From author Erik Qualman, here's a video that looks at major trends in social media going into the next year. Most impressive marketing fact: The Ford Explorer launch on Facebook generated more traffic than a Super Bowl ad. Watch on YouTube MORE >>

Use Social Media to Engage the Community" Create buzz around your project via forums and social media like Facebook and Twitter. Stay Cost-effective" The audience for online video doesn't expect it to look and feel as polished as broadcast media. Allow Others to "Own" Your Videos" Videos should be social-media friendly and offered under a Creative Commons license. From the Hubspot Blog, here's a look at how online retailer Daily Grommet uses video to tell stories about its products. Quick and efficient content creation doesn't require a large investment. MORE >>

From MarketingProfs and Intuit, here's an infographic that breaks down the daunting task of building a social media presence for a small business into a twelve month plan with specific, quarterly goals. First Quarter : Take social media inventory. Second Quarter : Work on relationships. Third Quarter : Integrate everything. Fourth Quarter : Look backward, then forward. View Original Article MORE >>

Be Social - If you are going to make social media work for your business you (or someone representing your company) are going to have to become actively involved. Keep in mind that blatant promotion rarely works in social media and can kill your social media presence quickly. Start by listing as many social media groups and communities that you can think of for your industry or market. Profile Your Target Audience - before getting involved in social media, you need to know who you are trying to engage with. Where does your market get together online? MORE >>

From uberVu, here's an infographic based on their four pillars of social media success: monitoring, analytics, engagement and reporting. View Original Article MORE >>