If you are looking for a reason to advertise on Facebook – other than statistics that show Americans spend over 53 billion minutes on the site per month – perhaps “free” money is a motivator.  Facebook is launching an initiative aimed at getting small businesses excited to advertise on the network that includes offering free $50 ad credits to 200,000 businesses.  Something to consider!

Do you sometimes feel online marketers are stalking as opposed to selling?  VentureBeat published an article on how marketers can use social media without being intrusive.  Among the tips: be helpful without being pushy, offer thought leadership on issues and research potential clients, but be wary of how much of this information you share.  What are your best practices for connecting with clients online without crowding them? 

The notion that content is king when it comes to social media marketing has proven true once again.  New research shows that Facebook fans in the U.S., U.K. and France are following fewer brands and are actually un-following brands, citing the prevalence of uninteresting content as a primary motivator.  What do you do to keep your online outreach compelling?

One good idea for compelling content is the notion of an exclusive.  London fashion powerhouse Burberry has coined the word “Tweetwalk” to describe giving its Twitter followers exclusive pictures backstage at famous spring fashion shows so they see new designs moments before they are unveiled.  Is there anything that you can offer a Twitter exclusive on?

In an age of check-in services, it’s hard to believe you could ever be in a room with someone you know and miss them. Sonar, the iPhone app that alerts you if Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare friends are in the room with you, has added LinkedIn connections to its offerings.  It could be a great tool to know when past clients are in the same place as you (i.e. “how is your new house?”) to acknowledging people you have been introduced to who may be in the market (i.e. “you were looking for a 3br/2ba house in 2010 but decided to stay put at the time, I have a great property that just came on the market”).

And finally, the “Dummies” series of books have extended further into social media with Location-Based Marketing For Dummies.   Among the topics covered is “setting up a monitoring strategy” and  “creating an offer.”  It sounds worth a read!   

Have a great week.