There are countless businesses on social media at this point –both new and old to the game by now. When businesses decide to take the step to use their social media platforms as a selling tool, there are some common mistakes that people seem to make again and again. Before you jump the gun, take a look at some of the biggest offenses of businesses who have just started in the social selling game.

By now, most of us have heard the news: Facebook is working on a dislike button. While we don’t have all the details, speculation about what that kind of button will mean is running rampant. On one end, people are worried that having a dislike button will turn Facebook into a cyber bullying feeding frenzy. On the other hand, people are excited to be able to convey empathy on posts that might not be sharing good news. Then there is also the whole dynamic of how this might impact online marketing. In my opinion, Facebook has nothing but the best of intentions here and it’s really going to be up to the people to determine how this is executed.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but if it’s not helping to convert visitors to clients, your picture’s not worth much at all. Read on for how to make the graphic images on your website work for you instead of against you.

We’re all talking and reading about social media and you may be wondering how much of the discussion is simply hype. You’ll hear strong opinions both ways, but the bottom line is:  How is YOUR bottom line doing?

Still giving Facebook hashtags a go?  Great! Assuming you're using them correctly... If you're using hashtags on Facebook, you have to remember that it's not the same platform as Twitter.  There are different rules that apply.  The same basic structure is set up though.  You type in a "#" symbol and then whatever single word or phrase without spaces that you want to use (sans symbols).  What else do you need to remember though?

At this point, many businesses have taken the initiative to put themselves out there.  Businesses are reaching their customers like never before through websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media.  With what seems like 30 new social media platforms a minute, it can be difficult to decide which network is worth putting a big chunk of your time into and which might not need as close of an eye on it.

No, email marketing is not dead.  In fact, email marketing is kind of huge right now.  I can tell you that with Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Crazy Holiday Deal Madness behind me -I did most of my online shopping based on email marketing campaigns sent from a few stores I frequent online.  I can also tell you that I am a repeat shopper at most of those places online not only because I love their products, but also because they continually send me emails that hit the nail right on the head.  What are they doing right?  I'm glad you asked...