Ok, so I know what you’re thinking…. Social Media is for large companies and celebrities. Well you could be excused for thinking that.
Starbucks has now surpassed 10 million Facebook Fans, whilst Britney Spears now tops the list of Tweeters with more than 5 million followers. Put that into perspective and if you were to look at their fans and followers as a country’s population, then Starbucks would be in the top 100 countries ahead of a country like Sweden, and Britney would outrank countries like Norway and Ireland. The way we interact has changed and it will continue to evolve.
As a small business you are not expected to reach these astronomical numbers for social media and social networking to be an effective business tool. For the last few decades we have been broadcasted the information, from television to radio and newspapers. In moving forward however, we will seek to find the information for ourselves via online research, comparing products at the click of a mouse and reading reviews of others. This is where it is truly interesting, before the broadcasting technology we relied on sharing information and this is where we are heading. We place much more value in the opinions of friends and other online users than we do of television commercials and newspaper advertisements.
This is where a small business can find benefit as they look to grow their business in a changing environment. If you do not adapt then the chances are your competitor down the road is and you will be left behind. Remember the introduction of the Eftpos facility, can you possibly imagine trying to ignore that? Creating a social presence on the web is about creating communities around your business. The community is more than a promotional tool, as consumers we expect honest and engaging dialogue. We do not want nor seek the hard sell. We want to hear others opinions. Here are a few tips as you seek to create your social presence:
Be Honest - As noted the current consumer is seeking the opinions of friends and other online reviews. We are doing this because we want honest opinions and not the opinion being pushed by the business. So welcome feedback, both positive and negative and make changes appropriately. Do not seek to censor your Facebook page, fans will recognise it and drop you as fast as they joined.
Seek Engagement - Ask opinions, are you selling products that nobody wants? Are there any products that your fans would like to see you selling? But if you are going to ask, listen.
Listen - If you listen they will respect you. No matter the campaign, we are always told to target the consumer and not your ideas of who your consumers are. So listen. That next opinion may be the one that changes the success of your business forever.
Don’t Drain Them - Facebook status updates and Tweets need to be delivered in a timely manner. Every day is going to be too much for most people and they will leave your social community. Leaving your pages stagnate for two months is not worth their effort and indicates to the consumer that you are not interested.
Provide Incentive - As a consumer we seek some form of incentive to be a part of your community. Whether that comes in the form of networking with other likeminded people, providing insight into our favourite store or being provided with opportunities to win prizes and/or be provided with exclusive discounts. Be careful not to buy your friends.
Promote - Once you have your online presence then promote it. Talk to your customers, include it in your advertising. Do not just assume that people will search for you.
Analyse - One of the great benefits of the social media tools is the analysis component. You can track just about anything. Are your fans female or male? Are they Gen Y’s or are they Baby Boomers? Where are they coming from?
Where do you start? If you do not already have a website, then get one. Make sure it is functional and make sure it is professional. In an environment where we as consumers look online to research before going to a store, your website is now often our first point of contact with your business. We all know first impressions last more so than not. Before you say, ‘I can’t afford a website Think about whether you can afford NOT to have a website. If you still come to the conclusion that you can’t afford a website then I strongly encourage you to start up a Facebook Fan Page.
If you have a website then you may want to look at the key social media tools:
Facebook - It has more than 400 million members worldwide, third only to China and India. One might assume that it’s for the youngsters, no, Facebook’s fastest growing segment is Females aged between 55-65. Excluding your time, a Facebook Fan page is completely free. Publish photos of your business and products, highlight your trading hours, provide a link to your website, upload product reviews and much more. Encourage your friends to join and once you reach 25 fans you can claim the domain facebook.com/yourbusiness which will make promotion far more effective.
Twitter - Each Tweet you place is limited to 140 characters but can provide a link to a web page. It may not be for every small business. However there has been success for small businesses where consumers like to post tweets looking for a particular product or like to be kept up to date with short, sharp product news.
Youtube - In particular Youtube is a useful tool for those specific and unique small businesses. For example if you stock products that are hard to find or people are consistently looking for information on, then film short informative videos and upload them to Youtube. People will find your videos to research the specific products and it is at that stage that they contact you to purchase. The Youtube videos can then be linked to both Facebook and Twitter.
Foursquare - Gaining popularity but still in its infancy state in Australia. With the sharp rise of smartphones like Apple’s Iphone and a host of other products all GPS enabled, location-based technologies like Foursquare will become more prominent. Foursquare allows users to identify businesses within close proximity and ‘Check-In’. By checking in to different businesses they collect points that accumulate rewards and those with the most check-ins at a venue will become Mayor of that venue. So what is the benefit for you as a small business? Well consumers can check in to your business and leave tips, then when the next person is in the area and notices your venue and the associated tips, they may make the decision to enter your store instead of your competitor. Another opportunity for small business is to reward people who check-in, for example you can provide a free coffee to the person that demonstrates they are Mayor, or alternatively provide a free coffee to every 20th person to check-in.
It can be daunting but don’t think that the opportunity will be lost on those who are not technology-capable. Once set-up anyone can effectively utilise these online social tools to improve your small business, generate increased sales and reduce ineffective advertising.
For more information or assistance on Social Media for your small business please feel free to contact me anytime at the following:
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