A partner in a small Internet entertainment firm admitted that the company had spent very little on marketing and that the company’s marketing was all over the place.

He also said that he was having an intern represent the company on Twitter – and when the intern showed us what he was doing, we immediately saw the missed opportunities of not having a coherent brand/vision for the company.

Let me make this perfectly clear:

Having an intern do your company tweets when you don’t have an overall Twitter/Internet marketing strategy is NOT a good idea.

While many Internet marketing gurus do use virtual assistants to help keep up with social media marketing, these gurus do so only after a consistent strategic social media plan is in place.

This person said that he keeps his eye on the company’s finances and leaves it to his partner to keep his eye on the future.  But keeping your eye on the future is not the same as gathering your chestnuts before the winter sets in.  Watching is not acting.

While no one can predict whether Twitter will be replaced by an even more ingenious application, if you have established relationships on Twitter, you’ll be able to migrate these long-term relationships to a new “hot” platform. 

And if you’re not using Twitter now for your Internet marketing, each day you delay is costing you a larger and larger opportunity cost.

If your brand, book or business is something that you take seriously, then you should be taking social media marketing seriously.  And right now, in my opinion (although it’s not for everyone), Twitter is the name of the game IF YOU USE IT STRATEGICALLY.

If you want to learn how to use Twitter strategically for your brand, book or business, check out the Miller Mosaic special Twitter strategy offer.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller's company has recently launched the monthly program www.WeTeachWebMarketing.com and she's a National Internet Business Examiner at www.InternetBizBlogger.com.

Yes, we've all seen the headlines about the economy. But smart and nimble people are seeing these times as a great opportunity to try something new and find income in unexpected places. Whether you want more business, to start a new one, or just want to moonlight at something new for fun or extra cash, you can make today's economy work for you if you think outside the box. You may even discover your true life's calling!

Here are some steps to take for 2009:

1. Take stock: List an inventory of all your skills, talents and interests. What do you really like doing? What parts of the jobs you've had before did you excel at? What would you do for free if you could afford to? Have you done things as a favor or a hobby that always prompts people to say: "You sould get paid for that!"  If trying to observe yourself leaves you stumped, try asking close friends and family what you're good at.
2. Translate your passions into services: Now that you have a list of your best skills, brainstorm possible services you could offer based on them. These can be things you have already done professionally or not.  For example, if your list says you're good with children, you could tutor, provide entertainment at parties or write stories for kids' magazines.  Great with computers? Offer on-call tech support or programming help.  An administrative wizard? Bookkeeping, customer service and other office tasks can now be handled for anyone from anywhere in the country with the latest technology. If you love to cook, you can give culinary lessons, blog for a cooking site (your or someone else's) or start a small catering business of your own.
3. Take it to the streets: If you already offer a service, think of a whole new market you could target. If you provide tech support for businesses, what about offering your help to tech-challenged senior citizens? Conversely, if you do massage therapy for individuals, you might consider offering your services to local businesses. Some of them could probably use some stress relief right about now!
4. Revisit the well: go back to people you have worked for in the past, remind them who you are AND announce any new services you are offering. (You can send them to your servana profile where they'll be able to review them all.)  Companies are running leaner, and they're gladder than ever  to take advantage of services they need without having to have a full time employee on staff.
5. Branch out: While we're on the subject, look at your current and previous customers, assess their needs and brainstorm any additional service you could offer. If you've done writing for them, could you also provide graphic design or marketing support? If you have a dog grooming business, could you also arrange to offer pet-sitting or training? Your customers are built-in, so go for them!
6. Keep the conversation going: Find new ways to communicate with your current and prospective customers about your services. There are lots of social networking sites, but only a few are really useful for getting business. Many people swear by Facebook. Twitter is a quick and easy way to keep yourself top of mind, though you can only "tweet" 140 characters at a time! A free profile on Servana.com will allow you to showcase your background and all the different services you provide and be contacted directly by those who are looking them. Also, if you have a website, be sure to capture your visitors' emails with an opt-in box (aweber and constant contact are two popular companies offering email management) so that you can email them special offers and keep them coming back.
7. More ideas than time? Consider hiring others to do tasks for you that will save you time for pursuits that make you money or make you happy. You'll find services such as child care, virtual assistants, home maintenance and more, all listed by your virtual neighbors in the Servana.com community. You can build a whole support staff in one convenient place.
8. Don't want to pay? Why not consider a barter arrangement?  As a writer, I have done copy for web designers in return for their tech help on my own websites. I've even been "paid" for my work in massages, plane tickets, and one time even a psychic reading (I'm still waiting for most of the predictions to come true, but it was still fun).
9. Keep your antennae up: Always be on the lookout for new opportunity. See what others are offering and see if it sparks any ideas.  Keep antennas open for additional services your clients might need. Always keep business cards on hand; you never know when you'll need them. For example, if you're out at dinner you might hand out your card to the restaurant manager offering your video services. Make sure your link to your servana profile is on your card so people can easily find out about all you can do for them.

So forget the headlines. 2009 can be your most lucrative--and most interesting--year yet. All you need is a few new tools and a new attitude.  With a dose of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, you can turn your talents into cash and be of valuable service to others at the same time.

Lisa Rothstein is a freelance copywriter, as well as a screenwriter, a cartoonist, a musician and the co-author of the book for mutil-talented people The Da Vinci Dilemma coming in 2009. Her Servana.com handle is creative4hire.