5 Ways To Introduce Social Media To Small Businesses
The Power that Social Media provides its amazing, it can enhance a Business Online Strategy. Owners and managers of Small Business are listening so much about Twitter and Facebook. However not many know how Social Media will help their business. Getting your gears ready before starting the Social Media Strategy conversation with a prospect client, its only the first step to evangelize its benefits.
Only a few business owners and managers that I have worked for/with, know the benefits of having an extended online relationship with their customers through social media.
It hasn’t been easy to approach prospect clients about social media. The most recent approach I have taken is this: in addition to the web development introduction (where I propose the CMS to use), I add a list about social media and its importance for a solid online presence. It looks pretty much like this:
Social media is an important factor in your online strategy for solid results. Everything that is shared on the internet plays a big roll on how social engines like Google, Yahoo and others rank their search results. It’s time to take control of the outcomes and tap into social media by enabling social tools on your business’ website and interacting with your users.
- “Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up…or catch you later” – Business Week
- “Social Media Will Change Your Business” – Business Week
- “Facebook, has 200,000,000 – number of active users” – The Future Buzz
- “Facebook, 100 – number of friends the average user has” – The Future Buzz
- “10,432,575,000 – number of Tweets to date” – gigatweet
- “Twitter tweets: 600 per second” – Search Engine Land
- “133,000,000 – number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002” – The Future Buzz
- “346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs” ComScore
Everyone that works in the daily operations of a small business, are busy wearing many hats trying to thrive. There is always very limited time to accomplish the many tasks of the daily operation; however, there is good news about social media!
Managers and owners that understand the importance of a strong online presence definitely develop a healthier communication with patrons. This communication doesn’t stop there, it creates many, many (many) opportunities.
There are innumerable reasons why social media is imperative for owners and managers of small business. Here are five factors that are relevant for the inclusion of social media and an effective and simple way to approach business with the importance of social media adoption in a website development strategy.
1. Extended business relationship
If someone asks a clerk in a store a question, that clerk most likely promptly gives an adequate answer, as close as possible to a solution of that person’s needs. In conversational media, it’s similar. In most cases this interaction may involve people that are interested in specific business. They inquire about offers, or have questions or comments about goods or services. Social media let managers and owners jump into the conversation, and build relationships with existing or new patrons.
2. Extended way of communication

Your communication can create, clarify, refer, lead. Due to the two way nature of social media, it creates a better understanding of what people are saying about your business.
3. Extended way of referrals
Whether or not you are active in the online presence of your business, Social Media is creating referrals. Sources like Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, and specialty blogs are becoming the easiest ways people share their opinions with friends and strangers. Plus, these services offer solutions for business to engage in communication, helping you manage comments and opinions of your business.
4. Extended brand awareness
Social media offers you more control over your brand. People have a perception of your business, and this can depend strongly on what you say. A business can give insight about their business helping others understand why they should choose them over someone else.
5. Extended way of sharing an opinion

Don’t let a brand be moved by the flow. Interact, participate, share, discover…! There are many social sites where people are sharing their opinions about your business. There is always room for everyone in the social media field. Participate and engage with those interested in your industry.
In a recent conversation with Sadao Nelson, a wine consultant for Restaurants in San Francisco and Manager of COCO500 Restaurant, he mentioned that social media has not taken a big deal of his time. Responding to Yelp, Twitter, and Facebook comments takes only a few dedicated daily minutes and the job’s done!
Sadao also happens to be the former manager of The Corner Restaurant. In the early days he created an online profiles on social media sites for The Corner and it has turned excellent results on Google and Yahoo, which for 1 year old restaurant is very impressive.
Back to your clients…
As important as it is a well established online strategy for business websites, it’s definitely not easy to explain to owners and managers the benefit of adopting social media. This approach can easily create an early introduction to prepare your client for a deep talk. As a freelancer you will be in the need to explain its benefits. Get ready. Research. Prepare you talk. And make the most out of that talk. In most cases you may be the first person your prospect clients have heard about social media for businesses from.
Nice post, well written and displayed. I have found however that a little help in getting your customers set with a plan goes a long way. Some a reluctant to make the leap because they cant see the value. You an I of course know the value.
Hi Geoffrey, not all of us cannot realize the value of SM even with some guys who are really power users in some social networks. There are only people who care much about what people are saying know it!
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I’ve always been afraid of presenting myself as a “social media expert” to my clients because I’m not and I know the social media and design communities have a disdain for self-proclaimed experts in those fields. So I haven’t really tried to convince any clients to do this if they haven’t wanted to, but this gives me some decent leverage in case I ever do feel they really should.
I don’t think you really have to consider yourself an “expert” in order to advise them in social media. I’m no “expert” using Windows or MS Word but if someone was still using a type writer, I would naturally introduce them to the computer and MS Word. My 2cents
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Great post I have shared with my network…
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Great article. Love how you’ve put the flow together. Some sound advice and good ideas on how to present social media to potential clients.
Very few folks are “Social Media Experts” and the rest of us shouldn’t portray ourselves as such. We simply add social media to our marketing toolbox and offer ways for clients to get a social media presence and open up communication with those clients who wish to use the new mediums.
Leverage is a good moniker for doing this for clients AJ, I like it.
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Hi Jackie, I’m a very business man. Although I haven’t tried any startup online, but in my mind, I already had some idea for my future business and I will do it. The phrase “Social Media” is still not familiar with me few months ago, but now, I’m comprehending the importance of Social Media in business. The result and benefits that SM brings to online business couldn’t be negated.
Jackie, you’re so right. Just because we aren’t SME’s (or SMO’s?) doesn’t mean we can’t at least give our clients a little boost. You don’t have to be a biking expert to know that you should advise someone to pedal forwards instead of backwards in order to get where they want to go. Get them started with the basics then introduce them to some real SME/SMO’s
5 very useful ways and great tips. thanks for share Hector Jarquin
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Geoffrey, I’m flattered. Indeed Conversational Media or Social Media is a complicated topic to relate, specially when in most cases we (web workers) are breaking the ice, and having this conversation. There is not simple answer (if there is one) to the famous question, what is the ROI for this so called Social Media?. Its matter of time for Social Media to become as clear as Search Engine Optimization.
AJ and Jackie, I agree. I don’t think of Social Media more than an integral part of my repertoire of services. Social Media definitely helps to achieve better results when comes to search result, engagement, positioning, exposure… But more important is the insider’s opinion that will affect the outcome of people’s perception.
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This is one great article! Good job
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Thanks Mihai!
Thank you Mihai.
Great read thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Shurandy.
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This article is spot on. Thanks for sharing..
Beth, I’m thrilled we share point of views. Thank you!
Great post! I would add that you should first ask your client about his customers, as different target customers call for different strategies with social media.
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Very interesting article about Social Media…. We should use it…
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Thanks Jauhari!
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Thanks for the article.
My problem is though that I’m not even sure if social media will be a benefit for the company I work for (we develop software for the consumer goods industry). Did I tell me boss that we should twitter I know that the first question would be “What the hell should we twitter about?” followed by “Our customers/prospects don’t use twitter”. And I wouldn’t really have a good reply to that. Any tips? Do you think Social Media makes sense for ALL businesses?
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I admire everything have done content. I like the portion wherever you say that you’re doing this to give back again but I might suppose by all the comments that this is working for you as well.
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This is a really great article. Social media is so important to any size of business.