Last year on the blog Snarkmarket, writer Robin Sloan used the economic terms “stock” and “flow” as a metaphor for media today. Many bloggers and writers who produce online content took note of the concept and his apt descriptions. Flow, he explains is “the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that remind people that you exist.”  Stock is “the durable stuff. It’s the content you produce that’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today.”

Building a readership for a culture or news blog is a bit different from small business blogging, but these are still great concepts to think about.

Perhaps your pub or sports bar is already packed on game nights. If so, well done! You probably don’t need any further tips, but if you want to hear some ideas that you may not have thought of, read on!

Or maybe you are thinking that this doesn’t apply to you because your bar doesn’t have a high-def TV or your restaurant doesn’t serve food that is traditionally associated with stadium snacks. Untrue. Here are some ways that bars and restaurants are already making it work:

When you ask people why they support a local small business they usually have a story to tell in their answer. Sometimes it’s personal – about how they came in or connected for the first time. Sometimes they relay what they had heard about the business itself – how the owner got started and built their shop, why they feature the products they do and their values. Slogans and taglines might stick in people’s heads, but stories make compelling impressions. So why not consider some of the crucial elements of creative writing in your marketing?

Properly targeting your ads on Facebook is essential. If you’re not doing it right you could end up advertising to the wrong people. Even worse, you’ll be wasting your hard-earned money.

Luckily, when you own a local business with very specific clientele, there are many ways to spend less and target exactly the types of customers you’re looking for. You can even target product-savvy customers who might be looking for the products you have in stock at your salon.

Here are 3 tips that should not be overlooked when promoting your hair salon with Facebook Ads.

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect and evaluate progress, success and goals. In a broader sense, taking a look back at the trends in social media and online marketing that made a difference in shopping habits and consumer choices this year, is a great way of seeing what could work for your business and help you plan for the coming year.

Let’s discuss some of the ways that online marketing and social sharing had a big impact in 2011 and how trends are showing that 2012 is going to be a big year for independent businesses everywhere.

It’s that time again! We can’t escape it, January comes and we are all reflecting and renewing commitments to make changes in the coming year.

In that spirit, modeled after some of the most popular resolutions people make in their personal lives, here’s a rundown on some excellent resolutions for small business marketing that you can make online in 2012.

You are already familiar with what’s popular for your small business “online toolbox”  - a good-looking website, Facebook, Twitter and hopefully a blog. You might be also connecting in the business community LinkedIn, and if are watching the trends, you have already gotten started with Google+ as well.

However, some small businesses have also started venturing out into other interesting online spaces that you may not have heard of yet, like Tumblr, which offers some unique benefits you are not getting anywhere else.