How to Make Your Startup Dreams a Reality in 12 Days

With two simple goals, you can get your business momentum in less than two weeks.

Millions of people dream of becoming entrepreneurs and starting a business.

However, according to the 2015 Kauffman Index Report, only about three in every 1,000 people in the United States start a business every month. For many potential entrepreneurs, the outcome seems uncertain and the possibility of failure too great.

In many cases, procrastination kills entrepreneurial dreams long before would-be founders even land their first customers.

The key is to start small and take one step at a time. The goals in the first few days are simple:

1. Look like a real business, and
2. Land at least one customer.

The first six days should be dedicated to creating a brand and making your startup look and feel like a real business. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and momentum that will propel you into the next six days of focusing on customers.

Here's what those first 12 days can look like:

Day 1. Define a minimum viable product or service.

What will your product or service be, at least in the short-term? What can you get out the door quickly? How can you immediately start servicing customers? Who will your customers be?

Day 2. Create your business name.

Pick a name that's simple and that has a direct connection to what you do.

I came up with a company name for my business FreeLogoServices and later renamed the company LogoMix. (We kept the original brand, but we needed another name to use with partners and different groups of customers.)

Don't waste all of your time trying to come up with the perfect name. You'll end up putting off starting your business and bringing in revenue.

Instead, just go with something straightforward and descriptive. If you're waiting to think of the perfect name, you're also waiting to start your business.

Day 3. Buy a domain.

When you search for a domain there are obviously a number of options available.

Think simple: (yourname).com, or (yourname).net if that is not available. You can also try (yourcompany)inc.com or (yourcompany)town.com.

Once you set up your domain, get a business email address such as yourfirstname@yourbusiness.com.

Day 4. Create a logo.

The "perfect" logo for your business probably doesn't exist, but a great logo is definitely achievable. Make sure you don't waste too much time looking for the perfect one.

You don't need fancy software or incredible design skills. There are a number of online services that make it easy to design your own logo.

Day 5. Set up a one-page website.

Keep it simple. Stick to one page with two pictures, a paragraph describing what you do, and a contact form.

Remember, the goal is just to start the process of branding your company. You can--and will--go back later and flesh out your website.

There are a number of free website builder tools and free stock photo services you can find online.

Day 6. Set up a Facebook page.

Social media marketing will be an important part of your marketing efforts--53 percent of small businesses use social media--so the small time investment it takes to learn will definitely pay dividends as you grow your business.

A simple Google search on quick tips for small business social media marketing can help you get started.

Day 7. Create business cards.

Use an online service to order business cards. Make sure to include your web address, Facebook page and business email.

Day 8. Create a list of 50 potential customers.

Whether you're selling a $1 or $100,000 product or service, you still need to talk to customers. You still need to determine their needs, their pain points, their objections.

Go through your personal contacts, and use LinkedIn and other social media points to determine a list of at least 50 people who may be interested in your product.

Then, get on the phone with them and discuss your product to learn if it is viable and how it can be improved.

Day 9-11. Get on the phone.

Dedicate a few days to calling customers and telling them about your product. Ask them to buy. Take notes on the conversation.

Making calls to customers is the toughest part of being an entrepreneur, but it is also the most important. Our initial calls helped us figure out what our customers wanted, and build a tool around that.

Day 12. Evaluate your calls.

Review your notes and evaluate what went well and what you can improve. Assess what is most important to potential customers. Change your pitch... and if necessary change your product or service.

Remember, most businesses never make it out of the idea stage. The goal is to start by overcoming procrastination and building a bit of momentum.

 Source: http://on.inc.com/2c43P4y

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The 10 Most Destructive Lies Business Owners Tell Themselves

We talk to ourselves constantly. Okay, maybe not literally, but the psychological phenomenon of self-talk is real and it can have a major bearing on your life, moods and even your professional performance. Self-talk can manifest as reactions to certain events and situations. For example, you might think “that was a dumb mistake” or “this is going to be awesome,” and these thoughts generally have an effect on how you perceive the event in question. They can also manifest as assumptions, in the short-term or long-term, about different aspects of your life and business.

There’s no question that business owners lie to themselves, often knowingly, but some lies are innocuous. Others, like these 10, are destructive and should be avoided at all costs.

Lies Business Owners Tell

My Customers are Going to Love This

This lie stems from your own personal biases. You came up with the idea for your business (or product), so, of course, you’re going to love it! That doesn’t mean everyone else in your target audience is going to, and assuming that’s the case may set you up for failure. If you don’t have any objective data backing this statement, you’re lying to yourself.

Everything Will Work Out

It won’t. Not if you allow things to continue as they are. There’s this persistent myth that businesses succeed because they had a good idea and a good system. Then they just waited for everything else to fall in place. This isn’t true. Successful businesses have to experiment, tinker, and evolve constantly. You have to put in the effort if you want to succeed.

I Can Always Change This Later

This can be true, depending on the context, but it’s not a line of thinking you want to apply to many areas of your business. Assuming you’ll be able to change something later gives you a lower threshold for quality, meaning you’ll start off with a weaker strategy. And thanks to procrastination, you’ll probably end up never changing it anyway. Start strong if you want to finish strong.

I Don’t Have to Worry About This Yet

There are many reasons for procrastination, and some of them are actually pretty good. However, when you delay a task, the indefiniteness of “I’ll worry about that later” can set you up for a perpetual cycle of delay. Instead, if you don’t have time to do something, either schedule a concrete time to do it in the future or delegate it to someone else.

I Have to Do This Myself

Entrepreneurs love to get their hands dirty, and many take it as a point of pride. You might convince yourself that you’re the only one with the skill set or experience to handle a certain task, or that if you don’t do this yourself, you’ll lose control of your business. However, it’s unlikely that these things are true. Learn to let go, and trust your teammates to help you out.

I Don’t Have Time

Entrepreneurship is demanding. It takes a heavy investment of time and effort to see any progress, so many business owners end up putting off or ignoring other aspects of their life — like family, friends and leisure time. Trust me, you need to make time for these things, or you’ll regret it later.

I Just Have to Work Harder

Working harder isn’t always the best approach, just like hitting your head against a brick wall with more force isn’t going to help you tear it down. Instead, opt for smarter, more innovative solutions to your problems. Putting in more hours with a “brute force” style will leave you burned out and frustrated.

This Could Never Work

This lie often stems from preconceived notions about different strategies. You might hear an idea for the first time and immediately write it off as impractical or useless, or you might be presented with a strategy that didn’t work out well for you in the past and assume it could never work out. It’s important to be open to new ideas, especially since many strategies can be feasible as long as you use the right approach.

All I Need Is . . . . . 

Businesses are ridiculously complicated, and even to the most seasoned, successful entrepreneurs in the world, they’re somewhat unpredictable. There are too many variables for you to definitively boil down any problem to a single factor. If you give yourself this problem-solving tunnel vision, you could wind up ignoring the factors that are actually responsible for your predicament. Know that every problem is complex, and no one fix will solve everything.

No One Understands

Entrepreneurship can be painfully lonely. Because you’re working long hours, you’re in an isolated position, and you have to put on a “brave” face for your employees and clients, you might find yourself thinking that nobody understands the stresses you’re dealing with. This weighs heavily on the mind. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re alone. Connect with other entrepreneurs and open up about your experiences.

Don’t feel ashamed if you lie to yourself. In fact, if you don’t, you’re in the minority. Some lies are important to reframe your expectations, help you think more positively and direct your line of thought to something more productive. However, don’t let yourself get caught in a trap of unproductive self-deception. Keep your thoughts and assumptions in check by remaining as objective as possible in your business.

  Source: http://bit.ly/1XY9dVM

Effective Ways to Build Your Social Media Presence

Social media has an extreme appeal to users of all demographics, as 2.1 billion people have accounts. It provides you with the opportunity to hit the largest audience in the world, something that has never before been a possibility. Building up a social media presence isn’t as simple as making an account, throwing out a few status updates, and hoping for the best.

It takes time and effort. This guide is going to introduce you to some of the most effective ways to build your social media presence.

Make Your Content Have a Goal

You should always know what you want to do with your content before you post it. There must be a point beyond you believe that people will like it. Identify your target audience and figure out what your content is going to achieve with them.

Always think about what impact your written content or videos are going to have. Are they going to help you achieve your short and long-term goals?

Get Involved and Interact

Interaction is the essence of being successful on social media. To do this effectively, you must go out of your way to interact. Naturally, any content you post should be designed to foster this interaction. On the other hand, you can use currently ongoing discussions to connect with your target audience.

If you come across an interesting discussion, go out of your way to join in with it. Don’t just advertise your brand. Genuinely help someone. Speak as you would on any personal social media account. People want genuine they don’t want to be sold to.

Choose Your Group with Care

One benefit of social media is that any group you have control of has a closed door policy. In other words, you can kick someone out of the club if you don’t feel that they are contributing anything meaningful. Rather than making impulsive decisions regarding those members, do some research and figure out who is best for your group.

Many social media managers monitor new members with a phantom probationary period. If they are inactive or unhelpful during the specified period of time, they can remove them if they see fit.

Channel Quality Over Quantity

It may be tempting to go wide in order to increase your range. While this can work from time to time, only larger companies have the resources to target a huge number of social media channels. Smaller companies should opt for the ones that are most relevant to them.

For example, a management consulting firm may decide to target Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. A private art gallery may decide that they want to target Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. By spending more time on a small number of channels, you are increasing the quality of those channels.

No channel should be an afterthought.

Review Your Content

If you are determined to get the best content, you need to be willing to review your own content. The worst thing you can do is post anything you think works and then receive lots of public negative feedback. You can control the flow of negative feedback, but you can’t alter the negative impressions left on your customers, as a result.

Go through regular content reviews and ask your most loyal brand ambassadors what they think of the things you are posting. By asking someone impartial, you are guaranteed to get an honest opinion, even if the truth hurts.

Consider the Competition

The competition will always be an important factor in everything you do. You need to pay attention to them without becoming obsessive. This is one of the best ways to maintain that competitive edge because you can continually counter what they are doing.

The competition will give you ideas for what content is working and what isn’t. For example, if a competitor makes a mistake and they receive a negative backlash, you will learn what not to do.

Just beware of getting carried away with this.

Stay Polite

Nothing destroys a social media presence like coming into conflict with people. You will receive negative feedback, but the answer isn’t to fight back; no matter how justified you may or may not be. You will always come off looking worse.

Always stay polite and endeavor to be helpful at all times.

Conclusion

Building a social media presence is mainly about research and perseverance. If you know what you are doing through research and you are willing to invest the time and the effort, you are going to get the results you want.

  Source : http://bit.ly/1plfgYY

20 People Who Only Achieved Success After Age 40

As we look at actors, businessmen, and other geniuses who found success at a young age, we sometimes cannot help but wonder what we have been doing with our life. But not everyone hits their peak in their 20s to 30s. Here are 20 famous people who achieved success after the age of 40, and what they did to get where they became.

1. Samuel Jackson

The famous movie star was 46 when he played his role as Jules Winnfield inPulp Fiction. Before then, Jackson had struggled with drug addiction for two years until he got his first major role in Jungle Fever in 1991.

2. Martha Stewart

Stewart worked in catering for years, but her role as “America’s housewife” did not materialize until she started writing cookbooks and other pieces on domestic living in her 40s.

3. Ronald Reagan

Reagan obviously had a successful acting career, but he first came onto the political stage when he delivered his famous “A Time for Choosing” speech during the 1964 election at the age of 53. He leveraged his past acting talents to become one of the most respected presidents of the 20th century.

4. Henry Ford

In his youth, Ford worked as an engineer under Thomas Edison, where he worked on ways to improve the then new automobile. It was not until he was 40 that he founded the Ford Motor company, where he introduced the Model T five years later.

5. Abraham Lincoln

At the age of 40, Lincoln left the House of Representatives and went back to practicing law, his young political career seemingly over. He jumped onto the just-founded Republican Party seven years later, and then was elected President of the United States four years after that.

6. Reid Hoffman

Not every social media website was founded by some young tech genius. Reid Hoffman founded SocialNet.com in 1997, a precursor of sorts to Facebook. But he founded LinkedIn in 2002 at age 35, and then worked for years to make it the professional social networking site. When Hoffman took LinkedIn public 8 years later, he became a billionaire.

7. Lee Ermey

Ermey’s infamous performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket was his first major acting role at the age of 43. Ermey was originally supposed to be an advisor, but was cast as Hartman by impressing Stanley Kubrick with his knowledge of life as a Marine.

8. Ray Kroc

Kroc worked various jobs including a pianist and a traveling salesman for a milkshake maker. Then at the age of 52, he met the McDonalds brothers and proposed that their restaurant could expand across the United States. By the time he died in 1984, McDonald’s had become well, McDonald’s.

9. Richard Adams

While he worked as a British civil servant, Adams told his two daughters a story about a rabbit, who insisted that he write it down. After writing it down two years later, he published Watership Down, which instantly became a children’s literary classic.

10. Jack Cover

Cover worked for NASA and IBM, and eventually used his scientific knowledge to create a weapon which could stop individuals without killing them. Today, police agencies across the world use his Taser to subdue criminals nonviolently.

11. Momofuku Ando

As Japan recovered from the end of World War II, Ando sought a way to provide quick and cheap noodles to his impoverished countrymen. At the age of 48, Ando developed the instant ramen which sustains college students everywhere.

12. Alan Rickman

Rickman quit a successful graphic design business in his mid-20s to go into acting, but spent years working in theater until he was asked to play the role of Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

13. Sam Walton

Walton ran several stores, and failed many times in the process. But he learned from those failures and used the lessons to open the first Wal-Mart at 44 and become one of the richest men in the world. The store’s philosophy was simple, buy in bulk and sell them cheap. Today his stores sell everything from groceries to electric skateboards, and everything in between.

14. Miguel de Cervantes

Widely credited as the first Western novelist for his work Don Quioxte,Cervantes did not publish his first book until 38 and his most famous work at 58. Before then, he served in the Spanish Navy and struggled for years to find work which could support him as he wrote.

15. Julia Child

The woman who brought French cuisine to American televisions did not eat French food until she was 36, working for the OSS in post-war France. But after being absolutely stunned by French food, she studied the cuisine fanatically until she had enough knowledge to host The French Chef at 51.

16. “Colonel” Harland Sanders

Sanders worked a variety of odd jobs throughout his life, and watched his first attempt at a fried chicken restaurant fail at the ripe old age of 65. But Sanders used his Social Security checks to begin franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken, which became the success it is today.

17. Tim and Nina Zagat

These two certainly enjoyed success throughout their life as a pair of corporate lawyers. But after making a list of local restaurants they liked or did not like, they expanded the list into a full-time business. Today, the Zagat list covers over 70 cities.

18. Charles Darwin

Darwin went on his famous voyage on the HMS Beagle at just 21, but his work as a naturalist was held back by health issues. It was not until he was 50 that he finally published On the Origin of Species.

19. Peter Mark Roget

Peter Mark Roget had an interest in lists and orderly language throughout his life. When he retired from his scientific and mechanical work in 1840 at the age of 61, he began preparing to work on a book which would organize words by their definitions. The first thesaurus was published in 1852.

20. “Grandma” Moses

Anna Moses loved to embroider, but when her fingers started to fail at the age of 78, she took up painting. Today, she is remembered as one of America’s great folk artists, who painted scene after scene of American rural life.

  Source : http://bit.ly/1RsdFYf

9 ways social media can set back your addiction recovery

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have certainly made the world a much smaller place in the past decade by bringing people across time zones to within a finger's tap of each other.

For many of us, the time we spend online socially is positive. But for others, it can be detrimental to their health and well-being, especially those recovering from addiction. While that's not to say it will have a negative impact on everyone, here are some reasons why social media use should be guarded when in recovery.

1) Social media can be addictive

From a purely clinical perspective, social media is not a true addiction like drugs or alcohol because it doesn't change the structure and function of the brain. But it does share some of the same behavioral aspects of addiction, such as excessive use that might interfere with daily life or interpersonal relationships. For this reason, it's important that it doesn't become an obsession.

2) Sleep deprivation

Speaking of obsession, it's not unheard of for people to lose sleep because they couldn't get off the Internet. Proper sleep is important for everyone, although it's especially true for those in recovery. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is crucial for mental health and staving off depression and anxiety. Turning off phones and computer screens an hour before bed can help getting to sleep much easier.

3) Information overload

It's no secret that following hundreds of people on your favorite social site produces an endless stream of tweets and posts that quickly multiply with even the slightest bit of engagement. For those with an addictive personality or others with depression or anxiety, it's easy to become overwhelmed. The first step of treatment is often detox, and the same is true of the Internet. Simplifying life, practicing mindfulness, and taking a digital detox might be necessary during recovery.

4) Comparing ourselves with others can be unhealthy

It's human nature to compare ourselves with others, and the feeling of not measuring up can be harmful to recovery. People fresh out of treatment sometimes have a lower than normal level of self-esteem or confidence as they work toward repairing personal relationships. In life, as well as on social media, it's important to surround oneself with positive people and role models while avoiding negative or toxic people. Even then, comparing or competing with how much other people have, or what they've accomplished can be a recipe for failure. And we all know how much people like to show off online.

5) Drugs and alcohol are glamorized

It's common sense that people in recovery avoid bars and parties where alcohol is flowing liberally. Just thinking about partying can ignite dangerous triggers that cause relapse. However, if you're following the same friends you had before recovery, chances are good they're posting pics at their favorite bar or last night's party. Drugs and alcohol photos aren't just available on social media—they're often times glamorized. Until there's a way to filter drug and alcohol pics like there is with porn, understand that you will find it, or rather it will find you.

6) ‘I read it online’

For all the good information available online, there's just as much misinformation that can be destructive if not used correctly. Social media is chock-full of dangerous suggestions for ways to detox at home, or alternatives to drug or alcohol therapy. Addiction is a chronic disease that needs to be treated by doctors and addiction specialists, not the poster with the most “likes.” If something sounds too good to be true, investigate it thoroughly and always speak with somebody that knows before acting on it.

7) FOMO

Not being able to go to the same places or doing the same things as before recovery is almost as bad as seeing drug and alcohol pics online. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, can produce anxiety or depression. Finding new hobbies and cultivating new interests is important for recovery, which might mean finding new people and things to follow on social media. Better yet, get off social media for a while and get out and start living a new life offline.

8) Potential employers are online too

Addiction takes its toll on careers, and many people enter rehab as a result of losing their job, among other things. This may require finding a new job or career after treatment. Because many employers use social media as a screening tool for new hires, it would be wise to delete negative activity from before rehab that might have an impact on your job worthiness. Even posting information about being sober and in recovery might be a turnoff to some possible opportunities.

9) Face-to-face is better

Repairing personal relationships that may have been ruined because of drugs or alcohol is a positive step for those in recovery. It's impossible to undo what's already happened, but it is possible to turn things around again. The best way is to do it up close and in-person instead of trying to mend things over social media. This isn't always possible for those who live far away, but for those close to home, it's always better to meet up face-to-face and get things out in the open.

Social media has changed the way we communicate on both a business and personal level. It has made life easier and quite often more efficient. For some in recovery though, it might be wise to unplug for a while and focus on nurturing personal relationships offline. For those who can't seem to get enough social media, now would be a great time to practice moderation like never before.

Source : http://bit.ly/21kuuin

What You Need to Know About the Rise of Social Trading

For the past several years, social media has been all the rage, and for good reason. It allows family and friends from every corner of the world to keep tabs on each other as if they were just next door. However, that’s not the only thing social networks do these days. 

They give people a way to play games together, video message each other, and far, far more. However, it seems as though the social environment and the technology behind it is changing once again. 

There’s a new social network concept that is rising in popularity incredibly quickly. That concept is called social trading.

What Is Social Trading?

Social trading is an entirely new concept. In fact, I first heard about the concept myself just last year. Essentially, social trading is a social network platform designed for traders, as the name would suggest. This new technology combines several features of the average social network like being able to follow, message, and communicate with people around the world, with features you’d generally see on a trading application. Using this new technology, traders not only have a way to make friends, but can also help each other profit. Experienced traders have the ability to share how they earn the money they earn and beginner traders have the ability to tag along on the strategy to reduce the incredible learning curve associated with trading. It’s a match made in heaven.

Why Social Trading Is Becoming So Popular

At the moment, there are only a few social trading websites out there. In fact, the only platforms that I know of off of the top of my head are CopyOp and Etoro. Nonetheless, these websites are becoming incredibly popular. So, why are they growing in popularity so quickly? There are a few reasons…

• Reducing The Learning Curve – Trading successfully is not the easiest thing in the world to do. In fact, to become a successful trader, there’s an incredible learning curve that you’ll have to make your way over. However, social trading greatly reduces the learning curve associated with financial trading. This is because beginners have a way to copy the moves of professionals and ask them questions in the process to see why the moves that are being made are good for the overall portfolio. Believe it or not, this functionality has the ability to shave months, or even years for some, off of the learning curve!

• Avoiding Excessive Research – Without social trading, finding strong trading opportunities takes quite a bit of research. However, social trading platforms use a technology that picks up on what the popular trades are. This means that finding a trending stock, commodity, currency, or any other asset is a relatively simple process. Let’s face it, even the professional traders can use a hand when it comes to research.

• Making Friends With Like Interests – I’m a professional trader myself, and I have to say, the industry does get a bit lonely. After all, I work from home and when I talk to friends about what I do, I’m usually met with a mix of blank stares and snarky remarks. However, I’ve found social trading platforms to be a great way to have an intelligent discussion with other like minded people with regard to what’s going on in the market. For me, this is absolutely priceless!

Social trading is an incredible concept that meets a need that many traders didn’t even know they had. This incredible technology is yet another example of how technological innovation shapes the way we live, and will likely continue doing so for years to come!

Source : http://bit.ly/1nVCSTe

10 companies with outstanding social media presences

Some can discount the importance of online marketing, especially when brand managers' efforts on social platforms become stale. Model your campaigns after these organizations instead.

There's been endless debate over the last few years as to whether or not social media marketing is dead.

Recently, the Content Marketing Institute finally put the debate to rest—or tried to—with a podcast arguing that social media isn't actually dead, we're just using it wrong. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there are still plenty of companies that are rocking social media marketing and can inspire the masses to follow suit with their perfected strategies.

Here are 10 to start following today:

1. Old Spice

When Isaiah Mustafa stepped into the role of the ultimate Old Spice guy, the drugstore cologne-turned-viral sensation attracted a legion of followers across multiple social media channels.

The brand's managers keep exploring unexpected ideas, like having Mustafa answer tweets on YouTube. What Old Spice really gets right is the emotional element of marketing, making followers wish their man was as suave as that cologne guy.

2. TEDx

It’s not easy to take informational lectures and turn them into sensational content that everyone is talking about.

TEDx doesn’t just nail its medium, it also manages to turn authentic storytelling videos into bite-size, shareable content across social media. Check out the organization's Twitter page and you'll see everything from how asteroid mining can help us live in space to how loneliness scrambles our thinking.

All this is sandwiched in between awesome food pics from TEDx events around the world.

3. Newcastle Brown Ale

Newcastle pioneered self-aware advertising in a quest for "no bullocks" messaging, and got it right.

For starters, the brand took the genius concept of not having enough cash to put together a Super Bowl ad, and produced one anyway. Without the funds to broadcast it to millions, Newcastle instead spread the ad around social media to poke fun at itself, its budget and the Super Bowl.

Essentially, Newcastle called bollocks on the idea of needing millions to effectively earn global recognition.

4. Starbucks

Unlike Newcastle, Starbucks probably has the budget for Super Bowl-worthy ads. However, the coffee company's stand-out feature on social media is how it has taken the idea of engagement to a whole new level.

For a while, Starbucks even gave customers the option to manage and reload their coffee cards on social media. The company also makes it easy to find nearby locations, look up international Starbucks spots and apply for jobs at its stores.

5. Denny’s

This dining franchise has quickly earned the reputation of being deliciously weird on social media.

Denny’s has mostly ditched the idea of traditional promotional specials and asking diners how they like their burgers and omelets. Instead, Denny's has worked to stand out from its competitors and attract a younger crowd.

6. Staples

The office-supply juggernaut gets plenty right, like educating and informing its audience and offering gift card giveaways and product promotions. Staples also thrills followers by making fun of office culture and the doldrums of cubicle life.

The chain recognizes that its followers are into more than just paper clips and office furniture. Staples engages that audience by asking questions like, “Who is your favorite “Star Wars” character?” alongside offering quirky videos on office party etiquette.

7. NASA

It’s not just geeky space talk and shuttle news on NASA’s social media channels. The organization's Mars Curiosity channel on Twitter wows followers with the latest mission to explore that planet's surface.

Its Rover takes photos of everything from two-story Martian dunes to silica deposits. It also turns out that those nerds at NASA also have a great sense of humor. One of their recent Tweets simply said, "I'm on a road trip to Mars' Bagnold Dunes. What's new with you?"

8. Pampers

Pampers knows its target audience well and embraces that nurturing parent vibe accordingly.

The company regularly hosts photo contests to encourage moms to upload photos of their babies and offer information on their rewards program. Pampers' #BetterForBaby campaign tugged on heartstrings by showing struggling families trying to make their babies’ lives better.

By the time we see how Pampers transforms their lives, social media followers are wiping away tears in secret.

9. GoPro

YouTube turned GoPro into a viral sensation with its extraordinary videos created by users wearing the tiny camera. GoPro understood that user-generated videos and the value they created wasn't just a trend. Scores of GoPro converts are creating amazing videos, from pelicans flying to skydivers taking their first jump. The videos are contagious and widely shared.

GoPro videos have become more than just people watching shaky adventure footage on YouTube. There’s even a GoPro channel on Virgin America Airlines and a streaming option right from Xbox.

10. XBox

XBox’s Twitter page resembles a buttoned-up corporation sending out news, promotions and slick advertising photos. Meanwhile, over at its @XboxSupport handle, gamers can get near-instantaneous answers to their issues.

That may be their most powerful strategy in social media marketing. In between tweets assuring users that it's working hard to answer everyone's questions, Xbox also offers resources such as phone numbers and common topics addressed online.

What are your favorite companies that are still rocking social media marketing? 

Source : http://bit.ly/1P5QSnO