This week on Sprout Social Insights we tackled guides for Facebook, Twitter, and small business to help you better reach your customers with the social media tools that make a difference.

Check out our articles below to find out more about each one and how they can help you with your social media goals.

And check in every day to Sprout Social Insights for more how to guides and breaking social media news.

8 Helpful Moderation Tips for Community Managers

Moderating a community is as much about what you do as what you don’t do. It can be tempting to want to be that ever-present voice who keeps things rolling along smoothly. However, the trick of the trade is knowing how and when to step in and when to step back in order to effectively manage any given situation.

Whether you’re moderating a social network, or your own website’s forums, the same rules of community management apply. Here are eight effective moderation tips that you can apply in just about any situation. [ Read More... ]

How to Audit The Apps That Access Your Twitter Account

It’s Twitter Tip Tuesday — every Tuesday we’ll focus on one Twitter Tip and show you how to integrate it into your social media strategy. This week we show you how to audit the applications you’ve allowed to access your Twitter account.

We’re all busy. It’s a sign of the times. We sign up for newsletters that we never read, we test applications thinking they’re going to change our lives. Some do, but most just end up adding clutter to our digital lives.

Worse still, when you sign up for various services, apps or trials using your Twitter account to log in, you’re actually granting those services varying levels of access to your Twitter account at the same time. [ Read More... ]

4 Media Companies With Brilliant Twitter Strategies

Twitter’s fast and strong push to the forefront of online communication led some pundits to claim that the network would be the demise of traditional media outlets.

Some old media brands have struggled to adapt, treating the platform as a glorified RSS feed that only links back to materials on their own websites. But many media businesses have refused to admit defeat, and instead turned the new social platform to their advantage. Twitter is now a valuable addition to the content for those brands.

These four media companies have adopted smart strategies for incorporating Twitter. Each approach shows dedication to making sure that the 140-character posts further promote the company’s mission and engage their readers and customers. Even if you are not in the media sector, the adaptation and strategies of these companies could be applied to any industry. [ Read More... ]

How the New Facebook Integration on iOS 6 for iPhone and iPad Works

On June 11th, Apple gave a demo of its upcoming iOS 6 software release to developers. The software, which powers the company’s popular iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, is slated to introduce changes to the way people share and interact with social media services. Perhaps the most significant addition to iOS 6 is its tight integration with Facebook.

The addition of Facebook to Apple’s iOS comes as little surprise. Last year’s iOS 5 release introduced a similar integration with Twitter and there had been rumors of a Facebook partnership for a long time. [ Read More... ]

Spotlight on Startups: Create your own mobile app at Infinite Monkeys

At Sprout Insights, we comb the web to bring you the most up-to-date and actionable resources on how to use social media to grow your business.

To that end, we’re pleased to present the Sprout Insights series Spotlight on Startups. We’ll find the most innovative, useful startup companies out there, get the inside track on what they’re doing, and tell you how you can leverage their products and services for your own business.

This week we’re pleased to cast the spotlight on Infinite Monkeys — a web-based, DIY, mobile-app creation platform, with virtual offices and staff all over the globe. [ Read More... ]

Why Spotify Sets an Example for a Facebook Timeline Presence

We’ve been profiling some of the companies and brands that are making a good impression on Pinterest. Now we’re turning our eye to the standout performers on Facebook Timeline.

Many businesses have been working with Facebook for years, but the changes related to Timeline have made it more challenging for companies in some respects. Interactions with fans are different, and there’s no guarantee that your status updates will be widely seen. So, how should companies alter their strategies on the platform?

Spotify is one of the businesses that has adapted quickly to the Timeline layout. With a unique take on the material you can present through the social network, Spotify provides some excellent lessons for those looking to improve their presence on Facebook. [ Read More... ]

How to Use YouTube Annotations

Although it’s been around since 2008, YouTube annotations may be one of the most powerful YouTube features you’ve never heard of.

Annotations are physically viewable, and in some cases, clickable layers that you put right on top of your existing YouTube videos. These layers alow you to add things like text, notes, and links to your videos, providing a more informative and interactive experience for your viewers.

This article shows you the various styles of annotations currently available and how to add them to your YouTube videos. We’ll also show you some creative YouTube annotation examples that may inspire you to use this powerful, yet often overlooked video-marketing tactic. [ Read More... ]

[Image credits: Hobvias Sudoneighm, Martin Thomas, Infinite Monkeys]