3 Reasons To Use Social Media for Your Small Business

Social Media is to small business what the Web was when it was new. It took a long while for small businesses to realize the importance of having a Web site. Heck, some of you still aren't there!

But make no mistake. Social Media is here to stay and is greatly influencing the way we do things in business and in our personal lives. And the rapidity with which it's being adopted is staggering. The Web evolved slowly, but Social Media is happening at a much greater speed. It's transforming the Web; it's part of the landscape. You will not have the luxury to "wait and see". The time to implement is NOW.

E-commerce has gone social too. Gone are the days of private, online shopping. Nearly 1/2 of all Americans are members of at least one social network. 59% of consumers rated personal advice from friends as the most influential source of information for their purchase decisions.

Consider these statistics about Social Media:

• Nearly 72% of the Web audience in the U.S. is on Facebook. 44% of those using Facebook "share" things with their friends.
  
• 33.3% of the U.S. is using Twitter and of that 33.3%, 75% of the Tweets come from third-party applications such as a Mobile device. So we're socializing on the go! (Interestingly, the most activity happening on Twitter is on Thursdays and Fridays between the hour of 10PM and 11PM.)
  
• YouTube views exceed 2 billion per day! That's nearly double the prime-time audience of all 3 major U.S. broadcast networks combined. "The most-watched YouTube videos of 2010 reflect the people, places and events that captured our attention and imagination throughout the year," said Mia Quagliarello, YouTube Community Manager.

 Source: DigitalBuzzDaily, SocialMediaToday, MediaPost

 The top 3 reasons to use social media in your small business:

1. Your competitor's surely are!
2. Your customers are already engaging in some form of it
3. You're leaving money on the table if you don't implement some way of communicating with your customers via a social network

But how do I use it for my small business? Listen to your customers so you know where they are spending their 'social' time. Here are some ideas of how you might engage them. 

Use it:

• to develop relationships. People buy from people, not businesses.
• to announce specials, coupons, sales, or savings opportunities.
• as a means to respond to customer service questions or problems.
• to share things that can educate your customer about your products or services.
• to give something away free that they need to redeem at your place of business.
• to perform research about what your customers want or expect from your business.
• to promote events, meetings or shows.

There really is no wrong or right way. Think outside the box and try something today! 

Let me know the results by coming back here and leaving a comment. Your succes may just inspire an idea for someone else!

Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. Until next time.

Ciao for now, Paula