Blogging

Guess who made this panic graphic...not the Tumblr/Yahoo haters, but Yahoo's CEO, Marissa Mayer. For her Tumblr blog. Which she named marissamayr.tumblr.com - misspelling her last name by dropping the "e" in keeping with Tumblr and Yahoo owned Flickr.

If I had a dollar for every small business I encouraged to create a blog, I'd be getting myself a little "high five" in the form of this sassy little puppy.  But alas, I personally feel like all too often I see companies that aren't taking advantage of this powerf

Video blogging.  Posting Video.  Starring in your own homemade videos.  However you describe it, it has become one of the most popular ways for brands big and small to connect with followers, fans, customers and more.  For me, it's the an uncharted area of outreach that (I'll admit it) still scares me.  That said, it's one of my resolution

This week, Sabina and I were contacted by three different press outlets to give quotes about something business related. And just today, Sabina saw via her Google Alerts that she was quoted in an article about why Daily Candy is good for small business, but she never gave an interview for it.

I wanted to think of a sassy title for this blog but then I decided forget it, I want you to know exactly what you're getting - great advice from a fellow entrepreneur!  

Today I was reading one of my favorite online outlets, Jezebel, and came across an article about singer Katy Perry, and the media and pop-culture loving demographic of the population going nuts over her Tweets lately, tweets that supposedly hinted at a possible pregnancy.  (Back story: @KatyPerry recently got engaged to actor/comedian Russel Brand which she recently tweeted about in a cryptic message as well.  As with many celebrities, much of her life has been tweeted lately and as of this posting her following was at 1,618,694).

Sure the story is on the surface about a celebrity and our country's frenzied need to know everything about famous people all the time (and their often feeding it to us), but to me it's also another great example of how Twitter allows you to connect with and grow your customer/ambassador/database and your brand's reach more than ever.

As Jezebel's blogger explains, "the peculiar world of Twitter, and the direct contact people feel they get with celebrities, will only lead people to keep reading between the lines in order to solve a mystery that may only exist in their minds."  This is one effect of Twitter that is at times negative....but you can use this same power of Twitter and instant and intimate way the audience connects with your brand to propel it to new media opportunities, sales, visibility and get your message to spread virally if done correctly!

A brand's longevity is largely due to a loyal customer base and true brand ambassadors - especially during a recession when every sale counts more than ever.  Knowing that, be sure you create a passionate base of followers on Twitter who really care about what you say - they probably won't tweet about a possible pregnancy but they may instead give your brand exponential reach!

Find out more about what Jezebel had to say about Katy Perry's tweets HERE! 

You may have read already that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has amended its guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials, last changed in 1980, to require bloggers to disclose a financial relationship they have with an advertiser or agency when publishing a review about a product or service.