Presence without a purpose is a waste of time. Great, you have a storefront, but why here? Why offer what you’re offering? Is there even a need in that area of town?

The same questions can be applied to social media tactics. It’s fundamental. Don’t just jump on the social media bandwagon because “others are doing it.”

Here are six things your business can accomplish with social media:

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1)Increased web traffic. Let’s say your goal is to get a higher organic rating on search engines. (An organic rating is a nonpaid listing on search engines, like when someone Googles your name. You really should appear first. Well, what if they Google your industry and location? Where are you at? [ie. florist in Darien, Ill.] That’s when organic listings come in play) If your target is increased web traffic, then link building and social bookmarking would be for you.

2)Increased sales. There are hundreds of ways you can lead prospects to sales. These highlighted words are called anchor text, which lead to my contact page, which leads to a potential sale. In the lower left hand side of the page is a “conversion form” for a free white paper, which requires an e-mail. Why is it called a conversion form? We convert your desire of free information for an e-mail address. We use your e-mail address (with care) to send out our newsletter. It’s all in the process of converting your appreciation of this free knowledge into a sale.

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3)Increased Awareness. Letting people know about a new promotion, a new sale or a new product, etc. hasn’t been this affordable since Word of Mouth. Using social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can raise an awareness of your brand at a cost of $0 to post.

4)Increased feedback. Let your customers speak. Social media is not a megaphone, it’s a telephone. Encourage feedback through poll widgets, Twitter, Facebook walls and more. Use that feedback to improve your product offerings. Plus, you’ll often find “feedback” tabs along the side of many websites now. Those are widgets that can go on any site. Maybe it will work for yours.

5)Increased conversation. Decide what type of conversation you want to have about your industry. Pick one? Great. Now create a cool hashtag for Twitter (ie. #beefchicago for great beef sandwich restaurants around town). I’ll use JayRodChicago as an example. We’re launching a video series of recommended social media tools beginning March 9. Our hashtag is going to be #SSMvideos or SimpleSocialMedia videos (Our Facebook URL is Facebook.com/SimpleSocialMedia – hence, #SSM). We plan on starting a conversation among social media professionals from around the world who will suggest their favorite social media tools out there. Try it for your industry, or even try it with your customers!

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6)Increased recognition. So you need to toot your own horn once in a while. Try PitchEngine. Our clients have had great success with them. The cool thing about social media press release sites (like PitchEngine) is you can include your videos, social links AND the news you have all in one location. Very useful!

So those are the six things you can accomplish with social media. We’d like to hear from you if you think there are more. Use the comments section below!

Jason M. Rodriguez is an Internet Engagement Strategist and owner of JayRodChicago.com.

Obviously, I’m a huge proponent of internet marketing, social media and social networking. As a small business who serves small- and medium-sized businesses, a struggle we constantly face is the business owner’s nephew or niece who “knows about” social networking and has a Facebook or Twitter account, so (for a little spending money) a business owner hires them to create their presence on these platforms.

Bad idea.

Social media undoubtedly can help your business grow financially and with a larger customer base, but without being prepared by a business consultant or a social media professional, it can make your brand look horribly bad.

Here are four ugly business faces that can rise to the surface of your campaign if your social media efforts are put in the wrong hands:

1)No focus. If you have no reason for being on a particular social media channel (ie. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, etc.), then that shows. How many of you are fans of companies and not hear from them at all? Too many of you! We cringe when we ask “Why are you on Facebook?” and the answer is “Because everyone else is on there.” Without  a purpose, you simply have a presence – and that is inadequate!

2)No foundation. You have a pretty website. Meaning, it looks wonderful and you spent thousands of dollars to make sure it “looks” wonderful. But, how functional is it? Do you have a landing page? Calls to action? Are you prepared to take online reservations or purchases? Can people use credit cards or shopping carts your site? You get the picture. Much like all the prep work that is done before you unlock the doors of your storefront, a lot of prep work needs to be done before you launch your website and any social media campaign.

3)Unclear message. All of your efforts on various social media channels need to collaborate with each other to one clear message.

4)Unprepared for growth. Picture this: You want to be on Facebook because “everyone else is.” You hire your nephew and by some odd chance, something gets picked up (popular) and you go viral. Your phones are ringing off the hook and orders are coming in quicker than you can fulfill them. So now, the world or your town or region knows what you’ve known for years: you have the greatest product out there. Only problem: your service is terrible because you’re unprepared for growth. Your reviews on Google and Yelp start going downhill and you’re back to the place you started.

Jason M. Rodriguez is an Internet Engagement Strategist with JayRodChicago.com. He blogs every Monday at www.JayRodChicago.com/blog. Subscribe here. He can be reached here.

Yes, there has been an aspect of social media that is often overlooked. They are often thought of when a company is trying to get its social media campaign/conversation off the ground, but sometimes forgotten as the wheels turn. Social media, in its very definition, forgets these folks and they are at the crux of whether or not your business succeeds. Yes, I’m talking about your employees.

Employees are an incredible asset to any company at which they are hired, but did you know that Bob in receiving edits audio for his band? Or Lucy, the head of human resources, took improv classes at The Second City? Or Cheryl has spent hours studying how to best optimize a video on YouTube as her Plan B in case you lay her off? : ) You get the picture.

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We, as a society, have become digital assets to companies and, responsibly, can use our reach on social networking sites as ways to draw people to your business.

Here are 3 ways you can incorporate employees in your social media plan:

1)Every social media plan needs a marketing calendar. Ask for employees’ input with the next marketing calendar. Though some are reading this and saying, “We’ll be lucky to survive past May,” you still need a marketing calendar. The reason? You need to know where you’ve been to determine where you’re going. What were your busiest times of year? What did employees feel like when they were contributing to the team during that time? Most importantly, what were customers saying about that time? Can those actions be re-lived in the near future? When? With a marketing calendar, you will have an answer. Add employee input to that mix and you’ll have a stronger marketing campaign than you’ve ever had before.

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2)Use social media tools to gather input. The first ones that come to mind are TeamBox and Google Wave. These are internal, idea-sharing websites (kind of like an intranet) that are free. Have talented workers that come in third shift and are not able to meet at the usual 9 a.m. meeting? These two tools are great at allowing multiple employees a chance to work together without having to be in the same room.

3)Go YouTube viral. Have a brainstorming session in which you can build teamwork and gather ideas for a killer YouTube video. Have fun with it, deliver your message and challenge your competitors to respond. Who knows? You may create a fun back-and-forth competitive atmosphere among businesses in your community.

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You undoubtedly have other great ideas for how to incorporate employees in your social media plan. Let me know below!

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OK, so I’m a little behind. Digg, the popular social media news sharing site that lets readers rate their favorites, turned five recently. Digg has systematically changed the way we look at news and entertainment. They’ve effectively opened the doors of a newsroom and let Internet users become the day’s news editor.

Check out this video for a brief history of the company.

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The statistics are staggering. What’s more is the fact that digg may be having a little trouble financially. Check out the latest news on Wikipedia’s digg entry.

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Never dug a story before? It’s pretty simple. Go to our blog (www.JayRodChicago.com/blog) and pick out a blog that you like. Scroll down and click on the “Share article” link. Find digg and click it. After a quick registration, you have dug your first article. Keep digg among your favorites and share useful information with diggnation when you come across it!

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Before you go, check out a prototype of what digg may look like in the future!

Jason M. Rodriguez is the owner of www.JayRodChicago.com – a social media, PR, marketing and business writing company based in Chicago. He specializes in designing social media conversations and campaigns for businesses. He can be reached here.

I have to admit I cringed when I heard Toyota going the route of traditional marketing without a mention of inbound marketing to help save face from the recent embarrassing recalls. I hear their radio apology and quest to get better, which is great, but what I do not hear is a call for engagement.

In this day and age, by spending the type of money they undoubtedly did on a traditional marketing campaign, they should have included [among their marketing goals] one that would help build their list of brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors would be the ones who have purchased or currently drive Toyota’s products and are rather proud to be owners (or past owners).

I, for one, am a Toyota owner. Stories about how bad the situation with sticky accelerators and more began to get to me. And it wasn’t until a family member needed a “jump” after a recent winter storm here in Chicago. Yes, my Toyota that lasted overnight in the frigid cold and snow was primed and ready to jump the unnamed brand of vehicle that was sitting in the garage all night with a frozen battery.

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That’s when it hit me! “Boy, I betcha Toyota would love to hear a story about that,” I said to myself. Well, why aren’t they asking for it? Here are three ideas that Toyota should be using as a way to build brand ambassadors as their worldwide brand takes a beating.

Have a contest on YouTube – You have people worldwide who are talented, creative, innovative and more. Have them come up with a commercial, jingle or testimonial on why they love their Toyota. I mean, this idea isn’t a new one. It seems every year there are companies asking for submissions from their customers for their Super Bowl commercials!

Twiddle me this – Start a conversation among Twitter users on how Toyota can better improve its product.

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Facebook fan page contest – Give away a Toyota. Yes, I said it. Give one away. Get fans of your Facebook page to offer a testimonial at what makes Toyota better than its competitors. I’m not just talking about some of the simple stuff like “I like the sun roof” in this model. Have your fans research the engineering aspect of what makes Toyota better than the others. Entries it receives can be used for future testimonials either in traditional or inbound marketing efforts.

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Use this article from Mashable to properly implement your campaign and you’re well on your way to running a successful brand management conversation!

Jason M. Rodriguez is the owner of www.JayRodChicago.com – a social media, PR, marketing and business writing company based in Chicago. He specializes in designing social media conversations and campaigns for businesses. He can be reached here.