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.

Seriously: How Many Twitter Accounts Does a National Brand Need?

When a business expands, there is a tendency for it to build subdivisions in its marketing strategy. These divisions often result in social media fiefdoms based around geographical or departmental boundaries. While this seems like a good idea from an operational standpoint, the process is often unexpected and perplexing for customers.

There are cases where more than one Twitter account for a brand can be helpful, but there are many trappings and pitfalls to consider. What number of accounts is right for your brand? Let’s investigate. [ Read More... ]

Breaking a Story on Social Media: Why Curation Trumps a Scoop

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how social media is changing the news business. Long gone are the days when the phrase “pictures at eleven” enticed anyone to wait until the middle of the night to get the news of the day.

The speed and reach of social media means that wherever a story is breaking in the world, there’s probably a social media connected individual close to the action, scrambling to be the first person in the world to report the story. Citizen journalists, sometimes armed with nothing more than internet connections and smartphone cameras, are often reporting stories while mainstream news outlets are still trying to get their reporters to the nearest airport!

But is faster always better? Is the quality of news reporting suffering in the never-ending quest to be the first to break a story? Here are some examples that demonstrate, when it comes to breaking a story on social media — or even reporting on a story already in progress, curation still trumps a scoop every time. [ Read More... ]

Don’t Retweet Your Own Content, Re-Tweet it

This week we show you the difference between retweeting and re-tweeting your own content, and why you should do the latter, not the former!

The 140 character limit on Twitter means that every character has a big impact on your tweets. Sometimes a very subtle change in your choice of words can alter the meaning of your tweets significantly. And as the title of today’s article demonstrates, you can even use spelling and punctuation strategically to convey your message more effectively. [ Read More... ]

How Facebook and Spotify Work Together to Change the Music Business

It’s no secret that the music industry is going through some very tough times. It’s been a challenge for the field to adapt to changes in how people purchase and listen to music. But one of the positive signs of how the business is working to keep up with the times is the partnership between Facebook and Spotify.

As both are powerful players in social media and music, the combination has the potential to be a revolution in how people are listening and discovering music.

Spotify lets its members stream ad-supported music for free, with a maximum listening time of 10 hours per month. It also has two paid subscription options that eliminate the promos, allow for unlimited listening, and offer a fuller mobile experience. We’ve already covered how, as a company, Spotify has excelled at creating a strong Facebook Timeline presence, but this partnership with Facebook could be a test case of how streaming and subscription services will perform in the future. [ Read More... ]

Why Etsy Sets an Example for Pinterest Presence

Etsy is an online artisan marketplace that aims to give small and independent businesses a chance to succeed. The site encourages customers to interact with the artists and craftspeople, and to support their local businesses.

As an e-commerce site, Etsy meshes well with the image based platform of Pinterest. With almost 120,000 followers on its Pinterest page, it’d be hard to deny Etsy’s popularity on that platform.

But as opposed to some of the other retailers that focus on sharing a company mission with Pinterest fans, Etsy is in a position to more visibly attempt to drive purchases through the social site. Here’s how Etsy has taken an innovative approach to buying and selling in the world of Pinterest. [ Read More... ]

Spotlight on Startups: E la Carte brings the tablet to your table

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 E la Carte — a tablet-based restaurant ordering system, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. [ Read More... ]

Why RebelMouse Could Be a Big Social Site For Brands

Facebook and Twitter: They’re your standard social networks in the social media mix. Pinterest is quickly gaining traction and Google+ is also picking up steam. But what comes after these networks for companies?

It’s always difficult to predict what the next big thing is, especially in a field that changes as quickly as social media marketing does. So what’s the up and coming social tool for brands? We believe that RebelMouse is one possibility.

It’s definitely a place that companies and brands like yours might be interested in flocking to next. Here’s what you need to know before you give it a try.
[ Read More... ]

[Image credits: nayrb7, Nomadic Lass, theilr, E la Carte (FB),]