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SO WHY DO I NEED SOCIAL MEDIA AND HOW WILL IT HELP ME?

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE SMALL CANADIAN BUSINESS

By Leanne Havelock, Winnipeg freelance writer

If you’ve been living under a rock for a few years, I have some exciting news: Social media is here, it’s free, and it can make your Canadian small business look big. You can engage your customers by starting a conversation to learn what they care about and develop stronger relationships.

The Golden Rule of Social Media for small business:

Don’t push, instead, engage.

Let me explain: Social media was designed as a platform for sharing and human interaction. It’s like a tennis club, a knitting circle or a pub – somewhere for people to belong. There will always be a place for your small business to belong in the world of social media, just be careful – don’t be the stereotypical annoying salesperson.

Instead:

Be a human,
Be interesting
Be friendly
Be helpful

Don’t push your dog and pony marketing-speak, instead engage your audience and start a conversation.

So how do you break the ice?

You can never go wrong with:

  • Helpful, relevant and useful information

  • Answers to common questions

  • Free tools, applications and services

  • Tips & how-to articles or guides

  • Something that’s worth talking about

Now that we have the rules straight and we know what to talk about, which social media communities should my small business live in?

First, ask yourself:

  • Who am I?

  • What do I do?

  • Who are my customers?

  • Why do they care?

By answering these simple questions, you’ll understand that your small business is specialized and unique and will only fit into some of the social networks out there.

There are literally hundreds of different social media communities, and joining the right ones for your small business could take some trial and error. Before you start, why not look at a few of your competitors or another company you admire? They might help you decide where to focus your efforts.

Some Basic Starting Points:

Facebook – A more personal site, connecting friends and family. Facebook Fan Pages are also perfect for small businesses.

Twitter – Communicate using brief posts of 140 characters or less.

YouTube – Share your videos with the world.

Myspace – Arguably one of the best social networks for musicians.

Flickr - Share photos or images. Great for photographers, graphic designers, artists or photojournalists.

Podcasting – Share audio like a radio broadcaster would. Great for anyone with something worthwhile to say.

Slideshare – Share and discover slide presentations from almost any industry.

Blogging – for those with something to talk about – Blogger and WordPress are quite popular.

Ning – Create your own, branded social network for your customers and employees. Learn more about Ning here.

Some Examples:

  • A photographer might set up a Flickr photo sharing account, a Facebook Fan Page and create a blog on their website to showcase their latest works .

  • A marketing consultant may just focus on their LinkedIn connections and a corporate website built using WordPress to communicate their knowledge.

  • A restaurant might focus on blogging their reviews, photos of their food and setting up a Facebook Fan Page to drum up a following.

  • A bakery might use Twitter to announce the daily specials or when the bread is fresh from the oven.

As you can see, each combination is as unique and exciting as the business behind it.

If you build it, they might come.

Ok, so you’ve set up your small business with a few social media accounts. Now what? It’s time to build your following, provide fresh content, engage your audience and try not to be pushy. Take some advice from the pros to help build your following and create a meaningful community:

  • Mashable is social media central. For tips, news, tutorials and thought provoking articles, this is a good place to start when researching social media.

  • Social Media Today offers a social media ‘school’ with a slant toward B2B organizations.

  • MarketingProfs offer a free social media marketing kit including a seminar and how-to articles.

  • Check out the Twitter blog for all the latest in lingo, updates, and FAQs.

  • For that ‘finger on the pulse’ approach to blogging visit Technorati’s small business channel

  • Feeling overwhelmed with too much social media? Chris Brogan, Social Media expert gives a little advice on social media time management.

Thinking of setting up a website and extending your online marketing efforts? Check out our article, “Resources for the Small Canadian Business”

Leanne Havelock, Winnipeg freelance writer
Winnipeg Writer and small business owner. Lover of all things cheese.
Follow her on twitter: www.twitter.com/4letterw0rd