When it comes to social media, many business people are overworked, overloaded and just plain over it.

I get that and I feel their pain.

Social media has a lot of moving parts and it’s very easy to become confused. That’s why I always try to provide actionable suggestions that are straight-forward, easy-to-implement and easy-to-digest. I mean, it’s great to read a blog post like this with loads of high-falutin’ ideas only to find yourself lost in technology soup when it comes to actually actioning any of the ideas.

So, let’s keep it simple, shall we? Here are three things you can do in three days to expand your social media influence:

1. Offer to write a blog post for another blogger. For right now, they don’t have to be the most “popular” blogger in the world, the main thing is to take yourself out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes when we’re writing for someone else, we have a different feeling of purpose and duty and that’s when our best work bubbles forth.

When you write that post, make sure you Tweet the link a few times the week that it goes live and once the week after.  Remember, not everyone reads everything you write all the time. If you spread your Tweets across the week, more people will be able to see the link. Don’t overdo it though; you don’t want Tweet spam.

2. Make a concerted effort to reach out via Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, to someone whom you’ve always wanted to meet. And, not the easy person, either. You know that person I’m talking about…the person who makes you a little nervous? Actually take the time to read their Tweets and blog posts and when the time is right, contribute. Give them a digital high-five by retweeting them. Heck, send a smoke signal, just DO something (sane) to get on their radar.  So many people don’t want to be perceived as a “stalker” so they don’t do this. Here’s the deal, if you were a stalker, you’d know it, so stop making excuses and take action.

3. Interview someone. If you have a telephone or a pen, you can interview someone.  Here’s the trick, take the time to think of a REALLY cool interview angle for them. Make it an offer they can’t refuse. Show them that you’re smart and that you don’t want to interview them about the same old topic.

The same thing you did in tip #1, do the same thing here. Tweet it and make sure you include the interview in your newsletter, too. And, guess what your interview subject is going to do? You guessed it…they’re going to Tweet and Facebook it, too.

BONUS TIP:  Get the interview transcribed, edit it a bit, add a cover and bundle it together with the audio and you’ve got a GREAT lead generation tool!

All three of these things are totally do-able. So, get going and come back and let me know how they worked for ya!

Lena L. West is an award-winning social media consultant, blogger, speaker, journalist, technologist and the Founder of the Authentic Influencer Braintrust, a high-level, social media marketing membership program for business owners and Real Women Do Social Media, the only social media training initiative created exclusively for women business owners.

Palo Alto Software’s CEO, Sabrina Parsons, was interviewed by Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand this morning.  During the podcast, they talked about online marketing, the difference between advertising and marketing,  the link between social media and customer service, and lots more.

Make sure to check out the rest of Anna’s podcasts and articles. Lots of great stuff there!

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager

Brian Roger of MyVenturePad.com has interviewed Palo Alto Software’s Tim Berry on a topic he loves best. Business planning.

In this interview, Tim admits, “in truth, a great product, great marketing and a genius entrepreneur can achieve success without planning.” But for the mere mortals among us, he advises, “If you don’t enjoy planning – and I mean the real planning, not the fake planning – then maybe you should keep your day job.”

You can catch the whole interview by heading over to the MyVenturePad.com website