In the past advertising consisted primarily of print ads and television commercials or radio spots. Today social networking has opened the doors for businesses to take marketing to a level previously unimagined. With a series of social networking accounts businesses are able to reach larger audiences and gain new customers in less time. Customers are also able to help spread the word about their favorite businesses through likes and tweets, sharing and rating social pages and content. With strategic use of Twitter and Facebook, page administrators can keep their businesses at the forefront of customers minds.

Social networking is an ideal platform for promoting specials and other business news. Businesses can post special deals and coupons which can help retain existing customers and attract new ones. If the business is going to be making changes, social networking is a good way to keep clients up to date and informed. It’s also a great way to build anticipation and interest in new products or services by sharing development and promotional materials through special “friends only” content.

A growing trend among businesses is using social networking for recruitment and hiring purposes. Most employers now look at potential employees social networking pages before deciding who to hire. They also search through professional social media sites, such as LinkedIn, to find candidates for specific posts. Social networking also offers companies numerous ways to connect with others in their industry to understand hiring trends and find out who is considering a career change.

Business, regardless of the specific industry, is constantly growing and changing. And companies need to remain flexible and willing to try new things if they want to stay competitive. While social networking has in some ways increased competition between businesses it has also provided opportunities for them to utilize their own strengths and creativity to grow.

Social Networking for Business is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Many people first join a social media site in order to connect with friends and expand their social network. It’s an easy way to communicate with family, keep in touch with current friends as well as a way to reconnect with old ones. Posting an event or sharing a common cause can be done in a matter of moments. There are many social benefits to this type of use; however, the possibilities inherent in social media sites are so much greater than this.

In the past when a company was looking to hire it would post an ad in the newspaper. Shops would hang a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. And to apply a person would go and talk to the manager or supervisor in person and perhaps even give them a copy of their resume .

Many companies have moved beyond those days. Social media is one of the most powerful tools that employers use when looking for new hires. Whether they are looking over the Facebook pages of applicants, searching Linkedin profiles for those with the proper credentials and qualifications, or checking twitter for those who are looking for work, rest assured companies large and small are using social media as an employment tool. So the question then becomes, how do I use social media as a positive tool for myself?

Whether you are currently employed or looking for work, it is important that your social media profiles reflect the type of person that you want your employer, or potential employer, to see. And that is true across the board. Having a clean, professional-looking profile on LinkedIn will be marred by unsavory images and/or comments on Facebook or angry or insulting tweets associated with your name. It is important that you project a positive, consistent image across all social media platforms and that you carefully restrict and control intensely personal content from being seen by the general public or from professional associates.

Your profile pages are also a great place to do a little bit of self promotion . Be sure that you — in a tactful way — describe what you do, your accomplishments, and what you contribute to your current position and industry. Your page is likely to be the first impression that most people, including employers, will get so you want it to look and sound good.

What better way do you have to connect with business associates and industry leaders than through social media? Visiting their pages, liking their content, and making worthwhile contributions to their discussions can be a great way to get connected. Perhaps after sharing online for a while you can try and connect in person. This is also a great way to stay informed about events and start establishing yourself in your industry. building a professional network is done more and more online and social media sites are a great way to expand your connections.

Social media has revolutionized the way we live and even more so how we work. Now it’s up to us to use it in a positive way to achieve our dreams and reach our goals.

How to Use Social Media is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Many see social media as a tool for increasing their social life and circle of friends; however it has so much more to offer. Through social media you can expand your business network to include contacts from across the country and around the world. Individuals are able to create and join groups to support causes and inspire change. It’s a great way to connect with one another to offer support or share common interests. With so much information available on the web, social media is also an important tool for protecting your reputation online .

The benefits of social media for individuals are virtually limitless and they also apply to businesses. Social media is key for expanding your business and helping it thrive, especially during difficult economic times. With tens of millions of social media users logging in on a daily basis in the US alone, creating accounts for your business on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help increase the visibility of your company and help it reach new audiences. A strong online presence will help improve your business’ credibility and provide the opportunity for new customers.

Social media is more than just a bunch of sites for teens or fad that will run its course in a few months and then be taken over by the next big thing. Social media gives individuals a chance to make a difference in the lives of people they may not ever meet in person, to join a group or cause hoping to encourage change in their community or country, and to voice their thoughts, feelings, and emotions — allowing their voices to be heard in a much larger circle. The opportunity and sense of empowerment that people and businesses receive from social media is limited only by their willingness to utilize these sites and it’s a tool that most would be unwilling to relinquish.

Why Social Media? is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Social media is one of the largest mediums for sharing pictures, making friends, and networking with professionals in your field. For many it is simply a way to share and connect with friends and family; however, social media is becoming increasingly important to employers. It is not unusual for employers to check the Facebook or Linkedin profile of potential employees to get an idea of their character and personality, so it’s important to keep them clean and free of unsavory pictures and comments.

On the flip side, social media can be a great tool for enhancing your online identity. Creating a business profile can be a great way to get your name out there and establish business connections. With a unique identity and a variety of social media accounts you can establish yourself in your industry and stand out to potential employers.

Blogging has opened doors for those that enjoy writing and sharing their knowledge with others. It can be a great way to generate some extra revenue and set yourself apart. Visiting other blogs and leaving insightful comments with a link to your website can also help expand your online identity.

With so much visible online, security and protecting against identity theft should be taken into consideration. Especially if you have several accounts with the same username, it’s a good idea to change the password frequently and check the sites often for any unauthorized use.

Living in the digital age has provided many opportunities for business and personal development. With a smart, professional approach to managing your online identity you can reach new audiences with your ideas and rise to new levels in your field.

For more tips about owning your social media identity, check out this video:

Manage Your Online Identity is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Fionn Downhill

The panel, moderated by Dana Todd, will address the question as to whether search engine optimization is still a powerful tool for companies and brands looking to succeed online. The rise of social media and whether networking and sharing sites support search engines or are supplanting them is sure to be a part of the discussion.

The SEO panel will be held on Wednesday, August 17th at 4:45 p.m and will feature Downhill along with Mark Jackson, David Naylor and Todd Friesen. Downhill will also participate in the new “Meet the Speakers” luncheon which is being held at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Meet Fionn Downhill at SES in San Francisco is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Often when potential customers are browsing the web looking for services, they don’t know exactly what they are looking for ‚ they don’t have specific companies that are considering. So they go to one of the many search engines ‚ Google, Yahoo ‚ and they type in they type of service they are looking for. This is where SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, comes in.

The results that appear through each search engine query are not random. They are selected through a complicated algorithm and meeting certain criteria. Because most people will probably not scroll past the first couple of pages, it is important that businesses have highly ranked pages; the higher the pages rank, the earlier they will appear in the results.

There are a couple of ways to maximize your businesses ranking and, although you can do some of it on your own, it is typically best to work with a company that specializes in SEO. Sometimes the HTML coding of the site can be adjusted to improve your ranking, while other times content writing will do the trick.

When you work with a SEO specialist they can help you design a plan that will fit your business’ specific needs and provide the desired results.

Elixir Interactive Review: What is SEO? is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

“Digital Asset Optimization” will address the multiplicity of blended search results. How have videos, images, audio files, slides and other media besides simple web pages showing up in the search results affected your marketing strategy? How popular are these blended results with the average web searcher? What does it all mean for your business?

The panel will also feature Yahoo!’s Director of Product Management, Kaushal Kurapati and Jim Yu, Founder & CEO of Brightedge. It will be moderated by Chris Boggs of Rosetta. It will be held on October 21st which is Day 3 of the conference.

Downhill will also be presenting on Day 1 of SES (Oct 19th) on the topic “Brand, Trademark & Reputation Management.” She will be moderating a panel discussion titled “Selling Search to the C-Suite” on Day 3.

Elixir CEO Scheduled to Appear at SES Chicago this Month is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

“Brands Under Attack” documents months of investigation and analysis of the methods employed against Elixir as well as information about the current threats against brand reputations. Elixir CEO Fionn Downhill warns “No one’s reputation is safe online.” She also cautions that when a reputation management company with a solid brand can be persistently harassed, it is easy to extrapolate the damage that can be done to an unsuspecting company or individual.

The anonymity of complaint and social media sites makes creating false reports and fake accounts to support those reports practically effortless. The current state of digital law is so far behind the realities of the internet, that even outright slander is free from prosecution. Anyone with an axe to grind, or a competitive edge to gain, can easily attack individuals, companies, or even entire industries. In fact, the attack against Elixir was part of a larger campaign against multiple online reputation management companies.

Elixir, as an experienced ORM company, already had considerable defenses in place when the first complaints were filed. In the months since, the company has taken steps to reinforce those digital assets and create new ones in order to bolster their brand results and guard against the continuous filing of false complaints. The case study documents these steps, which can be utilized by any company or individual to safeguard against such an attack or to respond once an attack is underway.

Case Study from Elixir Interactive Warns of the Dark Side of Online Reputation Management is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

The goal for your company should be to build the company brand and let people know that you are out there and what you can help them with. Each of the short messages should convey this. This means that instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?” try answering the question “What did I find that is interesting?” Don’t be afraid to add links back to your own sites, don’t be afraid to add links to things that relate to your company, but aren’t competitors. Talk with your competitors and your loyal customers. Let Twitter be one big conversation, and it will take your company far.

There are a few things you will want to think about as you are setting up a Twitter account. Make sure there is more than one person tweeting at the company. They can all use the same account, but people leave or go on vacation, and it can be nice to have a little variety. Make each tweet useful to your followers. If you do post a link, add a question or a comment with it. Also remember that this is a good place to ask questions of the people who are interested in your company. Twitter is great for getting opinions.

How Your Business Can Use Twitter is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social

Get onto Linked In and click on the link that allows you to add your company profile. Fill in the name of the Company, and work in some of your targeted keywords to get better search results. Make sure you have available an email address that is not currently associated with any other LinkedIn profile, but is still from your company. Something like administrator@yourcompany.com will be fine.

After that, all you need to do is continue to fill out information for the profile. Fill out as much as you can so that it will be easier for people to find you. Use keywords, but don’t drown the description or other fields in them. This will make it more likely that you will be picked up by search engines.

Setting Up a LinkedIn Company Profile is a post from: Elixir Interactive Social