SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMINER — Let’s assume you know whom you want to work with, but you just don’t move in their circles. How can you make yourself known without cold-calling (or risking rejection)? Simple. Try networking and nurturing a relationship with social media. This article will help you prospect using the power of LinkedIn and Twitter (together). First, you need to do some housekeeping before you put yourself forward, and by that I mean clean up your LinkedIn profile. Take a good hard look at it and ask yourself the following:...

MARKETINGPROFS — Frequent social networkers -- people who use social networking sites several times a day -- are more likely to follow brands, access their favorite social sites via mobile devices, and consume a wide variety of mobile technologies, according to a survey from Edison Research/Arbitron Internet. Such frequent users, which number 39 million in 2010 (up from 18 million a year earlier), are also avid consumers of on-demand media, such as timeshifted TV, podcasting, and online video, but they still watch less television than other adults, the study found. Below, other findings from the 18th Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Research Study...

EMARKETER — As more marketers enter the social space and others gain the knowledge that comes with experience, techniques and concerns about social marketing are changing, according to the "2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report" from Social Media Examiner. While a year ago marketers were most interested in learning about tactics, now ROI takes center stage. The top social tools are changing as well...

OPEN FORUM BLOG — If you use LinkedIn correctly, it can be a marketing godsend. You can form relationships with hundreds of potential customers and solidify your brand -- without spending an arm and a leg. Do it, wrong, however, and you won’t just embarrass yourself; you might actually hurt your company’s -- and your own -- reputation. How to do it right? Learn the most common mistakes small business owners make -- and what to do about them...

EMARKETER — Business-to-business (B2B) sales cycles are longer than a year ago, but pipelines are growing, according to the "B2B SalesPulse Survey" from business information company OneSource. Traditional outbound prospecting still produces the most qualified leads for US B2B sales representatives, but companies are relying more on their corporate Website to help bring in customers. Social networking sites were rated toward the low end of the scale, though they were as helpful in lead generation as direct mail...