For those with a business that has an active blog, you may say that this seems light. It is. It seems that there’s a huge gap between those who are adding content to their site and those who don’t so we’re going with a strong minimum. If you’re adding two pieces of content per month, you have the ability to make a difference.

I’m not talking about conversion pages. I’m talking about interesting, engaging content that people can and will share if they see it. I’m talking about building content that works for your business, that’s associated with your target visitors, and that comes from a unique place that is inherent to you. I’m talking about writing about what you know best – your business and the area that it’s in.

That’s not to say that those who are blogging regularly shouldn’t read about this. Most that I’ve seen who are “blogging” are actually just posting search-relevant content in hopes that it will help them gain additional keywords. This practice is fine but is not a replacement for the type of content that I’m talking about here. For this content, you have to make it real. You have to build content that you would be interested in reading yourself if you came across it on the internet or in a magazine.

We’ve discussed this type of content in the past regarding killing birds, but it wouldn’t be doing the topic service to write about it once and let it go. Here’s an overview:

Strong Related Content

Most businesses are starting to post some sort of content on their blogs or directly to their site. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it is completely self-serving. This is fine – you’re a business, not a media publication – but you’ll miss out on the benefits inherent with valuable and/or entertaining content if everything is about you. There are other stories to tell, other concepts that should be explored in your industry, and interesting aspects of your community that will help you create content that others can post to their social media profiles or link to from their websites.

That’s the goal. If you’re a dealership writing articles like “Nissan Altima Dallas Gets New Incentives”, it’s fine and can help you rank for the target term “Nissan Altima Dallas” but it’s not enough. You needgood content to support your conversion content. Not everything is about keywords. Done right, it’s easier to get the tougher keywords by going after something altogether.

As we’ve discussed in the past, content has two primary goals. Yes, it can help the search engines understand your website better, so the SEO value is strong within the content. This is what conversion content is all about. However, you won’t get anyone to share or link to this type of content, which is why engaging content is necessary to achieve the second goal: getting inbound links and social signals pointed to your website.

When you have an interesting piece of content that is shared on social media and linked to by others, it helps the entire domain achieve higher rankings in search for the “money terms” that you want. By mixing in pieces of content such as “9 Amazing Uses of Ford SYNC and Your Smartphone”, you’re on your way to getting higher rankings for other keywords. It does, of course, help with social media content as well, but even if you don’t believe in the value of this content, you’ll surely see the value of improving your rankings.

Two pieces of content a month might seem low, but how much are your producing today? Then, ask yourself which is more likely – to get in and post a lot of content, then get tired of it and abandon it altogether, or to schedule two pieces of content that don’t interrupt your normal routine too often and that have a tremendous impact on your overall internet marketing? This is why I ask people to start with two. If they build two a month for a few months, they might decide that the value is high enough to hire a part-time or full-time content writer. That’s the goal. Bring in some value, then expand on it.

Once you start, it’s hard to stop after seeing the amazing result.

There are many mistakes made by dealers on Facebook. We detail the most egregious ones here from time to time in an attempt to help others not make the same mistakes. There's one mistake in particular that is almost unforgivable for the simple reason that it's so darn easy while being pretty darn effective. Dealerships are so focused on their own pages that they often neglect to take their pages out into the rest of the Facebook world and interact there.

Here's the short version of what you should be doing with your page: log in as the page (top right arrow next, "Use Facebook as:") and go like other pages and posts. Done right, it should take no more than 5-10 minutes a day. Like your local newspaper. Like local charities. Like other local businesses. Like the posts that are on those pages that you truly enjoy (more on that later). It takes a certain creative and professional personality to comment appropriately as a dealership on other Facebook pages. It takes the ability to read and click buttons to like things that others post.

Here's the longer version...

Interacting with the Community by Pushing the Like Button

Facebook gives you the ability to humanize your dealership. That's one of the most important attributes of Facebook as a marketing and public relations tool. It's great for communicating and most dealerships are starting to be more active on their Facebook pages when people seek them out and talk to them there, but so few are going out into Facebook as their pages and doing the interacting there.

This is way too easy of a task. It's so easy and so potentially effective that it's shocking so few do it.

Here it is, step by step:

1. Using Facebook as your page, find relevant local businesses, charities, organizations, and publications to like.
2. Be open but vet your selections. Make sure the pages are active, posting content that your business would agree with and that your fans would also enjoy, and have a real following. Avoid pages that are too big - your likes will not be seen if their page has hundreds of thousands of fans and each posts gets hundreds of likes. Think Goldilocks - not too big, not too small. If they're getting 1-10 likes per post, that's perfect.
3. Like content on their pages that you enjoy. This is important - don't go through "blind liking" things on others' pages. Only push the like button if it's something that you would want to be associated with online and in real life.
4. Check your news feed daily while using Facebook as your page. Again, be selective. The urge to save time and start hitting the like button a lot is strong for many, but be certain that you really like what you're liking.
5. Set a schedule to vet the pages that you have already liked as well as finding new pages to like. I do it once or twice a month.
6. Rinse. Repeat.

Why this Helps

This may seem like a frivolous activity. It's not. It works.

Every time you like something on another page, your business name appears on the post. The branding implications here are clear - repetition and reinforcement are keys in this uber-competitive auto sales environment.

More importantly, it's not just how often people see your name. It's where they see it. There's a certain level of goodwill associated with a like. This can register on a conscious or unconscious level. Either way, your brand is associated itself with worthy causes, other local businesses, and stories posted on publications that other people agree with or enjoy as well. When they see that you liked a recent post by the local March of Dimes chapter, for example, it shows that your dealership is potentially involved with good things happening in the community.

There's also the return-reaction factor. Let's say a car dealership likes a post by a local restaurant. The restaurant's Facebook page manager will likely see this. They might "return the favor" and go to your page to like something there as well. That's the minor benefit. The major benefit comes into play during those rare but real moments when an actual sale is made as a result. There's a dealership that recently liked and commented on a post by a local college promoting their book sale drive that was going to benefit the math department. A math professor at the university bought a car from the dealership a week later, noting that they were "in the market anyway and was pleased that the dealership was supporting his department."

A $35,000 vehicle sold as a direct result of clicking a button and writing a nice comment - it doesn't get any better than that.

Cases like that are ideal but obviously very rare. People are normally not so easily swayed. While the direct benefits are often never seen, the indirect benefits of branding, exposure, and goodwill are easy to understand. Remember, it takes 5-10 minutes a day at most. Some may do it less often and still find success. The key is to do it. If you don't have the time to be engaging with your local community by clicking the mouse a few times a day... who am I kidding. You do have the time. You just have to make it a priority.

There are many mistakes made by dealers on Facebook. We detail the most egregious ones here from time to time in an attempt to help others not make the same mistakes. There's one mistake in particular that is almost unforgivable for the simple reason that it's so darn easy while being pretty darn effective. Dealerships are so focused on their own pages that they often neglect to take their pages out into the rest of the Facebook world and interact there.

Here's the short version of what you should be doing with your page: log in as the page (top right arrow next, "Use Facebook as:") and go like other pages and posts. Done right, it should take no more than 5-10 minutes a day. Like your local newspaper. Like local charities. Like other local businesses. Like the posts that are on those pages that you truly enjoy (more on that later). It takes a certain creative and professional personality to comment appropriately as a dealership on other Facebook pages. It takes the ability to read and click buttons to like things that others post.

Here's the longer version...

Interacting with the Community by Pushing the Like Button

Facebook gives you the ability to humanize your dealership. That's one of the most important attributes of Facebook as a marketing and public relations tool. It's great for communicating and most dealerships are starting to be more active on their Facebook pages when people seek them out and talk to them there, but so few are going out into Facebook as their pages and doing the interacting there.

This is way too easy of a task. It's so easy and so potentially effective that it's shocking so few do it.

Here it is, step by step:

1. Using Facebook as your page, find relevant local businesses, charities, organizations, and publications to like.
2. Be open but vet your selections. Make sure the pages are active, posting content that your business would agree with and that your fans would also enjoy, and have a real following. Avoid pages that are too big - your likes will not be seen if their page has hundreds of thousands of fans and each posts gets hundreds of likes. Think Goldilocks - not too big, not too small. If they're getting 1-10 likes per post, that's perfect.
3. Like content on their pages that you enjoy. This is important - don't go through "blind liking" things on others' pages. Only push the like button if it's something that you would want to be associated with online and in real life.
4. Check your news feed daily while using Facebook as your page. Again, be selective. The urge to save time and start hitting the like button a lot is strong for many, but be certain that you really like what you're liking.
5. Set a schedule to vet the pages that you have already liked as well as finding new pages to like. I do it once or twice a month.
6. Rinse. Repeat.

Why this Helps

This may seem like a frivolous activity. It's not. It works.

Every time you like something on another page, your business name appears on the post. The branding implications here are clear - repetition and reinforcement are keys in this uber-competitive auto sales environment.

More importantly, it's not just how often people see your name. It's where they see it. There's a certain level of goodwill associated with a like. This can register on a conscious or unconscious level. Either way, your brand is associated itself with worthy causes, other local businesses, and stories posted on publications that other people agree with or enjoy as well. When they see that you liked a recent post by the local March of Dimes chapter, for example, it shows that your dealership is potentially involved with good things happening in the community.

There's also the return-reaction factor. Let's say a car dealership likes a post by a local restaurant. The restaurant's Facebook page manager will likely see this. They might "return the favor" and go to your page to like something there as well. That's the minor benefit. The major benefit comes into play during those rare but real moments when an actual sale is made as a result. There's a dealership that recently liked and commented on a post by a local college promoting their book sale drive that was going to benefit the math department. A math professor at the university bought a car from the dealership a week later, noting that they were "in the market anyway and was pleased that the dealership was supporting his department."

A $35,000 vehicle sold as a direct result of clicking a button and writing a nice comment - it doesn't get any better than that.

Cases like that are ideal but obviously very rare. People are normally not so easily swayed. While the direct benefits are often never seen, the indirect benefits of branding, exposure, and goodwill are easy to understand. Remember, it takes 5-10 minutes a day at most. Some may do it less often and still find success. The key is to do it. If you don't have the time to be engaging with your local community by clicking the mouse a few times a day... who am I kidding. You do have the time. You just have to make it a priority.

Facebook has the market cornered on true social networking. Twitter is the news source. YouTube owns videos. Google+, the network that's growing huge but still having challenges communicating its identity, has one major advantage over all of the other social networks: size of posts.

It's possible to format and utilize Google+ as a lite blogging platform. This is not necessarily a good replacement for those who already have a valid and active business blog, but those who are getting started or who never been able to generate real traction to their blog can take advantage of some of the things that Google+ does well.

Here are some of the advantages:

• Formatting - While it's not nearly the type of formatting that is available on true blogging platforms like Wordpress or Tumblr there's enough formatting options on Google+ to make it work. Again, this is only good as a lite version.
• Length - The constraints present on other social networks are looser on Google+. Sure, you can use hacks to plug in a blog on Facebook and there are tools available to fake a blog through Twitter, but posting directly to the feed is only possible from a length perspective on Google+.
• Instant Rankings - While I haven't tested beyond my own accounts, I know that Google+ posts tend to rank extremely quickly and very high for good keywords, particularly for those who follow me. Even unauthenticated web searches present Google+ posts.
• Tie-In to Google Local - The local components of Google through search and directed from other locations are generating more and more traffic. Reviews, maps, information - all of these give people reasons to visit a Google account for a business. Once there, people are often unable to find anything interesting on the pages because of how infrequently most post to their Google+ page accounts. By making it a lite blog, this can change.

The disadvantages are numerous, of course. Links, images, videos - pick one. Unfortunately, you cannot mix and match different media types. You also can't put them in-line the way you can on real blogging platforms. Unless you are one of the lucky ones with a vanity URL, it's not easy to get people to your G+ page without using a custom short link.

At this point, anything that can get businesses communicating more robustly with their customers and potential customers is a good thing. It's not that I would prefer that people use Google+ for blogging over Wordpress, Blogger, or any of the true blogging platforms, but if it's convenient enough to make businesses act, then it's worth describing in a blog post.

I guess that's what I just did.

Facebook has the market cornered on true social networking. Twitter is the news source. YouTube owns videos. Google+, the network that's growing huge but still having challenges communicating its identity, has one major advantage over all of the other social networks: size of posts.

It's possible to format and utilize Google+ as a lite blogging platform. This is not necessarily a good replacement for those who already have a valid and active business blog, but those who are getting started or who never been able to generate real traction to their blog can take advantage of some of the things that Google+ does well.

Here are some of the advantages:

• Formatting - While it's not nearly the type of formatting that is available on true blogging platforms like Wordpress or Tumblr there's enough formatting options on Google+ to make it work. Again, this is only good as a lite version.
• Length - The constraints present on other social networks are looser on Google+. Sure, you can use hacks to plug in a blog on Facebook and there are tools available to fake a blog through Twitter, but posting directly to the feed is only possible from a length perspective on Google+.
• Instant Rankings - While I haven't tested beyond my own accounts, I know that Google+ posts tend to rank extremely quickly and very high for good keywords, particularly for those who follow me. Even unauthenticated web searches present Google+ posts.
• Tie-In to Google Local - The local components of Google through search and directed from other locations are generating more and more traffic. Reviews, maps, information - all of these give people reasons to visit a Google account for a business. Once there, people are often unable to find anything interesting on the pages because of how infrequently most post to their Google+ page accounts. By making it a lite blog, this can change.

The disadvantages are numerous, of course. Links, images, videos - pick one. Unfortunately, you cannot mix and match different media types. You also can't put them in-line the way you can on real blogging platforms. Unless you are one of the lucky ones with a vanity URL, it's not easy to get people to your G+ page without using a custom short link.

At this point, anything that can get businesses communicating more robustly with their customers and potential customers is a good thing. It's not that I would prefer that people use Google+ for blogging over Wordpress, Blogger, or any of the true blogging platforms, but if it's convenient enough to make businesses act, then it's worth describing in a blog post.

I guess that's what I just did.

There are plenty of ways to use mobile devices to promote a business. The merging of social, local, and mobile into the SoLoMo buzzword of 2012 is starting to became a reality for 2013. With YouTube's latest app for iPhone and iPod Touch, the video giant has given a powerful tool to businesses who rely on showing people their wares before they make the drive.

For example, the internet has expanded the reach of car dealerships. People are able to look at more industries in minutes than they used to be able to look at in an entire day of shopping. They can identify the dealerships that have a vehicle that matches their needs and contact them about it without leaving their desk. Still, the internet has not been able to replace the peace of mind associated with seeing an inventory item other than through clunky apps and multi-step capture and upload processes.

YouTube Capture changes this. Now, someone who is interested in a car that is several miles away can see it in the same time it takes a salesperson to run out to the car and push a couple of buttons. YouTube and other video platforms have long had the ability to assist in a long-distance sales process, but this cuts the steps down and makes it more accessible for both the buyer and the seller.

Imagine a customer calling a dealership and asking about a specific used vehicle. They want to know as much about it as possible before making the drive to go see it in person. A savvy salesperson can run out to the car, shoot a quick walk-around video, start up the engine, pop the hood and trunk, and get it on the internet in a couple of minutes. They can get it on YouTube, of course, but they also have the ability to share it on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter in a single step. This makes communicating with the customer much easier.

"I made a video for you, Mrs. Henderson. You can get to it quickly by clicking the link at Twitter dot com slash ABCMotors. Take a look and tell me what you think!"

As technology continues to give businesses and consumers the tools to connect more easily, it's the savvy businesses that can guide the savvy and not-so-savvy consumers alike to the message they want them to hear (and in this case, see).

Here's the launch video from YouTube:

There are plenty of ways to use mobile devices to promote a business. The merging of social, local, and mobile into the SoLoMo buzzword of 2012 is starting to became a reality for 2013. With YouTube's latest app for iPhone and iPod Touch, the video giant has given a powerful tool to businesses who rely on showing people their wares before they make the drive.

For example, the internet has expanded the reach of car dealerships. People are able to look at more industries in minutes than they used to be able to look at in an entire day of shopping. They can identify the dealerships that have a vehicle that matches their needs and contact them about it without leaving their desk. Still, the internet has not been able to replace the peace of mind associated with seeing an inventory item other than through clunky apps and multi-step capture and upload processes.

YouTube Capture changes this. Now, someone who is interested in a car that is several miles away can see it in the same time it takes a salesperson to run out to the car and push a couple of buttons. YouTube and other video platforms have long had the ability to assist in a long-distance sales process, but this cuts the steps down and makes it more accessible for both the buyer and the seller.

Imagine a customer calling a dealership and asking about a specific used vehicle. They want to know as much about it as possible before making the drive to go see it in person. A savvy salesperson can run out to the car, shoot a quick walk-around video, start up the engine, pop the hood and trunk, and get it on the internet in a couple of minutes. They can get it on YouTube, of course, but they also have the ability to share it on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter in a single step. This makes communicating with the customer much easier.

"I made a video for you, Mrs. Henderson. You can get to it quickly by clicking the link at Twitter dot com slash ABCMotors. Take a look and tell me what you think!"

As technology continues to give businesses and consumers the tools to connect more easily, it's the savvy businesses that can guide the savvy and not-so-savvy consumers alike to the message they want them to hear (and in this case, see).

Here's the launch video from YouTube:

Let's face it. Facebook (and Google+) love pictures. It ranks at the top of the news feed food chain above text posts, videos, and links. It's the primary reason that many people visit Facebook in the first place. They want to see pictures of little Timmy sliding into third base, the places that their friends and family are visiting, and cats. Don't forget the cats.

Unfortunately, many businesses have focused on cats (or similar Facebook-friendly images) as their source of content. It simply doesn't have to be that way. It's the lazy approach to find things that make us laugh and then post them on our business Facebook pages in hopes that other people will laugh as well and like, comment on, or share the image. What's worse than the laziness factor is that it's insincere; it's like trying to fit in at a party where people are frolicking in order to spring a sales pitch on an unsuspecting soul while in line for a drink.

What's worse than the insincerity is that it simply doesn't work. Sure, people may like the picture of the Sistine Chapel that your sister posted. They may even share it. You may even be able to loosely justify it by saying that it's improving your branding. These are fine delusions, but they don't address the core problem you have with your Facebook page. You aren't actually becoming anything to your fans other than another interesting page that posts content that they occasionally see and rarely enjoy.

If Facebook (and Google+) are mostly visual platforms and you want to capture some of the "magic" without being a poser, you'll want to find the various treasure troves of content to post. Here are some...

Finding Images for Facebook (and Google+)

One of the most annoying practices that businesses employ on Facebook is that they talk about anything other than their business. Don't get me wrong, it's much more annoying (and completely useless) to post a feed-based flurry of links to your website every day. Still, if you're going to post images (and you should), there are places to find them that will improve your overall presence by staying interesting while also staying on point.

In this example, we'll look at a local Ford dealership. What do they do? They sell and service Ford vehicles as well as used vehicles of other manufacturers. There's no reason for a Ford dealership to post pictures of cats. They have plenty of content available to them that would serve them much better.

• Google - The obvious choice. It's the other form of the lazy person's approach, but it works and can still help you to stay on point. Search for specific cars. Search for engines. Search for images from the various car shows around the world. When you find something you like, post the image with a unique description. Be sure to add a localized or otherwise-relevant spin to the description. For example, if you're posting an image of a concept 2015 Mustang, you could ask a question such as, "Is this different enough to make it stand out from the current body style?" or simply make a statement such as "We can't wait to get these here in Fond du Lac!" As always, you'll want to post a link to the source, but only after you've included the image. You don't want this to be a link post with a preview generated, so add the link to the description after you've already selected the image. This works on both Facebook and Google+.
• Shutterstock - There are various paid image galleries that offer different packages. These are particularly useful when you're posting content to your website or blog about the local area. In this example, we used Shutterstock to find interesting images of Wisconsin, the home state of the dealership itself. This gave us very sharable content (23 shares from a dealership's website isn't too shabby) on the website itself as well as a dozen images that we can share on the dealership's Facebook page spread out over time if necessary or posted as an album.
• Your Store - This is quite possibly the most under-utilized source of content for most businesses. It's also the most useful. Sure, there are plenty of businesses that are starting to post images of their happy customers, but it's not really super-engaging content. The buyer and anyone who knows them might like or share the image, but it's not going to get liked, commented on, or shared by anyone else. However, there is plenty going on other than the customers. In the example of the Ford dealership, there are often "cars with a story" coming through service. It could be a Ford with 300k miles. It could be one that just came back from a trip in the mountains and is now covered in mud. It could be an interesting or funny bumper sticker, a cool modification that someone made to a motor, or even something very simple like a silly outfit the boss wore to work today. There's content floating around the store every day. You just have to keep your eyes open for it.
• The Area Around You - Every place has something photo-worthy. Whether you're in a bustling metro area or a desert wasteland, there are things happening or interesting scenes that can be captured with your smartphone. Do it. I couldn't tell you how many times I would stop in every city I've been to in order to take a picture of something cool had I managed a localized social media profile in that city. Take advantage of your surroundings and you'll find treasures that your localized fans will recognize and enjoy.
• Your Imagination - This is rarely used as well but when it's done right, it's awesome. By using your imagination, you can explore both the store and the local area and manufacture scenes that would make for great posts on Facebook (and Google+). For example, you can go to the roof of the dealership and take a picture of the lot itself, then apply tilt-shift manipulation to the image for a really cool final product. The image above was a normal image, but when tilt-shift is applied, it makes it look like it's a miniature car.

You don't need cats. You need effort, imagination, and a willingness to be interesting with what it is that you do best. Don't try to fit in on Facebook (and Google+). Try to stand out.

Let's face it. Facebook (and Google+) love pictures. It ranks at the top of the news feed food chain above text posts, videos, and links. It's the primary reason that many people visit Facebook in the first place. They want to see pictures of little Timmy sliding into third base, the places that their friends and family are visiting, and cats. Don't forget the cats.

Unfortunately, many businesses have focused on cats (or similar Facebook-friendly images) as their source of content. It simply doesn't have to be that way. It's the lazy approach to find things that make us laugh and then post them on our business Facebook pages in hopes that other people will laugh as well and like, comment on, or share the image. What's worse than the laziness factor is that it's insincere; it's like trying to fit in at a party where people are frolicking in order to spring a sales pitch on an unsuspecting soul while in line for a drink.

What's worse than the insincerity is that it simply doesn't work. Sure, people may like the picture of the Sistine Chapel that your sister posted. They may even share it. You may even be able to loosely justify it by saying that it's improving your branding. These are fine delusions, but they don't address the core problem you have with your Facebook page. You aren't actually becoming anything to your fans other than another interesting page that posts content that they occasionally see and rarely enjoy.

If Facebook (and Google+) are mostly visual platforms and you want to capture some of the "magic" without being a poser, you'll want to find the various treasure troves of content to post. Here are some...

Finding Images for Facebook (and Google+)

One of the most annoying practices that businesses employ on Facebook is that they talk about anything other than their business. Don't get me wrong, it's much more annoying (and completely useless) to post a feed-based flurry of links to your website every day. Still, if you're going to post images (and you should), there are places to find them that will improve your overall presence by staying interesting while also staying on point.

In this example, we'll look at a local Ford dealership. What do they do? They sell and service Ford vehicles as well as used vehicles of other manufacturers. There's no reason for a Ford dealership to post pictures of cats. They have plenty of content available to them that would serve them much better.

• Google - The obvious choice. It's the other form of the lazy person's approach, but it works and can still help you to stay on point. Search for specific cars. Search for engines. Search for images from the various car shows around the world. When you find something you like, post the image with a unique description. Be sure to add a localized or otherwise-relevant spin to the description. For example, if you're posting an image of a concept 2015 Mustang, you could ask a question such as, "Is this different enough to make it stand out from the current body style?" or simply make a statement such as "We can't wait to get these here in Fond du Lac!" As always, you'll want to post a link to the source, but only after you've included the image. You don't want this to be a link post with a preview generated, so add the link to the description after you've already selected the image. This works on both Facebook and Google+.
• Shutterstock - There are various paid image galleries that offer different packages. These are particularly useful when you're posting content to your website or blog about the local area. In this example, we used Shutterstock to find interesting images of Wisconsin, the home state of the dealership itself. This gave us very sharable content (23 shares from a dealership's website isn't too shabby) on the website itself as well as a dozen images that we can share on the dealership's Facebook page spread out over time if necessary or posted as an album.
• Your Store - This is quite possibly the most under-utilized source of content for most businesses. It's also the most useful. Sure, there are plenty of businesses that are starting to post images of their happy customers, but it's not really super-engaging content. The buyer and anyone who knows them might like or share the image, but it's not going to get liked, commented on, or shared by anyone else. However, there is plenty going on other than the customers. In the example of the Ford dealership, there are often "cars with a story" coming through service. It could be a Ford with 300k miles. It could be one that just came back from a trip in the mountains and is now covered in mud. It could be an interesting or funny bumper sticker, a cool modification that someone made to a motor, or even something very simple like a silly outfit the boss wore to work today. There's content floating around the store every day. You just have to keep your eyes open for it.
• The Area Around You - Every place has something photo-worthy. Whether you're in a bustling metro area or a desert wasteland, there are things happening or interesting scenes that can be captured with your smartphone. Do it. I couldn't tell you how many times I would stop in every city I've been to in order to take a picture of something cool had I managed a localized social media profile in that city. Take advantage of your surroundings and you'll find treasures that your localized fans will recognize and enjoy.
• Your Imagination - This is rarely used as well but when it's done right, it's awesome. By using your imagination, you can explore both the store and the local area and manufacture scenes that would make for great posts on Facebook (and Google+). For example, you can go to the roof of the dealership and take a picture of the lot itself, then apply tilt-shift manipulation to the image for a really cool final product. The image above was a normal image, but when tilt-shift is applied, it makes it look like it's a miniature car.

You don't need cats. You need effort, imagination, and a willingness to be interesting with what it is that you do best. Don't try to fit in on Facebook (and Google+). Try to stand out.

As social signals continue to rise in prominence when it comes to search engine rankings, there has been a revival in the need for retweets. Google and Bing are assigning a certain level of importance on the sheer organic numbers that are gained when it comes to social sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, and Twitter is the easiest of the numbers for a business to be able to influence quickly. Research is showing that increased engagement on an individual page on a website through social media can improve rankings across the board for the domain.

As such, a day that many of us thought (hoped?) was behind us has gained in prominence again. Today, businesses who do not get a good amount of Twitter activity to their domain must ask for retweets since they are the easiest way to influence search rankings. As a result, it's time to dust off the old "Rules of Twitterquette" and recall how to make it happen without risking losing followers or effectiveness altogether.

A Brief History

There was a time when Twitter was a tremendous traffic generation tool. I recall several occasions when I received thousands of visitors to my various websites simply by tweeting a link and getting it retweeted by a handful of people. Back then, Twitter was only about 5% links. Today, it's gone in the other direction.

Over time, the need for the retweet faded and in many ways I was pleased by this. You see, I'm not crazy about asking people for anything on social media. If they find value, they'll retweet it, share it, comment on it, or otherwise engage with the content that I post. If they don't find value or simply don't want to interact, that's fine. Even when it was effective for traffic, I didn't like asking. It just didn't seem sincere.

Now, going into 2013, the need is back. We've tested the difference between content and entire websites that get very little social interaction versus similar sites that are able to get retweets, Facebook shares, and Google +1s. The differences are dramatic. Since most businesses are not in a position to generate a ton of social signals simply by posting it, the time has come to pull out the best tool in the bag - asking for it.

How to Ask

Here are five rules. They aren't technically rules - ask for retweets in whatever manner you like. I've just found these guiding best practices have shown to be effective.

1. Keep the post mid-length. Short posts do not get retweeted as much as longer posts, but if it's too long you'll miss the coveted "mention retweet". Remember, there are two types of retweets. When people see your posts and push the Retweet button, they are actually posting your Tweet on their feed. Your avatar appears and there are no additional characters required. However, if they are doing the "mention retweet", they are posting it themselves and adding "RT @0boy" or "Via @0boy" somewhere in the Tweet. If your post even appears to be too long, they'll probably skip it. Keep your posts over 60 characters but under 110.
2. Request it sparingly. If you ask for retweets every time you have a link, people will stop doing it. As a general rule, there should be at least five Tweets between each request and no more than one a day if you're posting more than six times.
3. Make it universally important. By "important" that doesn't mean that it needs to be something of a pressing nature. It could even be a link to something frivolous on your website, but it has to have general appeal. Avoid using self-references in the Tweets that you want retweeted. "I" or "we" does not play well when someone who is not you is being asked to say something in their Twitter feed.
4. Ask the right way. Saying "Please Retweet" or "Please RT" is better than saying "Retweets are appreciated" or "Retweet this". Be polite but to the point.
5. Tag it. According to a study by QuickSprout, posts with tags asking for retweets are almost twice as likely to get retweeted. The most popular tag? #Twitter.

In many ways, Twitter's role in business is changing. It's not longer as great at direct marketing as it is at communication with current and future customers and clients. The addition of social signals as a search ranking component has brought it back into the realm of internet marketing, but don't get caught up in the SEO value alone. Twitter still has value in other ways. You just have to be willing to put in the effort to find its value for you.