The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business (BrianSolis.com)

Integrating social media into marketing efforts is fast becoming the new normal for many businesses. But utilizing it just for marketing is only realizing a part of social media’s potential. Social businesses embrace introspection and extrospection to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and opportunities.

Savvy Social Media Users Influence Peer Purchases (MediaPost.com)

For marketers, the new golden rule is to beware of socially adept consumers. New research reveals that consumers who use social media for service tell more people about their experiences with companies and products. With that in mind, companies need to be aware of how they serve these social media-savvy consumers.

Facebook Begins Rolling Out News Feed “Offers” for Local Small Businesses (SocialMediaToday.com)

Local small businesses are in luck as Facebook rolls out a new feature especially made for them. News feed “Offers”, currently available in beta to a limited number of local business Pages, allow small businesses to draw in customers with special events and deals.

The new window shopping: how to build brands by photo sharing (BazaarVoice.com)

Photography can do a great deal to help a customer connect with a brand. In using photography to build an emotional connection with an audience, marketers should keep a few tips in mind to ensure that they are paving a way towards a deeper connection.

Yahoo! Sees Small Business Dashboarding Need (SocialMediaExplorer.com)

The Yahoo! Small Business Marketing Dashboard offers small businesses a wealth of tools to them manage their online presence. The dashboard pulls together web analytics, paid search advertising, e-commerce, social media monitoring, directory listings, and more into a single home designed for business owners.