Shanna Mallon is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Web development company with clients in diverse industries, from the makers of fire retardant clothing to providers of a leading merchant processing service. Don’t Be a Pinterest Pinhead. etiquette tips for pinning on the world’s favorite social pinboard. It’s true that Pinterest is fun—designed to be a simple, beautiful way to pin all your favorite ideas, products and places on the Web —but it’s also true that it’s powerful. So whether you pin for pleasure or pin for business, here are 5 key tips to make sure you’re doing it right! MORE >>

was approached last week by a successful company who needs a writer for their blog. I’m glad to see that there are more agencies focusing on content marketing for small businesses. stumbled upon The Content Factor and found their approach to blog writing and white papers refreshing: The Content Factor provides good advice for content marketing strategies: But to be successful with blogging , you have to recognize some key differences: The best blogs are personified. Blogs should not be looked at in the traditional sense as corporate communications. Blogs have to be kept up. MORE >>

So how can you brush up on your writing skills in order to maintain a professional blog and website for your company? 'Business bloggers: just how good are your writing skills? Most bloggers and those who run small businesses that publish blogs are not natural-born writers, or even trained writers. Most businesspeople studied things such as marketing, communication, or business. It’s not often they’ve studied English or creative writing. Yet it’s becoming expected that businesses have a well-written blog, as well as expertly-written content on their website. MORE >>

To read what other customers have experienced with you and your company. Should my business website focus on keywords and getting search engine results ? Or quality content for customers ? Perhaps a more important question is “How do I make the most of each of my web pages so that my business and I get found, get known, and get clients ?” ” The challenge: You want to make sure that your business website is fresh, attractive and informative. People visiting your website want to see something that piques their curiosity in you and your products and services. MORE >>

Millions of people are using Pinterest every day—so when marketers find a way to tap into that audience, they find a way to boost their brand, just like companies such as Whole Foods , Martha Stewart , Nordstrom , Minted and the Travel Channel are already doing. Even if you’ve never been on Pinterest , you’ve probably heard of it—this hot social network is drawing attention everywhere, from newspapers and magazines to television and political campaigns. So what’s all the fuss about? What is this latest social craze? Why does it matter? Pinterest Is Visual Bookmarking. Time Inc.’s MORE >>