Think about your social networks. Do you have a Facebook account? Are you on Twitter? What about other networking sites, such as LinkedIn?

Now let me throw a few other networking sites at your attention:

Have you ever heard of Kickstarter.com? IndieGoGo.comGrowVC.com?

If not, and if you’re looking to fund your small project in a big way, these are the Web sites you need to be adding to your Bookmarks.

Ten days ago, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2enjoyed a record $43.5-million premiere — and that was just the midnight showing. By the end of the first day at the box office, the final Harry Potter installment had earned a whopping $92.1 million.

There are a few emerging age groups on which marketers are increasingly doting: 0 to 20 and 12 to 34. If that seems a bit broad, that's because it is, and intentionally so.

Sarah Palin may have told Congress "'thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere," but her hometown is lobbying hard for a $715-million bridge that would halve the trip between Wasilla and Anchorage.

Remember that kid in your class that always had a "dog-ate-my-homework" excuse when it came time to turn in an assignment? That child most likely did not grow up to become a Coca-Cola employee.

The beverage behemoth didn't grow to represent a 70% share of its industry without plenty of homework along the way. But the company's approach to data gathering regarding its latest product launch, the Coca-Cola Freestyle, takes market research to a new level.

"Hire happy." It's the best advice I've ever heard, whether you're a business owner or in human resources. If propelling a brand is part of your job, remember to hire happy. Your employees will be the most effective messengers in your entire marketing strategy, if — and it's a big if — you hire the right employees.

Who is your ideal client? A man? A woman? Someone who is 35, or someone who is 55? Which clubs or associations does he or she belong to, if any? Have you taken the time to reallyget to know you customer?

Whoa, you say, slow down. That's a lot of questions. Well, yes. But you need to know the answers to even more of them when it comes to identifying that ideal person for your services or products.

"Vision without execution is hallucination." Don’t take my word for it; those aren’t my words. They belong to Thomas Edison, certainly a man who knows a thing or two about vision (and implementation!). The same man made 5,000 attempts at implementing his vision before he finally got it right — after a dream he had during an afternoon nap. So what lessons can we take away from Edison’s words and experiences? Well, there are a few, and they all apply to marketing and bolstering your brand.