This week, Mia’s column addresses the hesitation that some business owners have about integrating social networking into their public relations strategy.

She writes: “The idea of putting yourself and your products on display for uncensored, uncontrolled commentary may seem scary – but if it’s done right, the benefits are staggering.”

In the column, Mia features a truly inspiring entrepreneur: Hana Zalzal, president and founder of the globally successful CARGO Cosmetics. Zalzal has found innovative ways to use social networking tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to seek product feedback and improve customer loyalty, fully inviting her customers to “co-parent” the CARGO brand.  Even more uniquely, Zalzal personally checks each and every post on her company Facebook page.

“As business leaders, our companies and our brands are so important to us,” writes Mia. “We engage advisory boards, conduct surveys and hold focus groups to ensure we’re on the right track. Social media has taken public engagement to the next level: with a bit of investment and a solid strategy, much stronger relationships with our customers are right at our fingertips.”

Check out her column every Thursday in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.

In her latest column, Mia writes about the holy grail of product placement – being featured by a daytime TV star such as Oprah Winfrey or Ellen DeGeneres.

She writes: “Last week, two of my colleagues came to me with a huge win: they had caught the attention of Ms. Winfrey’s producers for one of our Canadian clients. As an entrepreneur at a small or mid-sized company, you may not think the goal is attainable, but with a unique product and a solid strategy you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to the stars.”

In the column, Mia shares practical pitching tips and advice, and encourages companies to be bold, think beyond borders, and never underestimate the interest in their products.

Check out her column every Thursday in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.

In this week’s column, Mia talks about her personal experience developing herself as a leader.

She writes: “With every move, every talk, every interaction, we contribute to our personal brand – not just the brand of the company we represent. The strongest corporate leaders cultivate their own trademark, a brand that their employees, investors and colleagues can invest their confidence in and stay loyal to.”

Recently teaming up with BlueMoon Productions to integrate high quality multimedia and simple storytelling into an internal presentation, Mia learned an important lesson: investing in your personal brand may seem like an unnecessary cost, but if done right, the payoff will be huge.

Check out her column every Thursday in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.