Happy Friday!  Kick start your weekend with this week’s roundup of our top five reads.

Stat of the Week

Videos engage your audience and are easy to create.  They’re also becoming a bigger part of today’s marketing mix, as 76% of marketers said they’d increase their investment in YouTube marketing this year.  7 Insights from a Social Media Marketing Studyvia Sword and the Script

List of the Week

Wondering if you’re still relevant to your audience?  Here are a few warning signs that’ll tell you if you’re alienating your customers and prospects.  5 Signs You’re Out of Touch With Your Audience – via Inc.com

Tip of the Week

Curating interesting, useful content is a great way to build an audience.  (Hint: We’re doing it right now!).  There’s an added benefit, though: it can boost your search rankings – if you’re doing it right, that is.  Content Curation Guide for SEO – What, How, Why – via SEOMoz

Stroke of Genius of the Week

Ford has taken its customer service to social networks.  They’re now responding to an average of 2,000 people weekly on social channels, proving that even largest brands value direct engagement with customers on Twitter and Facebook.  Ford Taps Social Media for Customer Service – via Forbes

And Finally…

For Pinterest, imitation just might be the sincerest form of flattery…  Here Come the Pinterest Clones – via CNN Money

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