by Michelle Zehr on September 16, 2010
Social media has quickly become an important operational tool for small business. Social media is one of the most economical, yet effective, means of establishing and maintaining relationships with contacts. These contacts can include anyone from potential clients, current clients, and possible business associates and partners. By using social media, small businesses are able to reach large numbers of individuals at no cost and in a very time efficient manor.
3 Quick & Easy Ways to Get Started
- Create a Facebook account. Facebook is free and allows small businesses to create pages for their businesses. This is a great way to get started in the world of social media. Facebook can be used to feature products, events, promotions, and more. Through Facebook, a small business can communicate directly to their consumer through the use of text, pictures, and even videos.
- Start Tweeting. Small businesses should also take advantage of the phenomenon known as Twitter. Twitter accounts are extremely easy to set up. All you need is a user name, password, and a very brief biography. Twitter can even be linked to Facebook. This means your posts on Facebook can automatically be sent to your Twitter followers. Twitter can be used to announce promotions, products, etc. The best part is your announcement only has to be 140 characters or less. Small businesses can also use Twitter to connect with people in similar businesses or to reach out to those who may benefit from their business.
- Get LinkedIn. A basic LinkedIn account is free and is an excellent means of establishing an identity for a small business online. Small businesses can connect to other businesses and individuals who may benefit from the services or products their business can offer. Business owners can also opt for a paid account, which would allows for more advanced marketing options as well as the ability to post jobs and look for applicants.
According to Small Business Marketing Forecast 2010, lead generation is one of the biggest benefits of social media for United States’ small businesses. Social media helps to identify and attract potential customers, develop a stronger brand awareness within a targeted market, stay connected with current customers, and collaborate more effectively with partners, suppliers, and colleagues.
by Michelle Zehr on September 13, 2010
Social media is not meant only for young adults to have fun with. The medium has created a network of individuals of all ages and backgrounds around the world allowing them to create, share, and discuss content. Social media has the potential to be an extremely powerful tool for nonprofit organizations as well. Nonprofits can use social media to reach out to millions of individuals without ever having to pick up a phone and solicit for donations; which can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in operating expenses and man hours.
Social media is becoming more prevalent in the nonprofit sector. In a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research, 90% of the largest U.S. charities have taken to the idea of using social media in 2009. This was a 17% jump from 2008 and an increase of 64% for 2007. Social media is helping to increase awareness of causes, solicit donations, recruit volunteers, and plan fundraisers.
Ways Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
For fundraising and MicroFunding. By funding through social media, individuals are able to donate as much or as little as they want. The attraction of using tools such as Facebook and Twitter to solicit donations is that an organization is able to entice donors by emphasizing they are welcome to make smaller donations. The theory is smaller increments of cash can be compounded to achieve otherwise unattainable goals.
To increase interaction with audiences. Social media has developed a new outlet for nonprofits to get involved with their volunteers and donors. Donors can also interact with each other. They can play games, comment, watch video, listen to music, ask questions, and respond to polls. Social media allows nonprofits to reach out to more individuals simultaneously in ways that was never before possible.
For volunteer recruitment. Just as businesses use online job posting sites to find employees, nonprofits can use social media to post volunteer opportunities. Charitable organizations can provide potential volunteers with information about their cause and the type of position they are looking to fill at virtually no cost.
To educate. Nonprofits who use social media effectively can make their organizations more noticeable in a sea of thousands of other charities. Blog posts, tweets, videos, status updates, links, and polls are all tools which enable users to better understand the goals and objectives of nonprofit organizations.
Social media has quickly become an important operational tool for small business. Social media is one of the most economical, yet effective, means of establishing and maintaining relationships with contacts. These contacts can include anyone from potential clients, current clients, and possible business associates and partners. By using social media, small businesses are able to reach large numbers of individuals at no cost and in a very time efficient manor.
Bad PR. What to do with deragatory feedback.
September 8, 2010As every business owner or head of an organization knows, trying to please every customer is a futile endeavor. Complaints and overall dissatisfaction is the nature of the beast. But what do you do with derogatory customer feedback online? Do you keep it or delete it? There really is no clear cut answer in how [...]