eMarketer today published a piece called “Social Network Marketing Expands Sphere” with some encouraging business news about social networks.

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If you’ve never heard Peter Shankman speak in person, well, you should. Not only is he a dynamic speaker with a keen sense of humor, but he’s got a lot of great things to say, especially about succeeding at social media.

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It seems that many companies are catching up with current web marketing trends.  Rather than being 5-6 years behind the curve, they are only a year or two behind the curve in some cases.  In fact, many companies I work with are starting to think beyond the web site — that is, thinking about how to promote their brand in other interactive channels.

So how do you think beyond the web site? Here’s are some things to consider…

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Shrewd business owners know that to survive a downturn, you have to cut unnecessary costs,  advertise to gain visibility and get referrals. In tough economic times, referrals are more important than ever. That’s where social networking comes in.

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You probably didn’t know that early ’90s rap star MC Hammer (remember those pants?) is actually a savvy marketer and entrepreneur. An avid Twitterer with over 134,000 followers, Hammer was recently interviewed on HubSpot TV and shared the following nuggets of wisdom:

• Social media is an extension of what we do naturally, just on a different platform.
• Use technology/the web to cut out the middle man and deliver your message directly to the customer, then let them decide if and when they want to consume it.
• On Twitter: forget trying to get new followers and don’t be concerned with the number. Just stay interesting.
• Even in a recession, companies have opportunities to be more creative to survive what the economy throws at them.

You can see videos of Hammer’s interview at the blog post from HubSpot.

Happy Monday! Over the last couple of days, we’ve covered the debate over SEO vs. PPC, why companies should think like customers when they set up their campaigns, and we’ve learned the most common mistakes that companies make when setting up their own campaigns.

In this final installment, pay per click expert Matt DeYoung will share landing page tips and pay per click tools, then discuss the rising cost of pay per click marketing and alternatives to Google Adwords.

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