There are several free tools available that can help you to better monitor your social media accounts and reap valuable data from them. Here are three that will vastly improve your social media experience:

Can you believe that we’re already into the last week of 2010? It’s certainly been a busy year! The marketing landscape for small businesses has changed radically this year, with a much greater emphasis on digital marketing than ever before. In fact, a report released by eMarketer last week shows that, for the first time ever, online ad spending has actually surpassed newspaper ad spending.

Today’s post is a Guest Blog from Nikki over at MoreBitesAZ.com!

In 1983, a small movie was released detailing the adventures of a young boy in a small town at Christmas. It  was panned by critics and pulled out of theaters early for being a commercial failure. It cost four million to make, and only brought in two million in theaters. Fast forward to 2010: said movie is, according to a recent survey, the highest grossing, most popular Christmas movie of all time. It’s pulled in 20 million in DVD sales. The leg lamp and the Red Ryder BB gun are two of the most recognizable references in pop culture.

The movie? A Christmas Story.

While my telling you this story may only seem appropriate because of the season, there’s a larger lesson to be learned here. The lesson being that long-term success does not come overnight. That’s applicable to your business and your marketing plans as 2011 is upon us. While you can enjoy a blast of good PR that gets your phone ringing and your sales increasing in the short term, it takes work to build the relationships that will sustain you all year long. As digital marketing becomes the norm and you start investing in long term organic search strategies, it is never more important to remember the full picture versus that instant success. Being mindful of your page rank is critical and multifaceted. It can take time, but will ultimately be worth the investment. Be sure you invest wisely and prepare for the future.

True, lasting success takes time to build. GannettLocal would love to make 2011 the year you begin building your empire, and we’ve got some great ideas on how you can begin doing it. Let’s talk. If you need that instant success, we can put your resources toward a PPC or direct marketing campaign. If long-term, big picture goals are in your plan, then an SEO, Google Places, and social media campaign might be the right mix for the long term success.

Happy Holidays from all of us at GannettLocal!