A Honest Guide to Social Media for Small Business: Part 1

If you own a business and aren't taking an advantage of social media then you are missing out on a great opportunity for "free" advertising.  I am using quotations around "free" because time is money in the business world and it takes a lot of time to build a strong social network.  This leaves the small business in a bind where they may have trouble deciding how much time to devote to social media or if it is worthwhile at all.  Is it worth it?  Yes and No...and here is why.

Setting the Right Priorities
If you are a small business social media may not be something you should invest a lot of time in.  You are much better off investing that time in creating happy customers who will provide rave reviews and word of mouth referrals.  Additionally, your physical storefront and/or website are your next window to world.  No matter how great you are at connecting on social sites if the customer gets to your storefront and it doesn't look put together they are likely to have second thoughts then leave.  Social networking is often painted as a solution to being noticed in the downed economy but the truth of the matter is that it ultimately will make no difference if you can't get your customers to walk in the door once you have their attention.  In short, time is money and you want to be sure you are spending time where it does the most good for your business.

Choosing Your Social Networks
If you have decided that social networking is a good option for your business plan you next need to decide how you want to establish your company within the social media network.  There are countless options for social networking on the internet and each one reaches a different type of audience.  To help you figure out what network will best fit you and your buisness, I have developed a brief overview of some of the more popular options available.
 

Facebook http://www.facebook.com

Users can create profiles with photos, lists of personal interests, contact information and other personal information. Communicating with friends and other users can be done through private or public messages or a chat feature. Users can also create and join interest groups and "like pages" (formerly called "fan pages" until April 19, 2010), some of which are maintained by organizations as a means of advertising. -wiki

Currently the most popular social networking platform, Facebook allows you to create what they call "pages" for your business.  I like to keep these simple but some people devote a lot of time into creating custom landing pages and incorporating other facebook marketing strategies.  Since my work appeals to more than one type of audience I maintain one facebook page for those who have a broader interest in learning about Architecture, Graphics, and Crafts and then another that I only update with my own work as ArchGrafix.  Facebook can be a great tool for those who need to reach a younger crowd and even older generation are staring to get into facebook (probably because that's the only way they can contact their kids).  I have found that facebook fan pages are best for companies that are product driven since it makes it easy to send out special deals and announcements to your fan base.

MySpace http://www.myspace.com/

MySpace is a technology company connecting people through personal expression, content, and culture. MySpace empowers its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile, messaging, games, and the world's largest music community. MySpace is a division of News Corporation. -MySpace Press Room

While MySpace use to be the leading social network site it is now quickly falling out of the spotlight.  The only real exception you'll find is that it is very popular for bands because MySpace allows for easy music sharing while Facbook does not.  In general I think MySpace is a waste of time for businesses and should only be updated via RSS Feed if used at all but if you are in the online dating or music industry it is a place you should have on your social network list.

Twitter http://twitter.com/
My personal favorite because it is easy to update and is even easier to feed into all other prominent social networking sites.  Not to mention that you don't have to spend hours creating content since you only have 140 characters per tweet.  These short updates also allow you to reach a broader audience since it makes it okay to post information that, while not completely unrelated to your business, appeals to a broader audience than you'd usually focus on.  Twitter users want to know about the people they follow just as much as they do the company they represent so don't be afraid to allow your personality to show through; in fact some even suggest using your personal picture even if the account is for a business (I personally don't think it matters as long as you have a cool twitter image).  With my twitter account @archgrafix I try to keep a broad focus while still keeping most of my tweets focused on my business and design.

How To Use Twitter For Business on Howcast

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com

When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional expertise and accomplishments. You can then form enduring connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you. Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts. -LinkedIn

You should have a personal presence on LinkedIn if you work directly with customers because it provides a great platform for collecting reviews and growing your professional network.  While you can create a LinkedIn page for you company it is not a very good marketing too in of itself.  Utilize LinkedIn for reviews and networking and then post those reviews on other social networking sites with a link back to their original source.  Since their Company pages are still in beta (you can find the ArchGrafix LinkedIn profile here) it could become a powerful marketing tool in the future for those that cater to businesspeople; so keep it on your radar.

While there are many other social networking platforms the above are the most commonly used by businesses.  I debated adding Google Buzz to the above list because it is very similar to twitter; but when I tried it out it bombarded me with emails so after having to spend a lot of time (ironically) Goggling how to turn it off (a problem many had) I quit using it.  If anyone thinks it is a good business tool please let me know how you utilize Buzz for your business.
I hope you found this guide helpful and straightforward.  In Part 2 I intend to go over strategy and netiquette for use when promoting a business on social networks.