Opening Up Social Media for Local Small Business

As a small business owner willing to try new marketing channels, social media presents an interesting challenge (and opportunity). While the communication increases at first, I find that there
Mike Periu
Author, Propio Negocio en cinco pasos

This is so true. Social media can be terrifying to small business owners, especially if there is no one willing to teach them how to use it. It's important the these people know that there are people willing to help them and that social media isn't as scary as they think it is.

Thank you, Danny, for your insight and helping to empower small business owners everywhere.

Tessa Carroll
www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com

What about finding the time? I think for most of my clients they struggle to make time to write well thought out blogs and make the most of social media.

As a resume writer, I have only experienced success from social media. Not just monetary business but what I've learned is priceless, and the time spent has paid for itself in knowledge.

Great article Danny. I think you touched on a very good point about the business owner's FEAR when they hear about the various social media tools. When teaching new clients about the power of social media we try to take away that fear and show them how powerful and yet simple it can be to use. Like anything else that is new, its a mindset change and once practiced and then seeing the benefits of the effort, it becomes part of their daily routine.
I think it is key to gently lead the way and help alleviate that fear.

Do what you fear most and you control fear.

Do these terrified business owners have conversations with suppliers, customers, and the like about their business face to face? Do they use email?

Social media is nothing more than a digital means to carry out those conversations online and hopefully reach a wider, more diverse community.

It's really that simple. Everything else is tools to have those conversations and people trying to come up with ways to measure the effects thereof.

Why are we so focused on measuring ROI on social media efforts anyway? Society is becoming more social online. Period. You can engage your customers where they are today (online), or you can play catch up next year.

:shrug

Right on Danny. I have been working with small businesses helping them create an integrated approach. Social Media poses some great opportunities for them with corresponding challenges. The biggest challenge is the time commitment. There is no doubt that there is both a learning curve and a time investment they have to make.
Many small business owners wear a lot of hats and their time is already stretched. We coach them that by applying a little wisdom, and some effort up front, with a mindset change of integrating social media into every day communication, they can actually free up time, increase customer satisfaction + increase business.

It is not free, but well crafted integration of social media into daily activities can and does produce fantastic results.
.-= Richard A Marti Jr´s most recent blog post ...“OGM My Blog is Gone” -Prevent the Panic =-.

Nice post, I am considering using social media for my business too, this post provided a lot of insights.
.-= Calvin´s most recent blog post ...How To Promote Your Business On Social Media =-.

Love the concept and have been evangelizing the value of social media for small and medium business for more than five years now. Some firms still don't understand that the days of placing a print ad or a TV ad or a Yellow Pages ad and sitting back waiting for the phone to ring are SO OVER!

We have been proselytizing for small and medium businesses to forget about getting their activities covered by the mainstream broadcast media, and instead focus on creating their own content in the form of video news "wrapper" reports. We cover the event just like a TV news crew, interview the client and participants, and then produce a video news report that can be distributed on websites, YouTube, other video platforms, and through social media networks. The value? Audiences already interested in your stories and content will be able to see them the way you want them seen.

Social media is not all about just Facebook and Twitter and blogs. Podcasting and video podcasting can be very cost-effective and useful tools.

Well, now, that's more like it. SM for small biz, like music to my ears, Danny.

I've been yelling "hyper-local" internet for biz for so long, I almost forgot some aren't aware yet. Yes, I'm looking forwards to the spread of hot tips for local small business via blogs, SM, and other tools. Always nice to eat local grown and fresh :-)
cheers.
Vince.

I always believe Youtube and Twitter is most easiest way to promote a product and need less technical effort. Usually it don't need anything more than a savvy effort and friendly mind to build a relationship chain with others and cash out that chain for business. Small business owner should aware of this and utilize the power of social media. Nicely described article Danny.
.-= Arafat Hossain Piyada´s most recent blog post ...Gmail now let you fetch POP accounts instantly & easily =-.

So true. Social media can be so helpful to small businesses and nonprofits. Social media is the current "It Girl" in public relations and marketing, but it might not be right for every organization. It is not a stand-alone solution to get your message out, but just one of many tactics to use in a smart and deliberate plan.