Facebook has been looking for new ways to diversify the services it offers. One such example is Facebook at Work -- launching today. The new product is a way for enterprise firms to stay connected and share information just like the Facebook of yesteryears.

Although some view Facebook as a strictly social platform reserved for selfies and political rants, its $350+ billion market value screams otherwise. While it isn’t something you should be shoveling money into, it probably is a sales avenue you’re neglecting.

Most people are still impressed when they see a LinkedIn profile with 500+ connections. It gives that person authority in their industry and shows they’re a valuable member of the business world. In other words, 500+ connections can help sell you and your business.

You know social media marketing can be valuable for your business but, simply put, you just don’t have the time for it. And besides, you’re no social media expert, so the whole process itself can be unnecessarily long as you try and figure out what’s most effective.

As a small business owner, you may be a bit perplexed how to gain the most value out of LinkedIn. You may have already spent countless hours trying to leverage the platform with little success. So what are you doing wrong? And how can you make the most out of your time on the platform? Here are a few tactics any SMB can follow to gain more value from LinkedIn.
Know LinkedIn’s purpose
Simply put, LinkedIn is not a content marketing platform.

It’s a fact of life. Events out of your control can disrupt your business operations. While you can’t necessarily control the unexpected, you can take some precautions to prevent most business disruptions. Here are some key business continuity strategies that organizations across the globe rely on to keep their doors open.

When it comes to social media, figuring just what, if any, value it offers your business can be complicated. There is no exact science when it comes to figuring it out and even experts disagree as to just what is and is not important when measuring the value of your company's social media.

If you’re not considering YouTube for your business’s marketing strategy, you’re truly missing out on one of the most powerful marketing platforms out there. YouTube gives you the opportunity to establish your business’s unique brand and personality through video.

What would you do if you couldn’t access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any of the other social media platforms that you rely on to keep you up-to-date with the ins and outs of your friends’ lives, current affairs and celebrity gossip? Would you miss it or would it be a blessing in disguise? If you’re tempted to think the latter, think for a moment about those countries where their citizens don’t have the choice.

Something known as “state-sponsored cyber attacks” may not be something you have heard of until now. But with both Facebook and Google viewing the problem as serious enough to warn their users about, it seems this is an issue that could be here to stay.