Yeah. That title is lame and obvious, but we just couldn’t help ourselves.  It was our day to channel Abe Lincoln.

Sorry.

So, last week we talked about how Twitter is a great tool to use to promote your contests and give-aways, stay in touch with your customers, etc., and this week we’ll explore how Foursquare can be used to drive traffic to your business literally right off the street.

Last week we said that Social Media is a great way to help businesses grow by helping them get new customers, increase brand awareness, and stay connected with both customers and competitors alike.This week we'll start our discussion of each specific social media site and what each can do for your business.

Perhaps the best way to explain Social Media is to break it down a little bit.  Printed media like a newspaper is a one-way communication—you read it but you don’t tell it what you thought of the article. Maybe you call a friend and tell them about it, but you don’t sit there talking directly to your newspaper. 

If you do talk to your newspaper, we’ll just back away slowly and let you continue…

Ahem.

With the New Year upon us, it’s once again time to look back and learn from the trials and tribulations of year past. Can you recall the goals you set this time last year? Do you feel confident that you accomplished what you set out to do? Is your team amped up for a successful new year?

No matter what size your company is, chances are, you have felt the recession in one way or another. Consumer confidence is low, spending is weak, and there is no shortage of bad news being reported by the media. Although history has shown that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, it seems as though there is no end in sight. Your goal, as a business owner, is to remain profitable now and be ahead of the pack when the economy turns the corner.

Now that we've identified the strengths of your small business (February) and discussed how to create a game plan that makes the most of those strengths (March), it's time to put that game plan into action.

Step 3. Execute and evolve that plan, and continue to build momentum.

Your game plan will be unique to your business, industry and personality type. Whether you're playing Monopoly, chess or LIFE (see March column), your plan can succeed only if it's actually carried out.

Last month, we talked about the first step in growing your business: identifying both your strengths and your opportunities. This month, we'll move on to the next step:

Step 2. Create a game plan that builds on those strengths and takes advantage of those opportunities.

Now that you know what elements of your business work for you and what objections your prospects may have about working with a small company, it's time to develop a profile of your company. Here's where we figure out if you're playing Monopoly, chess, or LIFE.

Factoid #1: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2006, there were about 13.6 million companies nationwide, employing almost 120 million Americans.

Factoid #2: More than five million of those companies have fewer than 20 workers each and -- all told -- these five million firms employ 21 million people.

Before going any further, let me make it clear that this article is not, in any way, condoning violence. (Sorry to disappoint you.) It won't talk about the neatest way to dispose of body parts, or help you figure out how to avoid jail time for opening up a can of whoop-a** on your neighbor.

However, after careful study, I've realized that what you need to promote your business effectively are the same things you need to commit the perfect murder. (Hypothetically, of course; remember, no humans were hurt in the creation of this article.)

Here's how...

Ever wondered how to get one of those short ads on the top or side of your Google, Yahoo or Bing search page? Those short pay-per-click (PPC) ads are related to the keywords you entered in the search field, and they circulate on a rotating basis.

The great news for you is that any business of any size can post those ads...and can get noticed!

How can you take advantage of this targeted ad placement? There are few key steps...