Most businesses that use social media do so passively, using top-down, one-way communication to tell their customers about things.  Often businesses don’t engage people by starting conversations or asking for ideas and input.  This lack of engagement leads to missed opportunities for increased sales and valuable customer feedback. The people over at Inc. Magazine have a great number of how-to’s available for business owners looking to establish themselves in the growing realm of social media. 

Start here for a comprehensive overview, The Business Owner’s Social Media Toolkit.  This set of resources will connect you to expert insight on how, when and why to use blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr, Flickr and other forms of social media.

The 30 tips for using social media in your business will assist you in positioning your business in a productive and profitable way and are a must-read before you set up any online promotional campaign.  With thoughtful preparation, hopefully you will be able to turn “likes” into loot!