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While you will hear a lot of buzz regarding the use of social media to market your small business, that is not the place to start. Instead, so-called e-blasts or email newsletters are far and away your most effective tool. By whatever means possible, start aggressively collecting customer and prospect email addresses. Some offer a discount on a purchase, some collect business cards for a monthly prize raffle, some require an email address to download files from a website, just get them any way that you can.
In practice, you will find that you need to use an email service to assure compliance with the anti-spam laws as well as being able to conveniently sending hundreds of emails with a single OK click. If you've never tried to do so, you will find that your normal email provider will not allow that. ConstantContact is the most well known service, but I recommend small businesses start with MailChimp, because the latter is free for lists with less than 2000 email addresses. These services all provide easy-to-use templates to produce good-looking and effective emails.
The overwhelming benefit of emails as a marketing tool is the specific feedback that they provide regarding the interests of your customers. These services provide you reports with specific information regarding precisely who clicked on which link contained in each email. This uniquely enables you to tailor feedback tied to those interests. For example, you might subsequently offer a 20% discount on a red dress, but only to those who you know are already interested because they'd clicked on a link previously, thus avoiding the need to expose yourself to such a discount for your entire customer base.
In practice, you will find that you need to use an email service to assure compliance with the anti-spam laws as well as being able to conveniently sending hundreds of emails with a single OK click. If you've never tried to do so, you will find that your normal email provider will not allow that. ConstantContact is the most well known service, but I recommend small businesses start with MailChimp, because the latter is free for lists with less than 2000 email addresses. These services all provide easy-to-use templates to produce good-looking and effective emails.
The overwhelming benefit of emails as a marketing tool is the specific feedback that they provide regarding the interests of your customers. These services provide you reports with specific information regarding precisely who clicked on which link contained in each email. This uniquely enables you to tailor feedback tied to those interests. For example, you might subsequently offer a 20% discount on a red dress, but only to those who you know are already interested because they'd clicked on a link previously, thus avoiding the need to expose yourself to such a discount for your entire customer base.
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Be careful. Do not create a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other voluntary social media business page unless you have got the time and personality to create content in a timely manner. Twitter users expect at least a same-day response, desirably faster. Facebook users that have been kind enough to "like" your business expect helpful postings at least weekly. You might be able to keep them involved and propagating your postings if the posts are truly helpful, substantial, and at least monthly. Anything less frequent will lead them to assume that your business is not doing well and/or that you don't really have the time to bother with them. Even worse, new potential customers will likewise conclude that your business is not doing well.
Things can get even worse with reviews on the myriad local search engines. Sometimes no response is best if you have the personality that is inclined to argue or become offended. However, if you have the personality that allows some consideration to be offered, a timely response is even better. Timeliness is the key, e.g., responding weeks later unfortunately implies more about your indifference than anything you could write in a response.
Things can get even worse with reviews on the myriad local search engines. Sometimes no response is best if you have the personality that is inclined to argue or become offended. However, if you have the personality that allows some consideration to be offered, a timely response is even better. Timeliness is the key, e.g., responding weeks later unfortunately implies more about your indifference than anything you could write in a response.
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Some of my SCORE small business clients just do not have the personality needed to effectively use social media for their small businesses. While they are personally very conscientious, they also take their reputation personally. Thus, it becomes a personal affront when someone demeans or disparages their business, its products, or its services. In truth, there are invariably a few mean customers who try to take advantage of businesses, but that doesn't matter. More commonly, sometimes mistakes just happen, but customers can likewise see it as a personal affront. Again, it doesn't matter who is "right".
If you want to use tools like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc. to publicize your business, then you have to accept that you will get negative comments. If you do not have the personality that can bite your tongue, apologize sincerely, and offer a discount or other consideration for anyone claiming bad products or service, then the answer is to just not play on social media. The internet is absolutely an environment where the customer is always right.
Most sites do not let you filter comments. Even if they do, any attempt to delete them will just lead to more vitriolic responses. The good news is that internet users are very experienced with spotting trolls who are just trying to pick a fight and hear themselves talk. Just continue to respond positively and feel confident that your good services will be endorsed enough to easily offset the few complaints.
If you want to use tools like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc. to publicize your business, then you have to accept that you will get negative comments. If you do not have the personality that can bite your tongue, apologize sincerely, and offer a discount or other consideration for anyone claiming bad products or service, then the answer is to just not play on social media. The internet is absolutely an environment where the customer is always right.
Most sites do not let you filter comments. Even if they do, any attempt to delete them will just lead to more vitriolic responses. The good news is that internet users are very experienced with spotting trolls who are just trying to pick a fight and hear themselves talk. Just continue to respond positively and feel confident that your good services will be endorsed enough to easily offset the few complaints.
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I was saddened today to hear of the passing of George Heilmeier. He was the Director of DARPA when I worked there in the mid-70's. However, it seems almost every discussion makes note of what became known as his catechism, a set of questions that he expected to see answered in every so-called ARPA Order (the document which authorized funding for each project). In the Strategic Technology Office where I worked, I was familiar with a four question version: What's the Trick? What's the Plan? Who Cares? So What? My book contains more discussion of each. I didn't realize it at the time, but apparently this was quite a change from prior practice at DARPA. Nevertheless, I have always found it to be an extremely good checklist for any development proposal.
From other reminiscing sources, the full catechism had nine questions:
From other reminiscing sources, the full catechism had nine questions:
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon. What is the problem? Why is it hard?
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
- Who cares?
- If you're successful, what difference will it make? What impact will success have? How will it be measured?
- What are the risks and the payoffs?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success? How will progress be measured?
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If you have a business license, you also are invariably now listed in myriad so-called "local search" websites. Also nicknamed "yellow pages" sites, they indeed include www.yellowpages.com as well as those associated with the well-known search engines like Google Places, Yahoo Local, BingPlaces, and review sites like Yelp and FourSquare. In fact, almost all of these local search sites are now "review" sites. So, what's the problem?
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.