 of the top 5 Social Networking sites had reductions in unique users.  This is essentially the number of new users.  While Facebook and Twitter posted gains over last year of 69% and 45%, respectively, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Classmates Online fell.    In my opinion, this trend will continue as Facebook adds to its arsenal of applications and increases partnerships with other relevant social networking tools. Perhaps this is a sign of thinning in the Social Network arena. 

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People are going places and looking for places to go.  And when they get there, many feel the need to share their experience.  Social Applications like Yelp! and Four Square are providing the mechanism to do this, quickly and easily.  These applications (available on iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, Palm and other devices) provide a forum for customers to search for, comment on, rate, and recommend businesses.  In addition, these applications allow for seamless connectivity into other Social Applications, like Facebook and Twitter.  This means that applications like Yelp! and FourSquare aren't islands, but rather launching pads for consumer critics to spread their experiences throughout their social networks.

So what do businesses need to know about these applications, and why should they get involved?  First off, by being present and monitoring the commentary presented, a business owner can make information-based promotional or strategic decisions that improve the customer experience.   At the same time, these applications allow owners, managers, or employees to respond to comments, both negative and positive.  This creates a two-way conversation and builds trust within the community.

Secondly, these applications, because of their availability on mobile devices, integration into mapping software, and no-cost to users, are becoming the de facto local search tools.  This means if your business is not included in the database, it will missing out on a growing marketing channel.

Fortunately, there is no monetary cost to add a business to these applications, as they are currently supported by advertising revenue.  So, at a minimum, it makes sense to add your business.  However, for better results, I recommend checking in periodically, or, better yet, setting up your account to notify you when comments have been posted.

Tools like Yelp! and Four Square offer other benefits to businesses, so I think they are worth adding to a Social Media Marketing strategy.  But the key to any successful Social Media campaign is staying engaged over the long-term.  This will allow you to improve your business and build a loyal following at the same time.

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More evidence is being presented illustrating the move from traditional forms of advertising to online methods, including social media marketing.  In the 6th Annual State of the Search Engine Marketing Report, released by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPRO), marketing budgets for social media services of nearly 1500 client-side marketers and agencies are on the rise.  Facebook and Twitter are being used by three quarters of companies polled to promote their brands or companies.  Although, as the report indicated, the budgets are still quite small compared to paid search and search engine optimization, I believe this indicates a trend that will continue as more and more people embrace social media as a valid and trustworthy source of information.

You can read more about other aspects of the report here or purchase the report directly from SEMPRO at http://econsultancy.com/reports/state-of-search.

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When forming my company I spent a lot of time thinking up ideas for a name that would convey quickly what I'm about, but also simple enough so that people could easily recall it.  Many ideas were generated and for various reasons tossed out.   What others may find interesting is that one of my main criteria was owning the domain name that corresponded with my company name.  In my opinion, your domain name, email and company name should correlate.  These are key elements in your branding and can also impact how others perceive your business.  Other suffixes, like ".net" or ".us"  come across as odd and aren't as easily recalled, often resulting in prospects finding competitors instead of your business.

I know it can be difficult to obtain your domain name, especially with more than one million domains registered per month on GoDaddy alone.  This is where the creative process is needed.  I used the following to help me in development of the Web Primacy name.

Social Media is all the rage nowadays, and participating, chatting, researching, or just lurking, has become a primary activity for many adults during their off time.  But many business owners are trying to figure out if using Social Media will have any impact on their sales.   A recent study conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies provides positive information to support the use of Social Media in a company's marketing strategy.  Their study revealed