Small Business and the Benefits of Social Media

I read an article this past Monday (Aug. 8, 2011) on HubSpot’s blog entitled, 64% of Small Businesses Don’t Consider Social Media Important. I was shocked to see such a large number felt that social media either:

• Wasn’t necessary to their success
• Didn’t know enough about it
• Had no opinion at all

The article, written by Pamela Vaughan, goes on to note that 50% of those surveyed noted that word-of-mouth recommendations was absolutely essential to their business. She points out the obvious disconnect – if word-of-mouth is so important to the business and you couldn’t live without out, why are you not involved in social media??

Read the article for Pamela’s tips on how social media improves word-of-mouth marketing.

Here’s my story about social media. I’m heavily involved in social media -I couldn’t live without for my small business. Through social media I have been able to do significant branding and marketing of my business. Without social media’s reach, I couldn’t connect with such a large network of other businesses and individuals. Social media also enables me to share my knowledge and expertise with others through participating in discussions and other conversations happening. It also enables me to keep track of what’s important to those clients I serve in my business and to let them know what I see happening within their industry from my perspective.

I was talking with another small business owner the other day who told me she was finding it hard to keep up with social media. Meaning – how do you find the time to interact on social media channels every day? And, without a doubt, it is an everyday job. Much like blocking time to work on client projects, reach out to potential new clients, and manage the operations of my business, I also block out time to interact on social media. Consider it marketing for your business – because that is what it is. Just as you take time to reach out to potential customers for your business, manage projects with current customers, and pay your bills, take the time to market your business – there’s no better “word-of-mouth” marketing than through social media. Interact with others and get them sharing information about you and your business. You’ll find the effort you put into it will pay off! It’s worked wonders for my business!

By the way, the article also enables you to download a free eBook: 99 Tools to Help You Generate Leads with Social Media. Go ahead and check it out and get started today!