If you’ve ever felt like this, you can let go of the worry. We’ve all felt this way at some point. Social media can change so fast, the best you can do is to be consistent with what you are already doing.

My favorite tactic to keep up with the changes and to not feel overwhelmed is to have a Monthly Marketing Review. Set aside a few hours each month to review what’s working in your marketing so far and what events or launches you have coming up. Here are a few tips to reboot your marketing and keep moving forward with your business.

Your Monthly Marketing Review

• Take a look at your best clients. When did they start working with you? For how long? How did they find out about you?
• It’s common to get your best clients by referral. Were they referred to you by people who you stay in touch with through social media?
• How much time do you spend on social media? If you’re guessing (or estimating), keep track of your time for the next 3 days. Use a timer and write down every thing you do every 15 minutes. I know that sounds daunting! You might be surprised by this level of awareness and you might even discover tasks you can delegate to an assistant.
• Review your Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Followers, Alexa ranking, etc. Are your web visits and level of engagement going up, holding steady or decreasing?
• Review the latest social media news from Mashable.com. Look for posts that describe the who’s using social media (demographics) and what changes are coming up to the social media sites you currently use.
• Check in with your coach, mentor and/or consultant. Ask them for advice on how you can improve your marketing.

Look at your notes from everything you reviewed. Look at your goals for the next three months. Circle the the marketing tactics you want to complete or update that will move you in the direction of your goals. Cross out the maybe’s and someday’s. It’ll help decrease overwhelm and they might even become outdated in the future.

Now comes the details! Prioritize and organize the marketing projects and tasks. You can use a calendar, project management web site, or a mindmap. Decide if you’re the only one who can do them, and if not, who can you delegate them to?

You Did It! Quick victory dance and then focus on your Next Action. Move through your updated marketing plan, step by step, and you are on your way to a social media marketing reboot!

From Foursquare:

In 2010, foursquare fans declared April 16 4sqDay (4/4^2 – nerds after our own heart!). Two years and two billion check-ins later, you’re still why we get out of bed each day. Thanks to all 20 million of you for making us part of your lives. Happy 4sqDay!

Not on Foursquare yet? it’s not just for brick and mortar businesses. Sign up for an account and help promote local businesses, while having fun earning points, badges and discounts.

It finally had it this week and I knew it was finally time to invest in a desktop. I’m lucky to have two computer experts at home and with the help of my husband and stepson, I had a brand new, custom-built desktop ready to take on any video and graphic challenges.

But with a brand new Windows install, I had to start from scratch and install my favorite programs. I had to do it fast to catch up from the lost work time from the slow laptop, so I installed The first programs I needed to do my work and the rest over the weekend.

Here are my top ten programs I cannot live without:

1. Chrome

I had my stepson install Google Chrome for me right after he installed Windows. Having an internet browser made it simple for me to find and install other programs myself. Another great thing about Chrome is you can create a Chrome account through your old computer, log in to the same account on your new computer, and it will easily transfer all of your bookmarks, extensions, and other settings. Also, since I use Gmail, Google Docs, Hootsuite and other web-based programs, I was up and running in no time.

2. Firefox

Firefox is another great browser and I use it for different reasons. Firefox has better extensions for web development, including my favorite, FireFTP, which allows me to transfer files directly to a web server. It’s also great to check how a web site looks on the most popular browser. Finally, I have several Google accounts and I can stay logged in to one on Chrome, and another on Firefox.

3. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012

With so many great choices out there, it’s hard to excuse not having an antivirus and antimalware software installed on your computer. I’ve used other programs including Ad-aware and SUPERAntiSpyware, but after a quick Google search I found that PC Magazine named AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 the best free antivirus software. It even ranked better than it’s paid counterpart.

4. Backblaze

I initially had this lower on the list, but I had to move it up. Next to having antivirus software, having an automatic way to back up computer files is the second most ignored business task. If I were to ever lose my computer or the hard drive crashes, I probably could find the other files I need in my email or through the other two programs below. But when I think of the time I would waste or how unprofessional it looks, I just shudder. (FYI – I am a Backblaze affiliate.)

5. Dropbox

Dropbox is the easiest tool for me to share files with my clients, including blogs, images and video.

6. Evernote

I LOVE Evernote. I have it on my computer, on my phone phone and I’ve accessed it through the web. I use Evernote as a virtual combination notebook, journal and filing cabinet. I save business ideas, writing ideas, article clippings, meeting notes, etc. I even have it synced with my Livescribe pen so any notes I write get saved on Evernote too. And my favorite part: I have it synced with Chrome so any search I do in Google (through the Chrome browser) also searches my Evernote files.

7. LibreOffice

Need an alternative to Microsoft Office? OpenOffice is one option, but when it was first acquired by Sun and then Oracle, key OpenOffice developers left Oracle and started LibreOffice. LibreOffice has six applications called Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (business graphics), Base (database management), and Math (formula editing). The trick with using LibreOffice is setting the default file formats to match MS Office, for example .doc, and always double check your presentations on the computer you’re going to present on.

8. TextPad

I’ve been using TextPad since the late 1990′s. You can have multiple tabs open, it highlights code and runs light and fast.

9. Adobe Photoshop

I try to use the Aviary Chrome extension whenever possible for simple image cropping and resizing, but for creating WordPress headers and other web graphics, Photoshop is my go-to program.

10. Camtasia

My other go-to program for screen capture videos and editing short video blogs.

There are still other programs I need to add for other equipment like my Livescribe pen and my camcorder. But other than that, I have all I need for my social media management business. My next post will be on my favorite web apps that I can access on any computer.

What programs are in your top ten?

On your Facebook Page — once a day! Yes, for most small businesses, that’s it!

Here’s the catch: it’s got to be a great, engaging, visual post. Try to always upload a photo or post a video, along with the update. What makes it engaging? Funny, shocking, motivating, inspirational and/or provocative questions get the most responses. When you post a question, if you want people to answer, make it a simple answer. Otherwise, people will think it’s rhetorical and not leave a comment.

For Twitter — you can post up to once an hour! I know — that’s a lot! Use a scheduler like HootSuite & it takes about 30 minutes to choose & schedule about 10 posts per day. If that does not fit into your schedule, then spend 10 minutes & schedule out 4 tweets per day.

Experiment with what works best for you & your audience. Try different types of posts. Think of what your ideal clients need. Do they need to be inspired? Do they need a reminder to have confidence in themselves? Do they need a tip to keep them focused on their dreams?

Finally, be willing to go outside your comfort zone. Social media may be outside your comfort zone. Posting daily (or hourly on Twitter) may be uncomfortable, annoying & even frustrating. Maybe one of your posts did not get any likes and it’s disappointing. These are all wonderful experiences because you learn something new each time!

For me, my uncomfortable moment happened when I recently posted this. You may not know this, but I get easily grossed out! lol! And this photo is not something I would usually post.

But I saw an opportunity. I immediately thought how this moment is like my industry. I knew it was funny & shocking & it would capture my audience’s attention.

So I went for it. I posted it on my page & shared it on my personal Timeline (profile).

Now, it isn’t my most shared or viral post I’ve ever made, but I noticed something different about this post —

People I don’t know, were commenting on my post! How cool is that?

That’s the type of reaction to go for. Keep playing, keep experimenting with your posts & not only will it speak to your current audience & it’ll get noticed by their friends… and the buzz begins!

As business owners, we must accept the fact that our online presence opens us up to 24-hour customer service requests. They come in as emails, Facebook wall posts, Tweets, and even instant chats on Facebook and Google. And, if you’re not prepared for these requests, you could risk harming valuable customer relationships in front of your entire community—a community full of existing or potential customers. It’s critical that you and your team maintain a high standard when handling customer service issues via social media

And that’s what today’s article is all about.

Act Natural

Formal language stands out like a sore thumb on social media. It’s always a good idea to remain conversational, even when you’re managing a specific customer service request. So, in the above example, when the customer posts: “Hi Jane, I ordered my product last week, but I haven’t received it yet!”

The old way: “Thanks for your question, Jack. Our customer service team is always available to help you from 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri. Just call (555) 555-5555.”

The new way: “Hi Jack! I’m sorry to hear that. Let me put you in touch with Gina, my customer service manager, and find out what the delay is all about.”

Notice that although both are cordial and helpful, the second, more personal approach sounds less robotic and way more personal. This customer, and your entire community now sees that you are concerned, you acknowledge the mistake, and you’re putting this person in good hands directly with your customer service rep, Gina (yet another personal detail).

Be Prompt

Just like a customer service email, any posts that come in from your customers on social media need to be acknowledged quickly. At least once a day, you or a member of your team, should mine your social media sites for customer service-related questions and respond to every post. This could sometimes be a quick “Thank You” or “Glad you love it!” where you’re just acknowledging positive feedback.

But, if it’s a more complex issue that might take some time to resolve, you still want to immediately respond, so the customer feels heard. Don’t wait until you have an answer to get back to them, because sometimes this could take longer than expected. Acknowledge first, resolve second—that’s a golden customer service rule that will never change. The main difference is that your acknowledgement happens MUCH quicker than it would via email.

Don’t Leave Them Hanging

If you’re on your own, it can be quite a challenge to keep track of all the comments and activity happening on social media. But keep in mind that the main reason you’re on social media is to ultimately connect with your customers, so do NOT forget their requests! If you find that you can’t keep track and a few are slipping through the cracks, it’s definitely time to hire an assistant to come in and help. Customers are the lifeblood of your business, and unless they’re one of the “crazy makers”, you don’t want them on your bad side.

Make Them Feel Special

Sometimes, we’re so busy planning out our social media messaging that we forget to just give a shout out to the ones who keep you logging in every day. Don’t forget to acknowledge your community every once in a while for all that they do.

Most customers want to stay in touch with you on Facebook because they’re hoping to hear about exclusive discounts that only social media fans can enjoy, so indulge them! Offer coupon codes, contests, and discounts only on social media. It’ll not only make people feel like they got something special, but exclusive offers like this will attract customers to your social media page once the word gets out.

Keep Them in the Loop

Social media is a GREAT way to not only keep your community in the loop on new developments happening in your world, but to also make important announcements that might affect them. If one of your products has been delayed by unforeseen circumstances, you can shoot a video filling in your community on what’s going on. It might open a can of worms, but it’s very likely that your community will appreciate your honesty. This is where social media outshines any other form of media (how many times have you received empathetic posts when you’ve been in a rough spot?).

Ask for Feedback

If you can truly handle your community’s honesty, open up the floor to feedback on your new website, your new product, a recent teleseminar or event you just launched. Yes, it does put you at risk of pointing out your weak spots, BUT, it also lets your customers engage with other customers, answer questions, offer counterpoints, and help fellow customers make purchasing decisions.

Remember, it’s called SOCIAL media! So, let your customers speak for you, and if you’re offering value, it WILL be communicated to others. Consider it an instantaneous, live form of generating customer referrals.

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Entrepreneur mentor Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow a profitable business that make a positive impact. Get her FREE CD “Top 10 Secrets for Entrepreneurial Women” at www.AliBrown.com (affiliate link).

Click here to watch this special one-hour webinar I created, focusing only on the Facebook changes.

Is it appropriate for Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn?

There are two aspects of blogging to calendar. Watch the video below to find out what they are.

Do you have a marketing calendar? What are your tips for someone just getting started?