Relationships used to be the way business was done. A handshake and a person’s reputation were all that was needed to seal a deal. Social media has brought about the return of these values. A recent post by Jason Falls even declared that we can learn about social business from America’s small towns. In small towns everybody knows everybody’s business, everyone looks out for one another, trust is essential, and the way to grow is by helping others. The most effective social media marketing embraces these values. And just like in a small town, a reputation for trustworthiness and helpfulness …

Our moms and our kindergarten teachers told us again and again: “It’s nice to share!” But why? How does sharing make things better? Before long the smartest kids figured out that sharing increased the fun. When you shared, more kids wanted to play with you. They’d stay in the sandbox longer, and they’d share their cool stuff with you. Those kindergarten lessons are no less true in the world of social media. In social media, sharing means reposting the content of others (always with a clear link back to them!) or recommending others to your followers. It’s no secret that …

So you’ve followed the sage advice of savvy social media experts like Neal Schaffer, telling you why you need to have your business on Google+, and you’ve created a business page for your brand. Now what? Obviously (I hope it’s obvious!) the worst thing you could do is just let your page sit idle. So let’s set some priorities and get to work making your page effective. The recent announcement by Google that G+ is now heavily integrated into Google search makes it all the more important that you optimize your page and start your involvement on Google+. G+ is …