The Women’s Finance Exchange – Houston will be holding a discussion panel today about the effective use of social media to conduct business, engage customers, manage reputations, and advance careers. BrandExtract Chairman, Jonathan Fisher, will serve as a resource on the panel along with Genetha Turner of Locke, Lord, Bissell and Liddell and Denise Patrick of Pierpont Communications.

For additional resources, BrandExtract has curated a collection of worthwhile content on social media perspectives, online marketing best practices, tactical tips and tricks, and eye-opening tutorials to serve as an extension to today’s WFE – Houston panel discussion. Attendees are strongly encouraged to read these materials to extend and refine their understanding of how to use social networking and online marketing effectively.

• Building Your Brand Through Networking
• Sharing Is Caring (And Selling)
• How Much Effort Should You Allocate to Facebook?
• Your Complete Guide to Facebook’s Timeline
• 7 LinkedIn Tips for Small Businesses
• More Powerful Social Storytelling With Personas
• Waking Up to a Social Media Nightmare
• 40 Twitter Power Tips That Turn Newbies Into Students, Experts Into Pros
• A Picture is Worth 16 Million Views
• How to Use Pinterest for Recruiting
• Why You Don’t Get Google+
• The Difference Between Wasting Time and Spending Time on Social Media at Work
• 9 Social Media Hacks You Should Embrace Today
• 5 Reasons Your Business Should Be Blogging
• The Beginner’s Guide to Blog Analytics
• Social Media is Popular But Email is Still the Reigning King
• 3 Steps to Avoid the E-blast Trap
• 2012 Channel Preferences Survey

Once you’ve read these informative resources to glean new insights, you’ll be much better positioned to see how social media fits your organization or brand as well as find yourself armed with effective tactics for execution. The last remaining hurdle is to understand how to best allocate your budget and time across social media and online marketing disciplines.

Most people have constraints on time and budget, leaving them with the need to prioritize whom they engage with, where they engage at, and what types of engagement will drive actual business goals to ensure social media and online marketing ROI. Spend your money and precious time wisely!

(If your organization needs help to prioritize its efforts, we may be able to help. Get in touch.)