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In 2009, Google reached a deal with Twitter to include tweets in search results. That deal expired in 2011, right about the time that Google launched its social network, Google+.

Since then, Google+ has pretty much failed as a social network (but it is important for local SEO). And now, Twitter is often first to announce big breaking news stories.

Reportedly, Google will once again have access to Twitter’s firehose—the stream of data generated by Twitter’s 284 million users. Click here to read “Who wins, Who Loses in the Twitter/Google Deal.”

Twitter content indexed in Google search results: Just one more reason for every small business to be active on Twitter. All social media activity helps build your brand and because Google places a premium on authenticity, branding is a factor in rankings.

Email marketing (newsletters, nurture campaigns, the occasional notifications about products, services, promotions, etc.) keeps your business on the minds of your customers and generates leads and sales. Nurture campaigns can be set up to send automatically, but it’s important to audit your content and make sure it’s up-to-date.

According to a recent report from Mailjet, personalization is a big factor in improving email open rate and engagement, but only about 17% of U.S. marketers personalize email messages. Tailor your emails to customers based on information they’ve provided and their purchasing behavior and you’ll set yourself apart from other businesses that don’t take the time to personalize their emails.

Click here to read more about the strong ROI of email marketing.

While the NFL was broadcasting its halftime extravaganza, YouTube hosted one of its own. YouTube’s show featured zany stunts (such as a guy jumping into a pool of cheese), fake Super Bowl ads and other entertainment provided by YouTube celebrities.

Said Suzie Reider, managing director of brand solutions at Google, “The halftime show falls in nicely with this huge theme for us, which is the notion of brands as creators and the commercial as content...When you’re an advertiser, your ad sits on YouTube next to a piece of content.”

Click here to read more about YouTube’s offbeat halftime show. Click here to learn about advertising on YouTube.