New resources to help entrepreneurs get started with social media | Social Signal

The SHOP Symposium that CRAVE put on today was bursting with fantastic women entrepreneurs whom I've long admired as a customer, member, or as a drooling window shopper. I was already a fan of Escents (my eternal source for hostess gifts), Uptown Giftbox (which packaged the awesome gifts at FWE's recent dinner) and Gumdrops (where I've found great rainwear gifts for friends and family). Small Business BC, FWE and yoyomama have had my back at work and at home.  Now I'm also excited about dressing my children in Style Kid, getting myself dressed in Frocks, and getting undressed to my Smart Ass underpants.

All these great businesses and organizations are looking at how social media can help them use social media to reach their customers and strengthen their brand. In our social networking panel, and our small group Q&A, I offered some suggestions on the tools and tactics that can help organizations make the most of social media.

To thank these great women for their energy and their lively Twittering, and to follow up on the most frequently asked questions, I've added two new items to our Dear SoSi Q&A, "How can my company or organization get started with the social web?"

• The 4 questions to answer before you get started (or more forward) with social media provides a practical guide to creating a strategic framework that can guide your social media efforts
• 6 essential social media tools for your business or organization introduces some frequently recommended tools, including those I talked about today

And here's a scoop: we're going to help these businesses and organizations -- and many others! -- with a new series of Dear SoSi trainings. Follow Social Signal on Twitter or join our e-mail list to get notified of upcoming trainings.