Social Media Made Simple

Find social media a mystery? What does it all mean? What's in it for me as a business owner? Here is a very nice quick video that puts things into perspective on how social media should be viewed from a small business owners perspective. Watch the video and then let me know what you think.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gza8dvN8Hkc&NR=1

Here's another one that puts it into perspective...

http://www.youtube.com/user/UpsideDownIceberg#p/u/3/DEvAlylWSQI

Upon reflection and recap of what you just saw, the following is a short "crow's" eye view of what it all means....

What are the sources of your online presence?

1. Website (your URL)
2. Directory Services (Google Business, Yahoo, Twellow, etc)
3. Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace, etc…etc)
4. Blogging (Blogger, Wordpress, etc)
5. Centralized community networks (Ning, Local Crow, Merchant Circle, Local media websites)
   

Choosing the correct strategy. First you need to answer a few questions.

• Define your target demographic.
• Where are your customers?
• Define your marketing goals.
• Do I use sales, events, or value of products to bring in customers?
• Do you want to drive new customers through the door?
• Do I need to build a relationship with existing customers?
• Do I need feedback from my customers?
• Information time sensitive?
• Desired customer interaction?
• Pushing FAQ’s to save time?
• Customer Service?
• Education for customers?
• Need visual integration?
• Personal relationships with customers?
• Referral expansion?
• Searchable for expanded exposure
• Real time info?
• Need a rapid reaction?
• Improved SEO?
• Fast viral message?
• Recruit new customers?
• Do I need to be found?
• Fast to the spotlight?
• Event or promotion based?

Choosing the correct tool for you and your business:

• Facebook – gen-X, education, customer service, relationship building with customers, complete customer facing, slow viral strategy
• Twitter – business savvy, summary, fast viral strategy, rapid reaction, improve SEO, drives traffic back to you
• LinkedIn – Business to business, business relationships
• Website – searchable if SEO is employed
• Ning – create your own “community”
• Directory services – searchable for destination audience
• Blogging – Engaging the audience, education, persuade audience, become subject matter expert
• Local Crow - Searchable, integration with own website, customer interaction, customer notifications, viral, community focused, event and promotion based, local focus.
• Is there an integration method or strategy available if several tools are selected?
• Does each tool have a separate strategy or will you be using the same message?

Problems with social media:

• Destination sites offer limited exposure to predefined audience.
• Mostly limited to existing customers.
• Often not searchable for unknown customers.
• Often not localized to a location or region.
• Information delivery is one time shot.

Challenges with online presence:

• How do you engage the customers?
• How do you expand your visibility through customer interaction?
• How do you create new customer visibility?
• Viral strategy?

KISS:

• Get back to the basics – your website. Drive traffic back to you!
• Pick a social media tool that interacts with your existing customer base to gain trust.
• Gain referral support through business relationships and customer support and loyalty.
• Use automated referral based tools....Create a community of trusted "partners", share exposure, become the expert in your field.
• Don't get caught up in the hype of social media! It's not that hard and it doesn't take a highly paid "social media" marketing firm to make it happen for you! You are the source of the information so just take the time to write it down...preferably once!

The world is being consumed with information, communities are become deluged with big box stores, and the intimacy of local communities are being swallowed up. The future of our communities rest in the hands of small businesses who band together and create a large voice together. Diversity and intimacy is on it's way back and communities will embrace the refreshing air of knowing their neighbor again!