And Why Should a Small Business Owner Care?
According to Wikipedia:
Social media includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content."[1] Social media is media for social interaction as a super-set beyond social communication. Enabled by ubiquitously accessible and scalable communication techniques, social media has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate.[2]
According to Renee’:
Social Media is a set of tools that businesses can use to create awareness and buzz about their products and their brand. Social Media is the equivalent of a networking meeting on steroids.
Social Media is Not Just for Kids
Top Reasons Why Your Business Should Be on Social Media:
#1 It is where the people are.
It is difficult to spend an hour in America today without hearing the word Facebook, Twitter or YouTube unless you are soaking in a tub in the bathroom in complete silence without a magazine in hand.
#2 Your business is likely already there.
Unless your business is brand new and you have not had any clients yet odds are very good that your business is already on Social Media SOMEwhere because other people are talking about you. This fact alone means that you need to get involved in that conversation.
#3 Customer Service
Social Media is a great way to engage clients in communications about what they like or dislike about your product, service, hours, location, benefits (yes, employees will find you online, too), prices, quality, etc. If you engage and pay attention, your customer service and the perception of your customer service will improve.
#4 SEO
SEO, in truth, means good Google scores (see terms and definitions for full explanation). The more Social Media tools that you have linking to your website the better your Google/SEO rankings will be.
#5 It is not going away!
1 billion people cannot be ignored. At this time, facebook has over 850 million people on it and it is expected to reach 1 billion this year. That does not include the hundreds of millions on Twitter and YouTube. Social Media is not just for kids, either. If it wasn’t a powerful business and marketing tool, Zuckerberg would have never gotten a billion-dollar IPO out of it. Yes, BILLION.
Social Media is powerful.
Social Media is big.
Social Media is free.
Social Media levels the playing field for your business.
Jump into the conversation and create some buzz for your business.