Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and many others have become incredible marketing resources for just about any business. Whether you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar venue, or one that exclusively conducts sales online, social media provides an opportunity for businesses to communicate directly with consumers- an invaluable resource for most any type of business. In this segment, we'll take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions we get about social media marketing.

Why should I use Social Media?

The simple answer is you’re missing out on a great deal of opportunity without it. Hundreds of millions of people log into their social media profiles on a daily basis. Facebook alone has a built-in audience of 1.4 billion people and counting. Social media provides an entirely new way for businesses to communicate to with customers, vendors and industry experts. It also has nearly unlimited opportunities for reaching new customers, finding new employees and developing business relationships within your industry.

As opposed to traditional forms of media, social networks help to facilitate a more personal form of communication between businesses and their audiences, helping to build up brand recognition and reputation on a more personable level.

Can’t user-generated content be harmful to my business?

It is important to realize that social media marketing is all about two-way conversations. Giving your audience the freedom to speak out and say what they want (within reason) is an important part of the process. Social media relies on user-generated content through different channels- from a simple blog comment to a full review. While feedback can be negative at times, these situations can usually lead to positive results if approached in the right manner. These situations also can provide valuable feedback about your products or services, which can be very beneficial to your company. At the end of the day, no matter how great of a business or product you have, someone will express dissatisfaction at some point. Social Media allows you the opportunity to make those situations right and share with the world that you were willing to do so.

Is Social Media suitable for B2B markets?

Since its rise to fame, social media marketing has largely been associated with B2C markets, but the social landscape continues to change rapidly. In fact, many argue that B2B opportunities on social media are greater than B2C opportunities. With an ever growing assortment of social platforms, each with their own unique features, finding a social strategy to meet your companies needs is no longer a difficult task. Many social platforms are specifically geared to the B2B market, such as LinkedIn. While the strategy and approach is a bit different for B2B markets, the opportunities that exist for B2B business in the social world is immense.

How do I know if its working?

One of the best things about Internet marketing of any kind is that it comes with a wealth of useful information that you can use to measure the performance of various areas of your advertising campaign. Social media is no exception to this rule. There are many useful tools, such as Google Analytics, for regularly generating reports. Individual social networks usually come with their own tools for measuring results, such as Facebook's Page Insights feature. However, for an even better look into the performance of your social marketing campaign, you can choose from a variety of both free and paid tools such as Moz Analytics.

Other useful tips include setting up a social engagement rating system and quantifying your company's social listening by using the search features provided on the social networks themselves. If this seems overwhelming, there are many service providers to help do the work for you. The bottom line is that social marketing is more trackable and measurable than just about any other source of traditional marketing. Not only is it trackable and measurable, the results are almost immediate, allowing you to make changes on the fly and constantly be analyzing your campaigns.

Which Social Media resources should I use?

While everyone's heard of the famed Facebook,Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn, there are many other social networks with their own niche. Socially orientated blogging is also valuable for both B2C and B2B markets. With all these choices, you first need to have a strategy and a purpose. Too many people dive in the social world without a plan, trying to be everywhere with no specific purpose, and that is a big mistake. Your first step should always be to identify what you would like to get in return for your social involvement and investment. If you're not the social guru, a simple consultation with someone familiar with the social world will be a great first step. Once they understand your business, its vision, and your goals, they can help strategize the best options that fit your needs. We always recommend clients to keep their social media simple and do it well.

I am regularly discussing business life, strategies, and decisions with other entrepreneurs. Whether you facing an existing obstacle, or perhaps an ongoing concern, sometimes an outside viewpoint that otherwise may not have been considered may be the difference of where your company will be headed tomorrow. The approaches to making decisions and strategizing your business is almost unlimited. If you would like further ideas or guidance, feel free to contact Jim Schmitz for additional information by submitting this contact form. Jim will be in contact with you promptly.

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