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You need a social media team that can absolutely nail it. That doesn’t happen by just putting warm bodies in front of computers. You need a team of innovators, mold-breakers, thinkers, organizers, brainstormers, collaborators, and strategists who are wicked smart, insanely skilled, and ready to push your business to an extreme level on social media.

In other words, you need a social media dream team.

How do you wrap your mind around the social media scene?

Social media has seemed to spiral out of control. It’s bigger than we ever thought it would become. It grows and changes on a daily basis. We’re all done talking about its “meteoric rise.” That’s cliché. We already know that more than a quarter of the world’s population uses social media,...

Everyone loves to talk about getting more users. Indeed, the mantra of “more users” has become something of a rallying cry in the blogging world. But relatively few people are talking about their existing users who they are potentially annoying and losing because they are focusing primarily on attracting new users.

Pleasing existing users is a lot more important than you might think because annoyed users don’t just leave, they complain – to their friends, family, and colleagues, who then have a bad impression of your website. Perhaps you should start devoting as much time and energy to keeping your existing users happy as you do to finding new ones.

If your users aren’t complaining already, here are some things that might tick them off in t...

Pitching a room full of investors can be one of the most important things you do to get your company off the ground. Learn how to tell your story and keep your audience engaged with these 5 tips from pitch strategist, Tyler Crowley.

1. Hook the audience

On average, you only have around 15 seconds to capture your audience (less if you present right before lunch), and you’re competing with email/Facebook for their attention. People’s brains are wired to remember stories and not PowerPoints, so cut out the stuff that doesn’t matter and start with a story. Create a persona and introduce them to the audience. What problems do they have? How does your product/service solve them?

2. Add a twist

When you’re telling your story, keep it interesting. Pe...

Preparing to pitch investors is all about getting your pitch materials in order. Most investor introductions follow a common sequence of events that will require you to provide different versions of your business plan throughout the process.

Investors want to find the right fit. They want to see the right location, market size and traction, among other things.

In many cases, it’s the same information simply repackaged to fit the right method of communication. For example, providing a couple sentences makes sense to explain your business in an email, but won’t cut it in a presentation. Conversely, sending a 50-page business plan attached to your introduction email is surely the wrong approach toward making a good first impression with invest...

Question: What is your current favorite startup-related newsletter or website and why?

The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

Lewis Howes’ Podcast

I really like reading and listening to the Lewis Howes podcast on School of Greatness. He interviews some of the top minds on the Internet about what it takes to become big. A close second would be Startup Grind podcast. You can’t beat the amazing stories you’ll hear.

– Peter Daisyme
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There seems to be a misconception floating around in the startup ecosystem that entrepreneurship is synonymous with misery and painful uphill battles. And while it is true that entrepreneurship is a uniquely challenging road, I take issue with the claim that it has to be a grueling and thankless one.

So, how do we keep ourselves happy and sane while we’re on the path to creating a better life for ourselves, and a better world for others? Simple: positive psychology.

Learned Optimism Keeps Us Going

Being an entrepreneur means that you are changing the status quo. Whether you’re building disruptive technologies, founding an innovative non-profit or providing a service, you have seen the need for something better, and you are bringing that vis...

This guest post is by one of Clarity’s top experts when it comes to pitching your idea – whether it’s to investors, the press or potential customers he knows all the tricks of the trade to help close the deal. Tyler Crowley (@steepdecline), Founder at Skweal, whose extensive background includes:

• Assisting over 500 startups and almost a 1,000 individuals with perfecting pitches through TechCrunch50 and the LAUNCH conference
• Has been the “pitch doctor” for notable startups like Dropbox, Yammer, Mint, Fitbit, Powerset, Redbeacon, Space Monkey, Brilliant and Room 77

Let me start with a question… What was the last PowerPoint or pitch deck you saw? Can you recall what was on slide 5?

Let me ask you another question… Ever see the movie Top Gun?...

Starting a business anywhere is hard, but startup founders today are in a uniquely privileged position today thanks to the media, who like to portray them as cool kids and modern heroes who succeed against all odds to survive.

Much has been written for and about startup founders, but what about the people who help carry their goals forward? What about the startup employees? Without the buffer of privilege given to a startup founder, we’re doubly vulnerable to the stress and craziness that comes with working at a startup. If you’re a startup employee, here are a few tips to help you preserve your health and sanity.

Get some sleep

Nights out and 6-day/100+ hour work weeks are not going to get things done faster. This kind of working style is ...

Your brand and professional reputation is the one thing that will set you apart from your competition. Branding is the only tactic you can employ that is truly unique and that your competitors simply can’t replicate completely.

In branding, you’re dealing with the perception of your audience. To be regarded as an expert is what really matters. This isn’t a form of trickery or positioning yourself as a ‘marketing guru.’ It just requires a change in the way you communicate.

Instead of communicating like a beginner with no proven track record, you should be communicating like an expert with lots of knowledge and experience under your belt.

It’s about being yourself, being passionate about what you’re doing and really believing that you are wor...

Someone holds the elevator for you. No “thank you”? You end up waiting in the lobby next time. You spend all weekend helping a friend move and at the end of it, all they say is, “Well, I’ll see you around.” Looks like someone just made your Nixon-esque enemy list.

Those two simple words could be the difference between a functioning society and an admittedly exaggerated chaos, but even if that chaos is exaggerated, there are plenty of reasons to remember to say “thank you.” Here are just a few.

You’ll Make More Money

It’s true. There are economic benefits to be gained by merely expressing gratitude. Don’t buy it? Check out this study about how waiters who write “thank you” and personalized messages on receipts get larger tips than their less...