Small Business Online Marketing Concepts

Small Business Internet Lingo

Online Marketing has become a prominent part of the advertising industry these days.   This is obviously because people are spending a big part of their time on a daily basis on the Internet.   Since that’s where the people are, than obviously that’s where Small Businesses need to target their marketing resources and strategies.  The beauty of this new form of marketing is, they’re open online communities for you to do what you want and get your message across to the Social Media constituents.  No, there’s no textbook or quick guide book that will assist you in these programs.  You just have hundreds, if not thousands of Internet journalistic opinion on best practices, and more importantly statistical analytics to influence your decision making on these Social Media Platforms.

Once you learn to operate these platforms to deliver your Small Business message, don’t think you can put your feet up and ride the wave.  They are not like a bike.  You need to constantly continue to read, learn, and listen to other professionals in the Social Media Industry, Advertising Industry, and also business competitors of your business to make sure you are not falling behind.  These very dynamic platforms on the Internet do not seem to be slowing down their development and growth, and so your business needs to continue to learn, and adapt along with them.  Or else you’ll find yourself falling behind, and seeing your competitors stepping all over your virtual business turf. (more…)

Social Media Nation States On The Internet

Small Business Principles On Social Media

The small businesses in America have been transitioning into online marketing at a good pace in recent years.  It is expected for small businesses to have a Facebook page, Twitter Account, and even a Pinterest account.  But as these platforms develop competition for eyeballs, bigger businesses come in and dominate, pushing small business owners aside.  It is very difficult for small business owners to know the affect and results of their small campaigns, and how much effort or resources should be allocated to these marketing platform strategies.

Social Media has become a must have for all businesses, large or small.  But each platform needs to be treated as its own community of individuals.  I think a perfect analogy would be to compare these Social Media platforms to countries.  For example, you don’t go to France from the United States and expect the French people to speak English, and even if they do speak English, you don’t expect your lexicon of cultural language to be understood in France, do you?  Let alone, if you’re trying to conduct business in that foreign country.

I look at all the Social Media networks the same way.  A business owner needs to communicate in those channels of communication in a way that will resonate with its constituents.  If not, the users of the particular Social Media network you are trying to communicate in will ignore your message, resulting in all your work and effort gone to waste.  This can be a really big problem to a small business owner with little help and small resources to efficiently enact a Social Media marketing strategy with successful results.  I’m not going to lay out marketing strategies for your small business in this particular blog, but I do want to get an overall principle across to you, on how to view or perceive these Social Media platforms.

Social Medium First, Not Media

Focus on one particular platform that you understand, and more importantly, that you believe through analytical research meets the demo-graphical audience for your business.  For example, if you know that 80% of Pinterest users are female, and you own a hunting business, where three quarters of your customers are male, what are you doing spending time and resources on a Pinterest strategy which will not be seen by your male customers.  A good way to find the ideal Social Media platform for your audience is to simply ask when they come in to your store.  With a little effort and time, you’ll know very quickly where your customers reside online.

By Focusing on one platform and establishing your message in that particular channel of communication you will gain experience, information, and knowledge on your next platform to begin marketingg on and expand your Business’ Social Media strategy.  Take it slow, and don’t expect business results right away, you need to oil up the engine and work out its kinks before you can expect to be taken serious by the constituents of the Social Media network in which you are trying to communicate your message.

Social Media First Impressions

Do not look at Social Media as a static business card; where you can design it, launch it, and give it up to someone to manage it or distribute it.  If you have someone managing the Social Media platform, monitor the channel very carefully and make sure it stays on message.  Obviously this is easier if you can do it yourself, but you may not have time, and you’ll need an employee to manage this for the business.   You’ll need to stay close and make sure every piece of communication stays on brand and delivers the message you desire.

These are very dynamic platforms, so monitor these channels to make sure any disgruntled customer or negative personal comment on your channel is resolved quickly.  By monitoring these events you’ll make sure that your employee, or you can handle and manage any issue that can arise.

So if there’s anything I want you to take away from this blog, would be these two key principles; don’t try to do too much, and stay close to the Social Media channel which you begin your marketing strategy.  These are very small steps that any small business owner can take to start their online presence right away.  Just remember, do not speak Facebook with a Twitter, or  Twitter with a Pinterest.