Hashtags. Tweet. Share. Like. Follow. Fan. DM. Check In to be the Mayor.  Pinning.  Trending.  

Had you said any of these words or phrases to me just five years ago, I would have replied with a blank stare and a question mark bubble floating over head.  Fast forward to 2012, and you can't even go into CVS without over hearing someone say:

"Did you see her status?" 
"Do you follow them on Twitter?" 
"I found it on Pinterest."

Being a small business owner, having a pulse on society and what's trending is ultra important.  Knowing inexpensive ways to market yourself to the masses is priceless as well.  I have several people in circle that I've given social media lessons to; all from setting up a face book fan page, to entering contacts into email campaign programs, and teaching them how to effectively use twitter and other popular outlets to freely showcase their business. 
Social Media works.  I'm proof.  Here are a few of my favorite stories about how SM has helped EE grow. 

A few years ago, when I was just starting out, I got a voicemail from an unknown number.  The girl on the other end sounded frazzled.  Her boyfriend was studying for the bar exam, he lived about an hour away.  She knew she couldn't drive all the way out there- but still wanted him to know she was thinking of him.  So, she wanted me to bring him his favorite blueberry pie from a nearby restaurant and bring it to him as a special surprise (totally sweet, right?)... well we got to talking, and I said, "So how did you hear of me?"  and she said "Oh, I'm good friends with Heather." Now, here's where things get interesting.  Heather and I were really good friends in junior high, and then, as teenagers do, grew apart.  I hadn't seen or talked to her in over ten years- but we were connected through FaceBook, so she knew what I was up to.  There have been two other instances where people have said "Heather said I should call you."  As an update, she and I did connect last year over a glass of wine, and just as great friends do, it didn't feel like we missed a moment.

I'm always hesitant to open DM's from people I either don't know, or haven't talked to in years on FaceBook. I always just assume it's spam.  Similar to the previous story, I had a message from a long, lost high school friend, Colleen about two years ago.  Her boyfriend's Grandmother had suddenly died and at the last minute he was going to make the long drive to Canada on his own.  She, similar to the first story, wanted her guy to know she felt awful about not being able to make the trip, so she asked me to put together a road pack- including his favorite snacks, and a few nutritious items for the long haul.