Off the Beaten Path: 3 Tools to Tango With

When it comes to social marketing, there are the basic 4 sites that everyone flocks to: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube. Those communities are effective and proven. No argument there. And for the most part, they do make sense for brands to be there, as that’s where most of the activity happens on the social web. However, I think it’s time for us to live up to the newness and cutting edge of the social web and start paying attention to some of the up-and-coming tools that some brands may not even be aware of.

1. Blip.FM Yes, you can create your own radio station. Then share it on Twitter, Facebook, Friend Feed, and any other site that allows you to post and share links. For some clients, especially venues and restaurants centered around a certain culture, Blip.FM really helps to engage the community who look forward to absorbing the music that is synonymous with your establishment’s environment. We’ve been using this tool for a client of ours, and it has greatly improved the interactions and engagement on the feeds that we post their song selections.

2. Pitch Engine
We’ve written about it before. But it’s ability to break through the Google clutter, as well as deliver a dynamic, informative news release, makes Pitch Engine the perfect tool for small, growing, and innovative businesses to share news and info with the world. With the capability to Digg, Tweet, tag, embed YouTube videos, add photo slideshows, and so much more, brands have no excuse to solely devote their communications to a Web 1.0 experience.

3. Four Square
Yeah, this is more of a mobile application, but if you’re studying the social web, you already know that it’s now moving to the mobile device. Four Square is the pinnacle of social networking meeting GPS meeting brand engagement. Restaurants and venues can now promote themselves through Four Square and have those coupons and promotions “pushed” to users phones when they are in the vicinity of the restaurant. Not to mention, Four Square ties in with Twitter so that users can share where they are and what new restaurant they have found.