Social Media 101 - Benefits for Small Businesses

written by Stephanie Markadonatos

Social Media has had a huge impact in the communications industry and it is not going away anytime soon. Instead of trying to ignore and avoid it, I would suggest opening your arms and embracing this insightful and influential new medium.  

Social Media 101 - What it can do for you
The power of social media is that it can reach millions of people across the world giving you insight into your consumers thoughts and opinions. This added advantage allows to formulate an action of influence. Tough skin is needed.  The key is to not take everything to heart and "WOW" your clients with your knowledge of their needs.

               * Social Media is all about creating an online presence in the digital world

               * It gives you opportunity to influence millions of people

               * Gives insight on what consumers feel are pros and cons of your company

               * It lets you engage directly in real time

               * Gives you the ultimate power in branding yourself, while maintaining a positive image

Now that we have an idea of what the basics are, let's see how we can take this knowledge and apply it. First, focus on what the consumer is saying.  Next, read and measure feedback and comments being said about your company.

Two good social media platforms to use are Twitter and Facebook. If you have a quick message to send out, send a Tweet. If you would like to engage more with your consumers, create a Facebook page and invite them to share their likes and dislikes. This is also free publicity for your company.  The more you apply social media tactics, the more you will get noticed and influence!

A good source to use to measure your digital influence is Klout. Klout is a free resource that measures how influential you are online within your social networks.  According to Klout, "Anywhere you have an online presence, you have the opportunity to influence people by creating or sharing content that inspires actions such as likes, retweets, comments and more. The more engagement your posts receive, the more influential you are."  It boils down to the more aware you are of your audience, the more influential you are which will help aid in creating a more concrete and targeted marketing plan.

Finally, you are able to put all your knowledge and measurements to the test by creating a well thought out action plan.  This is your chance to shine and show your clients that you recognize their needs.  Showing that you are paying attention to them will bring positive results and referrals for potential new clients.  An added benefit for using social media is you don't have to pay for anyone to do market research and create surveys. You can do this all yourself and view unfiltered, honest opinions about what the media is saying about you.

The power of social media lies within the user.  It's time to take a deep breath and really dive deep.  Embrace the digital social world and unlock the potential of your company.  It may be small now, but become a top influencer. Show your clients that you care and you want them to succeed as much as you would like to.  In this day and age it's all about brand image and social networking.  It's true when they say, "It's not what you know, but who you know".