New Stats on Small Biz & Social Media – Are We Telling or Selling?

What’s the real scoop on the usage and effectiveness of social media for small business?  Between information from a couple of recent research reports and real life scenarios, it seems small biz is using social media primarily for telling—not selling.

A new white paper based on a survey of 151 small businesses using social media (sponsored by Sage and conducted by AMI-Partners) states that 64% of respondents spend most of their time in social media sites answering customer questions.  57% ranked networking activities as their most prevalent, while 44% indicated “reference/education” as their most dominant activity.

Only a few businesses indicated they were using social media sites for direct sales.

These stats hold true for Lars Hundley, gardenpreneur of Clean Air Gardening, an online retailer of eco-friendly lawn and garden supplies.  (Hundley, pictured jumping like nobody’s watching above, was not part of the AMI survey.)  Because his is a web-based company, Hundley has long incorporated digital social media tools into his marketing and promotions and utilizes them daily.

“We’re not generating any measurable sales from Facebook or Twitter,” explains Hundley.

Instead, Hundley and his team have found social media to be most useful for customer engagement and product education.  The company’s Youtube channel is a simple medium for providing tips and how-to videos, and its various topic-specific microsites are hubs for customer Q & A.  The latter has proven to be an “awesome technique” for facilitating interaction.

While social media is second nature for a web-savvy business owner like Hundley, many other small biz people have been slower to dip toes into the water.  The April Discover Financial Services Small Business Index (a national, random survey of 750 small biz owners) revealed that 38% of respondents now report being part of at least one online social site, up from 22% in October 2007.  However, less than half of the 38% have used social sites for business purposes.

Likewise, it’s taken longer for them to feel comfortable using the tools.  The AMI study found that 65%  of respondents had grown more at ease with social media in the last year and that those who’d been engaged longer (over 3 years) were more open to social media use for the future. Obviously, usage over time fosters familiarity and increased skill.

(Of course, social media tools are moot points for businesses that don’t even have websites.  In the April Discover Financial Services index, 62% of respondents stated they don’t have websites for their companies.  Really?!)

On the flip side, there are some fun, inspiring stories floating around the blogosphere about businesses owners who’ve proven to be real social media mavens, integrating techniques into their companies’ inner workings or successfully instituting promotions that bring in the bling.  In particular, there’s the much-buzzed story about the Naked Pizza Twitter promo.  This New Orleans pizza purveyor did some sniper shot microblogs just to see what would happen, resulting in 15% of a day’s receipts coming straight from tweets.  Not too shabby…

Overachievers aside, it’s clear that social media use for small biz is on the rise across the board.  As for the effectiveness of that use?  Only time will tell…or sell.

Thanks!

Look Ahead or Get Left Behind

Know anybody who’s ever attempted a newsletter yet never had any news?  What about blogs; ever seen a stale blog on a company’s site?  And I don’t even have to ask about news pages on web sites, as I’m sure you happen upon the occasional page-as-time-capsule in your surfing.  These businesses had the best intentions of keeping content fresh; instead they posted a perpetual press release circa 2005 or hiccuped out 3 issues of what could’ve been a lovely newsletter.

Some day in my vast amounts of spare time (insert rimshot and laugh track), I’d love to try to tally the number of newsletters I’ve helped name and launch…which will closely parallel the number I’ve seen fizzle.  Ditto that for website news pages.  I could start a communications museum with all the well-intentioned projects I’ve seen preserved in amber—locked, motionless, ancient history.

Seems many companies love the idea of communicating but lack the stamina to follow through.  Sound familiar?

I eventually became the voice of reason anytime a client decrees it was “time to launch a newsletter” or “add a news page to the website.”  The term “monthly” or (God forbid) “weekly” often comes with the decree.  Now similar decrees are coming for blogs and other social media tools.  Since I know I’ll typically be responsible for producing said newsletter, web page or blog, I talk the client through the ins and outs of what it takes to sustain these efforts.

Even if the client laments that everybody else has a newsletter, news page or blog and they didn’t want to get “left behind,”  I remind them that they still needed to look ahead.

While I stand to make money anytime a client wants to produce ‘stuff,’ I prefer to guide clients to substantive, long term success.  That’s how we all win.  You don’t get long term success by being reactionary or by placating the desire for a momentary sense of accomplishment.  You don’t sprint a marathon on the heels of competitors, lest you tire out and trip up.  Not to mention, it’s really boring to have nothing to write about.

I rarely advise clients to not get in the game.  I always advise that they get in the game at a manageable pace.

Maybe the monthly newsletter should start quarterly or be a twice-annual mini-magazine.  Perhaps we hold off on the site news section and just create a temporary spot on the home page when there’s a release to post.  Let’s begin a blog slowly without fanfare or promotion, to allow time to establish a rhythm and system for success.

Companies worried about being left behind are typically too busy looking at the backsides of the competition.  It’s more effective to find a good pace and fix the gaze up—and ahead.  The leader has the best view.

Thanks!

Where Is Everybirdy? It’s Time to Fill Your Feeder

I just got a hummingbird feeder.  It’s my first one, and I’m not up to speed on hummingbird feeder protocol.  When should I put it up?  What’s the scoop on filling and cleaning?  Where should I place it?

I emailed a fellow bird nerd this morning to inquire about timing, and he replied that the hummers are already hanging around.  He and his wife have had their feeders out for a little while now.

Gasp.  Here I am, excited about my new form of “cheep” entertainment, and I’m already tardy.  What if the hummingbirds in my zip code have already staked claim on other feeders?  Will they every come my way?  Is there anything I can do to earn their attention once I do get this feeder filled and situated?  And I better keep extra feed on hand, in case they do come.  I wouldn’t want them to trust my feeder as a food source only to find it empty one day.  Time is nigh, or my birds will fly!

So it is with our online marketing efforts.

Your customers are already out there, looking for your product or service.  If your feeder isn’t out—and filled to the brim, they will fly on to a feeder that does have something to offer.  Even if you were planning to serve the sweetest nectar on the planet, your customers need solutions now.  They’ll settle for lesser than wait for nothing.

A website without social media connectivity is like an empty feeder.  Maybe your customers can dine on the content they find on an initial visit to your site.  But that won’t sustain them long term; they won’t keep them coming back in the future if there’s nothing new to savor.

Do you need to make time to tend to your feeder?  Should you ante up and hire some help to get things done?  You could be in the midst of building a reputation right now, instead of fretting over how or when to dive in.

For me, it would’ve been wise to buy the nectar when I purchased the feeder, then I would’ve been ready to host the hummingbirds.  If you’re looking to launch a site or refresh an existing one, you should build in ways to continuously feed that site.  Add a blog.  Include direct connects to your Twitter or Facebook accounts.  Offer a subscription to a newsletter.  Do something to keep ‘em coming back.

I’ll certainly have my feeder up by day’s end; the thought that there’s a hungry hummingbird out there in my neighborhood is motivation.  What’s your next move to attract somebirdy to your feeder?

Thanks!

The Handyman’s New Tool: Web Ideas for Even the Smallest Businesses

When your neighborhood handyman gives you his web address and talks up his online promotion, you know something’s drastically changed in the marketing universe.  It’ll never be the same “sell” again.

And I gotta say, the handyman hit the nail on the head.

Mind you, the site was nothing lovely to behold, but I’m not grading on web design here.  I was impressed that (1) the handyman has a website, (2) the site contains pertinent information, (3) there was an online promotion by which the handyman can gauge response and grow business and (4) the handyman drove traffic to his online presence with traditional communications.  If he’d had (5), a mechanism to capture my information and a social media component to engage me further, the handyman would have closed the loop nicely.

I repeat.  This is a handyman—the rough and tumble guy who fixes toilets, washes windows, patches dry wall and eats lunch in the cab of his pick-up while listening to AM radio.  If he is a computer user, he clearly doesn’t log hours online like most of his customers do.  But that’s the beauty of it!  The handyman looked beyond his own daily perspective (curled copy of the Yellow Pages on the dashboard and news/talk AM for weather updates) and did his best to get in the heads of his customers—and potential customers—who are online all the time.

The handyman’s formula is a basic starter kit for any small business.  Be online.  Let customers know you’re online, and give them a “something’s-in-it-for-them” reason to visit your website.  However, he’ll need to take this Web 1.0 model to 2.0 to really tap into the potential to grow his customer base.  Now it’s not enough to just be on the web; you’ve got to engage customers to stay top of mind. Word of mouth is now conducted by click of mouse, after all!

For example, the handyman could rock it out with a Facebook fan page.  It wouldn’t matter the number of fans, but the quality of them.  If my local Facebook friends saw that I was a fan of an area handyman, I believe that would serve as a resounding endorsement.  Couple the fan page with geographically targeted ads on Facebook, timed to run during peak home improvement seasons, and I think the handyman would welcome new business.

(Sounds like a candidate for a “Small Biz Big Time” social media makeover…hmmm!…)

Nonetheless, he’s on the right track and looking in the right direction, and I applaud and laud his smarts as a business person to get in the game in real way.  He’s proof that no matter how small the business, there’s always room to think big.  I’m glad the handyman’s found a new tool!

Happy weekend to you!
Thanks,

What’s in the Google Toolbox? An Intro for Small Biz DIYers & Google Newbies

Google.  It’s not just a company, it’s a constant presence for any web user.  Google is so prevalent, it’s the Coke of the search engine world.  It’s even evolved to be a verb, like “Xerox” for making copies.  We don’t just search a topic on the Internet; we Google it.

A common question oft repeated by business people far and wide is “where do we show up on Google?”.  Everyone wants to rank high on Google’s search results, and certainly that’s the nexus of the company’s integration into daily business speak.  With over 2.6 billion search results for its own name—as found by its own search engine, Google is the standard bearer of online success.

Sounds a bit overwhelming for small business people, doesn’t it?  Especially for us website DIYers!  I personally felt like I was about to set up a lemonade stand in front of the Taj Mahal the first time I dared peak inside the Google toolbox.  Who was I to touch those tools?  I was just a novice, a mid-grade techie at best.  Dare I join the Wizard behind the curtain?

Truth is, behind the curtain, there are plenty of Google tools that fit just fine in the hands of everyday folks like me and you.  Certainly, I’ve come across some fancier paraphernalia that either exceeded or expanded my knowledge, but I’m very thankful to have the basics on my own tool belt.

If you’ve never peaked behind the curtain, here are a couple of things to do and some key things to look for during your first rummage through the Google toolbox.

Create a Google account. The account set-up is like stepping up to the welcome mat at the front door.  From the context of your own account, you’ll be invited into the various ‘rooms’ of the house.

Set up your Google profile. Yes, this is yet another place online for you to create a profile.  But it’s Google we’re talking about here, so go ahead and set one up.  Let’s hope your preferred name isn’t taken (I’m “smallbizbigtime” because all obvious variations of my name were long since gone).  I’ve heard murmurs that Google is scheming to convert us all over to their social networking platform, away from Facebook and other such sites.  While that remains to be seen, having your Google profile set up at least puts you ahead of the game.  NOTE – Opening an account doesn’t automatically create your profile, FYI.

AdWords – Promote your business through targeted text ads on the sidebar of Google search pages or via sponsored links at top.  I suggest any small business owner go through the process of setting up an ad, even if there’s no plan to actually run it.  Even a dry run of the process will help clarify search terms, hone your business’ ‘short pitch’ and identify some interesting aspects of how Google works.

iGoogle – Create a customized home page for your web browser, with news feeds, gadgets and features that you choose.  I recommend setting iGoogle up on a weekend or a lazy morning, when you can play with all the goodies at your leisure.

Web History – This allows you to keep track of your Internet searches, sites visited, etc.

Alerts – Alerts are handy tools for business owners.  Set up alerts to capture mentions of your selected search terms, be they brand or product names, your own name, common search phrases your customers are likely to use, etc.  You can include more than one search term in any given alert.  Bear in mind these alerts will come in daily, so look for them in your email inbox.

Reader – Cull all the sites and news feeds you subscribe to in one place.  There are many services that can aggregate information like this for you (such as alltop.com), but of course, Google is in just about any game to be played online.

Webmaster Tools – Dig in here, with the forewarning that you may find some things out of your realm of knowledge.  Again, just as I suggest for the AdWords, I think it’s wise for any small business owner with a website to get acquainted with these inner working—the terminology, the various pieces and parts.  Even if you ultimately entrust someone else to handle all these tools for you, you’ll be well served to have a working knowledge.

Feedburner – This is a tool you can use to add subscription capabilities to your blog/site to encourage ongoing site usage by visitors, as well as to track activities of visitors.

AdSense - This is Google’s solution for website owners who want to make some money off their sites. You can potentially “add cents” to your bottom line through the placement of targeted Google ads on your home page, based on valid clicks or impressions.  Certainly, this is a great option for some and not an option for those who want to keep their site and brand really pristine.

Beyond “Gmail” (Google’s free email service), there is an endless array of additional tools on the other side of “More>>.”  Google may be the king of the industry, but you should always be master of your domain (yes, I acknowledge the Seinfeld reference).  Get to know the Google tools to set your sites on success!

Thanks!

Online in No Time – Practical Ways to Get on the Web

You’d be hard pressed to convince me there’s a business out there that doesn’t need some kind of presence on the Internet.  While I’ll admit not every business merits (or is ready for the commitment of) a full blown, flashy website, all businesses need to be findable and reachable online.

Know anybody who’s still rebuffing the need to be on the web?  For some small biz owners I’ve encountered, the hesitancy boils down to fear of the unknown.  We stick with what we know, and there are still business people who “know” offline marketing much better than they do online tactics.  They perceive websites to be expensive money pits or techie mind twisters to maintain, or they discount social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube as dismissible teenie-bopper banter.

I’ve previously blogged about the fact that small business owners simply can’t disregard the realities of the web.  It’s essential to get online lest you fall behind.  So for you or any of the hold-outs you may know, here are a few practical, immediately applicable ideas to make the ‘Net work for you.

Create a blog and/or a Facebook page for your business.
There is no cost involved in creating a blog through a platform such as WordPress.  Ditto that for setting up a Facebook page.  For both these entities, all the tools are web-based and self-service.  When it comes to building your blog or Facebook biz page, you can do-it-yourself and update likewise, as long as you have Internet connection.  There’s no need to purchase or download software or any web page building tools.

I’ll give you fair warning.  If you’re not well-versed in the ways of web page creation or blog lingo, you’ll likely feel a little overwhelmed as you first attempt to create your blog.  There are many hints and ideas to help you out online; tap into them.  Though blogs have innate limitations in terms of design options, you can select templates that accommodate multiple pages and customization.

Facebook business pages are fairly straight forward, but if you’re new to Facebook, it’s advisable that you get your bearings before you build a page.  A business page is preferable to a Facebook ‘group’ if you’re goal is to create brand presence and convey information for customers.

And once you get the framework going for your blog or Facebook page, you can take your time to perfect and add on to what you’ve created.

Secure a domain name, and point it to your no-cost blog.
Whether you’re ready or not for a full website, by all means secure your domain name now, if you haven’t already.  The great news is that you can point your branded URL directly to your no-cost blog (free WordPress blogs include “wordpress” in the URL).  That way, you can give everyone a web address that best fits your biz, yet you won’t be fretting with hosting costs or monthly fees.  The only cost will be the in the acquisition of the domain name.  I did this for Small Biz Big Time.  I secured the smallbizbigtime.com domain, and directed to my blog on WordPress.  My only expense was in the reserving of the domain name, which I tackled as a one time fee through Yahoo! Small Business.

Make the most of free listings!
Countless sites offer free listings for business of all kinds.  These sites often have built in functionality that makes upload of media very simple and provide areas for business owners to promote goods and services as needed.  From Reverbnation.com for musicians to Etsy.com for creative artists, there are endless options for being connected and present.  My husband is a voice-over artist, so he built a page at voice123.com/jpwilliams.  Creating the page involved no cost, it is a great place to house his demos and pertinent information.  It’s been immensely helpful whenever he’s needed to email samples of his work to potential clients.

Let other sites do the heavy lifting.
If you have video content that you’d like to use on any of your web pages, blogs or websites, start the process with YouTube or Vimeo.  YouTube or Vimeo will handle file conversions so you don’t have to, and the sites even provide you with handy links and codes that you can embed rather simply anywhere you need them—from your blog to your Facebook biz page, wherever!  Additionally, many sites build in options for creating customer lists, calendars, cross-branding updates, etc. (check out Blog111, for example), so you needn’t try to conquer all those options by yourself to include on your own website.  Someone else has already done it for you; make the most of it!

There are so many layers to each of these topics.  Please—email me your questions, and I’ll gladly delve further into anything you need to know more about, or at least I’ll point you in the right direction for more information.  No matter what, it’s time to be more than a spectator on the Internet; it’s time for you to get on the Web and be in the game!

Thanks!