Tips for Small Businesses to
Use Social Media
Microsoft and marketing
expert John Jantsch are offering advice to small business units for
using social media to achieve business growth. A free e-book, which is
available for download, will explain the use of social media tools.
John Jantsch and Microsoft
Office Live Small Business have created a free eBook. It’s titled "Let's
Talk: Social Media for Small Businesses."
Here are the tips that the
book offers:
Web site. Social
media tools can enhance and extend a small business's Web presence and
ultimately drive more visitors back to its Web site. If the business
already has Web site, its content should be up to date and give visitors
a clear call to action, such as who to contact or how to get more
information. If the business doesn't have a Web site, tools such as
Office Live Small Business (http://www.smallbusiness.officelive.com/)
can help get one started for free.
Blogging. Blogging is
the doorway to other social marketing and where businesses can likely
get return for the time invested. Why? Because search engines love blog
content. Creating frequent, keyword-rich posts can help a business show
up more frequently in search results, as well as convey the personality
behind the business. A business can provide a range of content such as
tips and information on its products and services, industry trends,
customer profiles and more. Customers can then comment, allowing
businesses to engage them in conversation and deepen relationships.
Online Reputation.
Businesses should monitor sites where customers could potentially post
reviews about the business. Reviews on sites such as Yelp, Citysearch,
Insider Pages and others often influence people who are researching
businesses in their local area. Have a happy customer? Suggest they post
a review online. Businesses can use negative reviews to their advantage
by using them to gain valuable intelligence into why customers are
dissatisfied. By joining the conversation, a business can communicate
that customer feedback and satisfaction are important and that it is
working to address any problems.
RSS. RSS can be
thought of as two-way plumbing -- it allows users to push and pull
information out and in from multiple places. For example, a business can
publish content on its blog and have it automatically appear on its
Twitter and Facebook accounts. Businesses can consolidate feeds from
multiple blogs, as well as feeds that automatically search for mentions
of the business onto one page for easy scanning via an RSS reader. Doing
this saves time and helps track the information needed to stay
competitive.
Networking. If the
business is not expanding its social network, it needs to be. The more
people that know and hear about the business, the more they can
recommend it to others. Social networking sites such as Facebook and
LinkedIn are tools to expand contacts and customer lists. They allow
users to create groups that interested customers can join to receive the
latest updates about a business. Businesses can also join groups that
will allow them to connect with colleagues in their industry, as well as
network with potential new customers.
Experiment. Social
media is constantly evolving, and there is no telling what the hot tool
of tomorrow will be. Businesses should experiment with new social media
tools, but focus on a single objective (like networking with others,
monitoring what's being said about the business or extending the reach
of thought leadership) to see how effective the tool is at achieving
that objective. Not every social media tool will be right for every
business, so businesses should make sure to prioritize time accordingly.
Microsoft informs that the
eBook, "Let's Talk: Social Media for Small Businesses," carrying
detailed strategies, case studies, and practical guidance, is available
for download at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/socialmedia/.
John Jantsch is a marketing
and digital technology coach who specializes in working with small
businesses.
Photo courtesy: Microsoft
