47 Percent of SMBs Still Not Using Social Media. Oy. Hiscox, a small business insurance company, recently published a survey of 304 small business leaders to find out more about their social media use. Somewhat shockingly (at least to me), only 12 percent of respondents described social media promotion as a “must” for their businesses, with 47 percent of SMBs admitting that they still don’t use social media at all for business purposes.
However, they are still hooked on word of mouth marketing, with 50 percent of SMBs saying they couldn’t live without it. Hmm, I guess social media, that place where people sign on to talk about your business, doesn’t count as “word of mouth marketing.” For those who do use social media, 19 percent say Facebook is their platform of choice, 15 percent prefer LinkedIn and just 4 percent are hooked on Twitter. Buy why aren’t more business owners hopping on the social media bandwagon? That sound you just heard? And that really is the most important component – making time. But that does take a time investment. 7 Steps To Finding Time for Social Media. When dealing with small businesses and pitching them on a strategic Social Media presence, I find that the business owners and managers are usually on board until they start thinking about the time that it will take.
If they could punch in, spend five minutes first thing in the morning on social, punch out and then move on to other tasks, then they’d be OK with it. But regular, ongoing engagement? That’s where I lose them. But I don’t have time for Social Media! This discussion arose last week on Shonali’s blog, in a post written by Shakirah Dawud called The Business Lie About Free DIY. In the comments a few of us talked about businesses that are quick to reach for the “But I don’t have the time” argument, almost as quickly as they reach for “But I can’t afford it”. And to be honest, the two are very closely related, both mentally, and in reality. So you say you don’t have time to create and manage a strong social media presence?
Do you have the proper mindset? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Tweet Right With These Social Media Tips | The Small Business Authority | Small Business Services and Small Business Solutions. Principles for Social Media and Business Social media isn’t a silver bullet. It’s not even necessarily a smart place to put tons of your business resources. Here’s what social media is: a cheap and personal way to connect with a slice of your customer base. That’s it. When done well, social-media networking can be an innovative, low-cost way to connect with customers, engage them in a conversation, and develop their loyalty. 1. Socialnomics1 has a handy updated list of social media and the number of users. 2. Neal Rodriguez wrote an excellent primer on SEO for the Forbes3 blog, and he included links to Google tools to help get you started. The best thing you can do for your business is pick two or three keywords relevant to your business and use them as often as you can on your site and in your social media.
Just like with your audience, the more quality content you give Google, the more love you’ll get in return. 3. 4. Also, remember to share other friends’ and followers’ information. Could Your Small Business Survive Without Social Media? Think your small business doesn't need social media? Here's why you need to join the conversation. August 23, 2011 Could your business survive without social media?
If the answer is “No,” you’ll be just as surprised as I was to discover that in a recent survey by small business insurance provider Hiscox, a mere 12 percent of small business owners surveyed described social media as a “must.” In comparison, a whopping 50 percent said word-of-mouth was essential to their businesses. These two figures reveal a strange disconnect. Aren’t “social media” and “word-of-mouth” pretty much the same thing? Word-of-mouth has always been a major marketing tool for small companies.
Many times, small, well-established companies that rely on a local clientele—such as retailers, restaurants or service providers—are the ones that scoff at the idea of social media, saying they “don’t have time” or their customers wouldn’t care. Consider the power of social media if you’re a bar or restaurant owner. Successful small businesses need social media. "It doesn't matter if you are a small mom and pop, or large business, it's important to have a presence in the social media world," said Denver-based Eric Bengston, general manager of Swift Social Marketing.... Bengston was in Grass Valley last week meeting with several local business owners hoping to use social media to their advantage.
He's been working with The Union's team of business (The Union's parent company, Swift Communications, Inc. owns Swift Digital) consultants as it looks to develop more solutions for our local business community. "Over 146 years of business, The Union has developed a great relationship in its business community," said Bengston. "That relationship is based on trust and our company provides a social media package that will allow any business to have as large a presence as the top national brands like Coke or Ford. " There are two parts to that social media program, according to Bengston. Social media extends beyond a business website. Email Marketing vs Social Media Marketing (Live Twitter Chat on Thursday) With the huge rise in social media you might be wondering what is best for your business – traditional email marketing (that you have hopefully been doing for years) or social media marketing (that you and others are beginning to do more and more).
Well tomorrow (Thursday) and on the occasion of the Small Business Influencer Awards , September 8 at 7pm (EST) join Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) of Small Business Trends and myself ( @ramonray) and all of you in an existing live Twitter chat on this topic. We’re happy that Joe Manna (@JoeManna), Community Manager of Infusionsoft (@Infusionsoft), will be moderating and hosting the chat. How to Participate. What Does Google+ Mean For Small Businesses? With the recent launch of Google+, there has been considerable focus paid to debating the merits of Google+ vs. Facebook. However, beyond direct comparison of apples and oranges, there’s a bigger story at play here for Google+. Since its start in 1998, Google has been building and amassing an entire universe of web tools. From email and calendars to Google Docs, advertising, payment processing, site analytics, mobile, and third party apps for everything in between, the ‘Google Universe’ now offers a complete hub for its users.
The missing piece in this Google Universe has always been social…until now. What does Google+ mean for the small businesses? Google Apps Marketplace and Google’s Chrome Web Store are extensive marketplaces for web applications that host everything from accounting to project management applications, CRM to full blow ERP applications. Google+ has the potential to become the feed or conversation manager for all the apps that are managing activity inside of a business. What Small Business Can Learn from The Joy Formidable about Social Media Marketing. I don’t blog much about music, but I did have an experience some time ago with a then independent alternative rock band from Wales in the United Kingdom called The Joy Formidable. A good friend of mine had downloaded their CD (more details on that below) and convinced me to go see them live; in other words, I made a buying decision based on a friend’s recommendation and the ability to also “try out” their product, which in this case was listening to their music.
A small, independent band trying to sell their music is very similar to a small business marketing their products and services, vying for the attention of the ears of hundreds of millions of consumers in an extremely competitive space. The Joy Formidable, while not a household name yet, was able to climb above the competition and sign a record deal with a major label. 1. Related Resources from B2C» Free Webcast: Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products 2.
Let’s fast forward to the actual concert that I attended last year. 3. Small Business Influence and Technology Review. How does your small business use its influence and technology to grow and carve out a unique niche in your market? What could this teach other small business owners about being similarly successful? This review looks at tools small businesses possess to influence and create better opportunities for themselves. We hope you will offer your own suggestions below. News SBA pitches small biz ideas to the White House. Strategy Developing Website Content to Meet Your Goals. Tech Technology–helping the small get bigger. Finance Many small business owners unaware of total costs of expenses. Tips How good is your idea? How Your Business Can Thrive In Any Economy. Management What every small business needs to know about being a sponsor. Cybersecurity and the Internet small business. Trends Do you have a social media mission statement?
Less entrepreneurship than there used to be? Adult Use of Social Media Soars - In Charge. If your small business doesn’t yet have a Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or Twitter feed, a recent study may persuade you to finally join the social-media bandwagon. Sixty-five percent of all U.S. adults now use social-networking sites, up from 61% a year ago and just 5% in 2005, reports Pew Research Center. The findings are based on telephone interviews conducted in April and May by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Most of the growth over the past year came from Americans over the age of 30, with seniors accounting for the bulk of it. One-third of adults ages 65 and older say they now use social-networking sites, compared with 26% who said this a year ago.
Still, young folks between 18 and 29 years old remain the overall biggest group tapping social networks today, accounting for 83% of the total. On a typical day, 43% of U.S. adults said they visit sites like Facebook and Twitter, up from 38% a year ago, the survey finds. Twitter Training: The World Tour of TweetDeck For Business | The World Tour Of TweetDeck For Business In this Twitter Training Webinar you will learn all the options and opportunities to manage, monitor and prospect efficiently online with TweetDeck. Included are five power tips that will help take your prospecting effectiveness to the next level.
Anyone serious about promoting their business through social media needs to be using Twitter. And TweetDeck is one of only two tools on the market (the other is HootSuite) that allow you to make sense of not only the raging river of tweets that happen each and every day, but also to manage your other social media activity on places like Facebook. What You Will Learn Getting Started With TweetDeckUser InteractionsAdding AccountsAdding & Managing Columns (prospecting)Sending Tweets (linking, attachments, scheduling)Tools & SettingsTweetDeck MobileTweetDeck for the Chrome BrowserFive TweetDeck Power Tips Helpful Links The total duration of this Webinar is a little bit over 50 minutes. How to Develop a Comprehensive Social Media Marketing Plan | Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur. You may get weary of hearing the question: "do you have a social media marketing plan for your small business?
" However, the question is asked frequently because it is important and many small business owners do not give the proper priority to answering or fulfilling it. Social media should not be your only small business marketing outlet. Nor should you ignore the potential of social media marketing. The reasons to consider developing a social media plan for your small business are extensive and include: So how do you formulate a proper and useful social media plan for your small business?
Here is our recommended outline: Define Your Small Business Marketing Profile Start with your own small business profile. What type of business are you (i.e. retailer, manufacturer, professional services)? Set Overall Goals Next, define the overall goals you want to achieve through social media. Outline Your Target Market Profile In this section, you will want to describe your general customer. Social Media Management Tools Keep Updating: So Be Informed.
18 Reasons to Use Social Media. Social media is not the end-all, be-all of your business. It’s not the magic bullet that will allow you to take a struggling business to the height of success simply by claiming your Twitter account. But what social media can do is make you a better company by allowing you to listen, react and build faster and more efficiently than ever before. Below you’ll find 18 quick reasons that your SMB may want to get involved in social media. These are the benefits you can achieve faster in social media than most other mediums. Is this a complete list? Not by a long shot. But perhaps it will demonstrate the power of these channels and why social media is far more than simply “playing on your computer.” What can your business achieve through social media? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Those are just a handful of ways that social media can help your business.
How do you use social media?