One of the constants in the Internet marketing world is change and the vast speed in which it does evolve isnt always in line with business. Keeping up to date and ahead of the game is a task in itself and this is what we have based our business on over the past 6 years. Staying ahead of the game and providing new services that perhaps develop in the USA for instance and transferring them to small to medium sized business in the Uk. So as 2013 is here what are the current trends the latest developments. As a small business owner what can you be doing to improve the image and standing of your companies online presence so it reflects your presence in the real world…

Is your companies social media presence up to date ?

1. Pinterest – The idea behind Pinterest is images and lots of them people create boards based on their hobbies, interest and many other things. If you lacking inspiration and thinking what could I do ? You will find lots of inspiration on other users boards where you can repin images. How can this be used for business ? What Pinterest does is tells the story and you can use Pinterest to provide a visual representation of your company. Tell the story and create your companies identity. What other brands would you associate with your company what lifestyle. Visually persuade and inform your audience your company is the brand they can relate to. Here is a link to my Favourite brands board - http://pinterest.com/garrypickles/favourite-brands/

2. Instagram – The focus of instagram is images again but taken in a Polaroid style where you can adjust lighting and add borders to images. What instgram does is instantly gives the connotations of a “trendy” and up to date business. Adding instagram images to your Facebook page via the Instgram app will automatically inform your audience you are up to date with Social Media. Plus you can also use brand association techniques a cool idea would be to picture your staff members or maybe existing branded mugs, t shirts even vehicles.

3. Google Plus – Such a undervalued and unused tool and with Martin Shevrington who has championed Google plus we have been helping to spread the word recently on just how useful a tool this can be for business. I rewind myself 5 or 6 years ago when I was begining to pitch the idea of Facebook for business and remember some of the reactions. “Facebook its for kids” “My teenage daughter uses that its not for business” you get the idea. The gulf in knowledge on social media is so vast these days just as it was 5 or 6 years ago. Facebook is mainstream their is no doubt about that what Google plus currently has is a abundance of what I would call professional social media providers and industry leaders in a wide range of business’s. Its a perfect time to get on board and start taking advantage of the impressive circles and ripples.

Here is a video from Martin Shevrington that explain how you can use Ripples and reveal plus ones to create circles based on selections -

We caught up with Hank Blank who is based in Laguna Niguel, California.

You can follow Hank on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hankblank or find out more about him on his blog - http://hankblank.wordpress.com

Who Hank has worked for -

First account was McDonald’s at DDB Needham in Toronto.
10 Years with JWT in Toronto & Chicago.
Ran the National Domino’s Pizza Business at Ross Roy Advertising.
Executive Vice President at O’Leary & Partners.
New Business Development at Marshall Advertising.
Experience on major global brands such as Kellogg’s, Warner Lambert, S.C.
Johnson, Labatt’s, divisions of Revlon and Campbell Soup, Burger King,
CENTURY 21, Subway, Toyo Tires, Cox Communications.

1. How long have you been in business and what exactly do you do?

I have had my business since the spring of 2011.  Sometimes I wonder what I do.  I am basically a marketing consultant helping clients with my knowledge and my network.

2. Have you always run your own business and would you class yourself as an entrepreneur?

I worked for agencies in the past.  Am I an entrepreneur?  Not really.  I don’t hire people.  I consider myself more of a consultant.

3. How do you see social media playing a part in media agencies in the future? 

Yes I do.  I think it already has.  However we all have to remember that social media is just one channel.

4. How do you see social media playing a positive part in the local business community?

Sure.  It can aggregate like mined people.  It can spread the word.  It can get you closer to your customers.

We caught up with the CEO of Society3 Axel Schultze based in the Silicon Valley the famous southern region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

1. How long have you been in business and what exactly do you do?

With XeeMe since 2011. We build social presence organizer, helping people and brands to get their arms around the vast diverse world of profiles, sites and activities. This is how they look like: One of our power users: http://XeeMe.com/berart or President Obama: http://xeeme.com/barackobama

2. Have you always run your own business and would you class yourself as an entrepreneur?

After founding 6 companies, two public, and all very successful, I’d say yes, there is a bit of entrepreneurship in my genes  But I had also a good business foundation working for two US technology giants before I started my own businesses.

3. How do you see social media playing a part in your business in the future? 

I see it turning into mainstream business. Companies no longer look for an “edge” but a requirement to stay in touch with the market – very much like telephone is not a “hot thing” anymore but a given. Today most people still focus on the marketing side. We have passed that stage long time ago. We help people apply it in sales to help smart sales people to keep in touch with an even larger number of clients, reach more people per day, have additional touch points on top of phone and email. Or we help product management to reduce risk of failures, build new products faster, get more ideas from the community. You get the idea.

4. How do you see social media playing a positive part in the local community?

I just think how would somebody answer 200 years ago if asked “How do you see electricity playing a positive part in your local community”  Like electricity, computers, the Internet, Social Media will become an omnipresent factor in our lives. Through Social Media our “community” will get a global overlay of connectedness and belongingness, it provides an important acceleration in education, collaboration on all fronts. It will make the otherwise technical world more human again, it allows us to find solutions to problems faster and more profound, knowledge aggregation is growing by order of magnitude. The only thing that will not happen is what 98% of social media gurus hoping to see: make marketing easier – it is actually already becoming even more complex.

View Axel’s online social presence here - http://xeeme.com/AxelS

Also view this video where Axel discusses presence development

Based in the Breda Area, Netherlands Berrie Pelser continues to be one of the leading authorities on social media and SEO -

1. How long have you been in business and what exactly do you do? 

I started Ber|Art Visual Design in 1998 so I am in the internet business for almost 15 years. We host and design WordPress, Typo3 and Magento websites in our own private secure Linux Cloud.

We optimize (SEO/Social Media) all our customer websites for Google and do our best to rank them as high as possible on Google.

We take care of the complete Social Media Strategy for our customers.

2. Have you always run your own business and would you class yourself as an entrepreneur?

NO, I have been working for a boss (Pharmaceutical Companies) from 1990-1998, I would not class myself as an entrepreneur

3. How do you see social media playing a part in your business in the future?

It is already a very big part of my business and it will be much bigger in the near future. Europe is still in the early face of social media companies do not know what to do with it yet. So I think in the next few years Social Media will be as normal as having your own website. All companies will have to make the step, they have no choice, social media will must be integrated into all businesses. SEO is 50% Social Media so Social Media will play the biggest roll in my business.

4. How do you see social media playing a positive part in the local community?

It already does, and this will be bigger and bigger and in 2013 this will be also a must, you cannot afford anymore to not be on the social media if you want to know what’s happening in your village. At this moment there are lots of apps that are very useful to your fellow citizens.  There are even apps that can safe lives (amber alert etc..) the roll of Social Media will also be big in this case!