This article has been updated on 10/2/2019 with the article entitled "A Simple Action Plan Now Is Better Than Reacting Badly Later"

I don’t have to drone on and on about how important it is that your business is on social media.  Chances are, if you’re reading this article, you’re already set up with at least a few different outlets. But, now that you’ve stuck your neck out there and made yourself available to your customers and the world, you’ve also opened yourself up to the scrutiny.

This article has been updated on 9/4/2019 with the article entitled “Have You Seen the Changes in these Facebook Tools?"

We all know by now that being social these days seems to be translated into the average number of comments you give or receive on social media on a daily basis.  Whether we like it or not, this is the new norm.  Connecting via tweet, blog post, comment, tag, etc. is the new phone call or drop by that we used to give to check in on our friends and clients.  Social shifts aside, this digital world is an opportunity for business owners. Online marketing, specifically on social media, is a free admission fish tank full of free bait to dangle in front of fresh fish -I mean customers...  The problem is this: there are only so many hours in a day.  There, I've said it. The secret is out.  You may not have the time to successfully market your business on social media while simultaneously running that same business.  Luckily, there are other options.

I’m no stranger to Pinterest.  This isn’t such a huge shocker to those who know me.  In fact, my husband would be rolling his eyes saying, “Are we talking about Pinterest, again?” He’s still bitter about the corn husk glue gun project.  My point here is this –Pinterest is big.  Huge even.  In fact, Pinterest produces four times the revenue-per-click as Twitter.  Do I have your attention yet?

Hootsuite saves my life, sanity, the happiness and well-being of those around me on a daily basis.  Dramatic much?  Perhaps, but I’ll tell you this - anything on this planet that saves both time and money on a consistent basis is a win in my book.  So how does Hootsuite save me?  How does this delectable tool keep me coming back for more?  Well, I’ll tell you.

There comes a time in every person’s life when they’ve got to ask themselves –is it time to redesign my website?  That may not actually be true.  The truth is, however, that if you DO have a website and if you ARE invested in it –it is worth a second look every now and then to see if there is actually need to shake things up a bit.  This could be anything from swapping out colors, to changing your whole theme.  Maybe your little spokesperson is a brunette, but you heard blondes have more fun.  Whatever your reasoning, if you are asking yourself if it’s time to redesign, here are a few pieces to look at that may need a little tweaking, moving, and shaking.

We’ve already discussed Facebook’s Graph Search’s plot to take over the world: here.  Now, lets dive a little deeper into how your business should be rearranging itself a bit to get the most out of those search results.  If you want to be noticed, you have to stand out a bit.

I read blog articles, news stories, and other random web nonsense every day of the week.  Some are memorable; some not so memorable.  Do you know what I don’t read?  That news story you never shared.  That blog post that you never put on your Twitter or Facebook?  I’ve never read it.  Between checking my email, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, and EZines on ten minute rotations –I don’t have time to go searching the darkest corners of the internet for your recipe on the world’s largest soufflé.