This post forms part of our ‘5 Days of Social Media’ contest, helping you to get more out of social networks as well as giving you the chance to win lots of great prizes!

Simple ways to make your social media more interesting

“Make what you say relevant to your audience for better engagement and higher response rates. You can still ask the question, but phrase it in a more specific (and slightly more creative) way. Turn ‘What are your plans for the weekend?’ into ‘What design projects are you getting involved with at the weekend?’ for the web industry…”

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Making social media work for your business

“Not everyone fits into a neat, social-friendly area of business. There are plenty of niches out there that people aren’t very interested in or keen to get involved in beyond the necessary, such as insurance or dentistry. If you’re in one of these areas, should you get involved in social media?”

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7 fantastic social media WordPress plugins and widgets

“The following are the most effective, attractive and adaptable plug-ins and widgets I have come across as a WordPress user for encouraging readers to spread the word using social media.”

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Tips and tricks for your Google+ page

“Google+ builds on the traditionally powerful recommendation factor associated with social networks. Personal suggestions are one of the most crucial aspects of building a successful business, particularly if you’re completely based online, starting from scratch, in a competitive industry, or working on a low budget…”

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29 unmissable Pinterest articles and resources

”…we’ve noticed there are plenty of people out there scratching their heads and saying, ‘But what IS Pinterest?’ and ‘How can I use Pinterest to get more traffic and business?’ So we’ve found plenty of fantastic articles and resources covering everything you need to know..and how you can use it to your advantage.”

Read 29 unmissable Pinterest articles and resources

Analytics for Twitter

“If you use Twitter…to drive traffic to your site then you should…track each tweet’s performance beyond simple click data. How many visits do you get, how long do they stay on your site, how deep do they go, what is the bounce rate like and how much revenue do they generate?”

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If you’ve got nothing to say, should you still say it?

“A lot of businesses have rushed in to setting up social media channels (Twitter, Facebook et al), drawn by the promise of “developing relationships”, “one to one marketing” and “leveraging brand advocates”. Amongst the clamour…one vital question has been missed by so many; “Have we got anything to say?”.”

Read If you’ve got nothing to say, should you still say it?

9 steps to becoming a professional social media god

“Many freelancers and companies create Twitter accounts and Facebook pages because they feel that they should, rather than because they have a clear purpose or goal. Make sure you outline a strategy before you start so that everyone involved is on the same page and you can see how social media will add value…”

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Creating a successful Facebook ad campaign

“Budget setting is always tricky, especially at the start…The more you bid, the more likely you are to be shown. Your daily budget should reflect how much you are willing to pay per visitor. If you are going to bid 0.50USD per click, a budget of 50USD will send you 100 visits. Is that enough traffic to convert and make a profit…?”

Read A step by step guide to creating a successful Facebook ad campaign

Web communication trends

“One of the web’s communication pioneers, email continues to be extremely popular though it has evolved considerably in terms of functionality and data limits. With a shift away from being ISP-dominated, companies like Google and Microsoft have developed strongholds in the free email account market.”

Read How did we communicate before social media?

Answers to the 4 most asked Twitter questions

“How can I get more followers on Twitter? [..] At the end of the day, there’s no reason why you can’t build up your own base of relevant followers with a bit of time, and it’s far more rewarding.”

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The four pillars of marketing on a budget

“Social media is breaking down the traditional barriers between businesses and customers, creating a whole new set of challenges and opportunities for companies of all sizes…it places everyone on a relatively level playing field.”

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Understanding and exploring the social media jungle

“Spreading your time too thinly means that profiles will get neglected, so do a test over a set period and cut out the less successful ones…Having a bad presence can easily be worse than none at all, so opt for consistency, and don’t promise scheduled content you can’t deliver on.”

Read Understanding and exploring the social media jungle: best practices

Our top free Twitter resources: Part 1

“Twitter in itself can be very overwhelming, and that’s without worrying what tools and resources you need to manage your account properly. So we’ve done the hard work for you and compiled a list of our favourites.”

Read Top free Twitter resources: Part 1

Our top free Twitter resources: Part 2

“We’ve already put together a list of tips and resources for Twitter beginners, and Part 2 is focused on those who are familiar with Twitter and don’t want to waste time trawling through hundreds of applications which all do the same thing.”

Read Top free Twitter resources: Part 2

7 Must-Dos on Google+

”…the simplicity and flexibility of hangouts means they can be used for everything from mini webinars of ten people to simple one-on-one chats. Hold a virtual book club, build your relationships with other businesses or just talk to friends and relatives – it’s free!”

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7 useful articles to read if you want to use Twitter for marketing

“These days it seems everyone is an expert in using Twitter to drive traffic, increase sales or increase positive branding. Until the market matures, this will continue, however here are some genuinely useful articles to read if you are looking to jump in to Twitter or you are still swimming in the shallow end…”

Read 7 useful articles if you want to use Twitter for marketing