Which ones am I missing that you cannot live without? [disclaimer: many of the tools below are CMI partner tools]

The Basics

• LinkedIn - Start the practice of connecting with every business card you receive from contacts.
• Facebook - Less business, more entertainment the better.
• Twitter - The best way to broadcast great business content…period.
• Google+ – The fastest growing social media network of all-time.  Due to Google’s link with search, Google+ is now critical.

Conversations and Listening

• LinkedIn Answers - Listen and answer.  Best if you have business customers.
• LinkedIn Groups - Find groups that make sense for your business.
• Yahoo! Answers - Listen and answer questions. Position yourself as the expert.  Better if you have consumer customers.
• Google Alerts - Get updates on who’s talking about you, your industry, your customers.
• Google Groups - Find the group relevant to your job and get active.
• Google Trends – Love this tool!  See where keyword trends are heading.  It will help you tell better stories.

Twitter Management

• Tweetdeck - The ultimate Twitter management system.
• Hootsuite - Manage multiple twitter accounts from one dashboard.
• Dlvr.it – Possibly the best reporting structure for distributing Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Twitter Search - Find anything on Twitter real-time.
• Yammer - It’s Twitter for inside the company walls.

Content Sharing

• Slideshare - Upload your PowerPoint presentations for all to see.
• YouTube - The #1 video sharing site and #2
• Vimeo - The alternative to YouTube.
• StumbleUpon - Randomly generates content for users by interest area. It still amazes me how much traffic we get from StumbleUpon.
• Scribd - Share original writings with others.
• Pinterest – In less than two months becomes a Top 100 website.  Amazingly addictive.
• About.me – Great way to share the information that is all about YOU.
• BufferApp – Integrates with Facebook and Twitter to easily share content.

CMS/Content Promotion/Creation Tools

• WordPress - My recommendation for a blog CMS platform.
• Tumblr - Post anything quickly and easily.
• Zemanta - Great for adding additional content and links.
• Outbrain – The PPC tool for content distribution.  Used by some of the best brands on the planet.
• PR Newswire – Our preferred tool for distributing news and research releases.
• Jing- To create screenshots for clients when something needs to be explained.

Measurement

• Google Analytics - I recommend using Google Analytics even if you have a paid analytics service (courtesy Cim Buser).
• Alexa - Some high-level information on website traffic for any site.
• Compete.com - Excellent comparison tool for web analytics-type information.
• Quantcast - Provides good overview of analytics and site demographics.
• Radian6 – A paid social media measurement tool.  Now a Salesforce.com company.

Operations

• Google Apps - Runs all email and calendar functions through one place.  We use it and love it. Basic option is free.
• Google Docs - Share Word documents, spreadsheets and presentations via secure invitations. Great for editing a document with multiple people involved.
• Teamwork Project Manager - Easy-to-use project management tool.
• BaseCamp - An alternative to Teamwork Project Manager. Also very easy to use.
• DropBox – Easy way to share files with co-workers and associates.
• Salesforce – Track sales opportunities, leads and contacts.
• Evernote – Easy to way to transport documents from iPad to anywhere else you are going.
• Skype – Hard to do international calls without it.  Plus, sometimes it’s helpful to see the person.
• Chrome Remote Desktop – Incredibly handy tool if you need access to someone else’s computer and you lack IT support.

Image Credit: Shutterstock