The Monthly Social Index Spotlight: Petco, PetSmart, Sprint, T-Mobile

• Retailers, are you ready for your close-up? Images showcase who you are. Just as important as the photo’s subject is attention to detail. Everyone’s a photographer these days. Your photos have to stand out. (This is even more crucial with Timeline!)
• Be cautious about relying too heavily on the same shtick. Fans may dig "pawfices" and "caturdays" for a while and respond at first to quickie questions such as “Agree?,” but make sure to have new content ready to roll when interest begins to fade in what’s currently working.
• Imagine your content not only on your page, but also in your fans’ news feeds. Know the difference between how a photo looks and how a link looks so you can focus attention in the right place. Know what your fans like in their news feeds and what they pass over. Know what makes sense to share with friends and what feels too much like advertising.

Carolee Sherwood is the conversation manager at Media Logic, an integrated marketing services and social marketing solutions provider. Carolee can be reached at csherwood@mlinc.com.