SMM for SMBs: Five Tips to Get You Started

• Nov 13th, 2009
• Posted by Ron Schott
• Posted in Facebook, Good Ideas, Social Media Business Models

In a recent article, the NYT outlined the ways small businesses are using Facebook to bolster business in a time when every dollar counts and each invoice can make or break these businesses that are, essentially, the backbone of the American economy.

Now, there are many out there that will charge $5,000 or more to simply set up a Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace page for your business that is guaranteed (in their words at least) to increase sales and generally turn the world into unicorns and rainbows. By taking a holistic approach to your social media campaigns and looking at the long-tail effects, you’ll ultimately bring more of that magical “ROI” everyone keeps talking about. We always tell our friends that they need a data and a plan if they want to be successful in social media – and we stand behind that.

To help out our SMB friends, we came up with five tips for the small business to think about when they start using social media:

1. Free doesn’t mean it won’t cost you anything – While it’s free to start a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter account and many other social networking accounts the cost isn’t incurred when starting these properties. Creating and maintaining a presence on these sites can become a time-consuming task. When your time is money you need to think about how much time you can devote to these tasks and how much you expect to gain in return and find the happy medium.

2. Target, analyze, repeat – Facebook engagement ads offer a relatively easy way for small businesses to target their ads. Geographically specific targeting might not yield a high number of impressions, but if you’re a fly fishing company in eastern Washington, you can focus on winning the hearts and reels of your target audience. These ads’ simplicity also allows for easy A/B testing that helps you maximize your dollars.

3. Social media presence doesn’t make up for bad customer service – Social media sites aren’t a replacement for good products and great service. While having a presence in the social space can allow you to monitor and even provide a place for discussion about your brand, your online presence needs to amplify the values of your company, not act in place of them.

4. You can’t please everyone – The social Web isn’t a nice-fest, that’s for sure. You can expect to see some comments and feedback that isn’t represented on your in-store comment cards – that’s OK. Use everything you get back from your online experiences to change the way your company acts in the real world. You’ll be glad for that feedback when your customers keep coming through your door.

5. Make friends – Small businesses on the social Web can create a mighty thunder when they team up with friends and like-minded companies. Mutual referrals and post-trading make for a better ecosystem and can only help in the long run. It’s like the chamber of commerce in the digital space, but without the awkward brunches.

Those are just a few of our tips, but we’re always willing to hear more. What would you say to the small and medium business owners looking to get into social media?