become as central to marketing as social media has become. The explosion of social gaming in recent years ( Foursquare are Zynga are two prime examples) has brought with it a wave of game mechanics increasingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Social Login. Keeping with the social nature of today's web consumer, it follows that many visitors will participate in game-like scenarios if the benefits of doing so extend beyond the game itself (i.e users are more likely to become involved in activities that those in their social circle are engaged in). MORE >>

Even those marketers with exceptional social-network-savvy can struggle to keep up with the latest developments in leading social media. Acquisitions, new features and new platforms are a daily occurrence, and it can be easy to get lost in the sea of news updates in the social world. The folks at Mashable, Zintro and Quantcast recently gathered research around the different benefits of leading social networks, and compiled them into a handy infographic that can provide a good foundation for your social strategy this year. The drawback? MORE >>

Forgetting about social media. Social media and SEO are very intricately connected, although many people don’t realize to what extent. Social media has an enormous effect on your SEO because it helps drive targeted, relevant traffic to your website and whether you like it or not, it’s going to be around for a while. If your company isn’t currently incorporating social media into its online strategy it may be missing out on a large SEO opportunity. Using generic URLs. Would you go on a trip before you pack? MORE >>

When it comes to social media content, it’s important that you can catch your key audience’s attention immediately. There is so much content available to social media users that not being able to instantly engage their interest means that they won’t choose to interact with your content. When it comes to quickly catching attention, one of the most important things you can do is write a compelling headline for your social media content. If social media visitors feel like ignoring your content will be negative for them (ex. MORE >>

Naslund is the co-author of " The Now Revolution " with Jay Baer, a book which reviews how to develop a "horizontal strategy" around social media. The book goes beyond a social media "how-to" by exploring the structural adaptations that need to take place within an organization for it to take advantage of the real-time business opportunities that social media affords. Another way to think about it is how you can become a social business vs. one that just "does" social media. MORE >>