As a small business owner, you can’t afford not to explore the social media space because over the last ten years there has been a significant shift in the way people access information about you and your business. The Internet has forever changed the way we communicate, the way we buy and the way we interact with content and other people. It has made the whole world into a networked marketplace and what truly makes it different from any other form of communication is that users are now actively looking for information about you – they are starting the communication cycles.

Did you know that it’s something like 70% of all Internet users are finding their news about a company or product online? Tapping into this qualified audience just makes good marketing sense. Social media, networking and bookmarking is allowing your customers to inter-connect like never before and share both good and bad information about your business.

 

With this shift in media consumption, your online visibility and brand perception should be an integral component of your overall marketing mix. Small businesses need to become more proactive in monitoring their Internet presence because with new social media tools, every person online is potentially a writer and influencer regarding your product or service. With that said, below is some of what we believe are the top social media sites to help you get involved. The trick is to navigate through the clutter and find the ones that will work best for you.

Twitter
It’s hard to turn a corner these days without hearing about Twitter and its impact on businesses and social media. Twitter is about conversation. It’s about finding people talking about you and what you sell and engaging them in conversation because they are your business influencers. One of the most underutilized aspects of Twitter for most business owners is the Advanced Search feature that allows you to search for specific keywords around a particular zip code. It gives you the power to address complaints head on, answer any consumer questions and create an awareness of your brand in your specific city. For example, say you own a boutique wine shop and you’re looking for new wine club members. You can perform a search for “wine near: 33021 within 25” and find people 25 miles outside of Hollywood, FL who are talking about wine.

Yahoo Answers
There are quite a bit of question & answer sites out there, but Yahoo Answers stands out because of its large contributor base and its ability to put you in contact with people who are asking the question specific to your location. For example, there might be gentleman in Denver looking for print and digital copy services, or someone in San Antonio who is trying to find out about the best salad restaurant in his town. These are opportunities for a small business owner to reach out and respond directly to a targeted customer’s request. You just have to get out there and do it. Yahoo Answers is also valuable because you can brand yourself as an expert source in your community by answering questions relevant to your business category.

Blog
A blog is a differentiator between you and your competition. It not only acts as a customer information and educational tool, but also encourages customers to interact with you. It puts a human voice to your business and allows you to become more intertwined with the online community. A corporate blog will allow you to proactively participate in conversations and affords you the chance to interact more with other blogs and websites. This flexibility to interact in the wider online customer community means additional benefits in the areas of higher search engine rankings and exposure to new audiences. In addition, a blog can serve as an excellent crisis management tool as well. A blog is your space to show your customers who you are and to listen to them on a more personal level. There are a number of blog platforms to get you started including Wordpress and Google’s Blogger, among others.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social networking site that exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. LinkedIn is an interconnected network of more than 36 million experienced professionals from around the world where you can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you can work with to accomplish your goals. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional expertise and accomplishments. You can then form enduring connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you. Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts. Through your network, you can find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and subject experts who come recommended to you. You can also collaborate on projects, gather data, share files, answer questions, find new business opportunities and solve problems, among other options.

Social media remains a cost effective way for many small businesses to reach out and interact with their customers. It will allow you to create more targeted, more manageable online communities that can help convert sales both online and off. The trick is not to try and be everywhere, but instead to be where your customers are.