As a marketing flunky it can be easy to start navel gazing and thinking how grand it is to be working with the wonderous technology of social media. It’s the best way to talk to other marketers about marketing! The trouble is that doesn’t really pay the bills for normal companies. Here’s an insight into how some average users are leveraging social media to enrich their lives.
#1 Sara- New Media Mom
Even though Sara works for a large dot-com based in NYC she once told me, “I hate social media. I don’t get the big deal with regard to Facebook or Twitter.” Then Sara decided that for her 1st child she would be using cloth diapers. That’s when she started using http://diaperswappers.com/. It’s a niche community where moms can trade, sell and buy cloth diapers. There’s extensive advice on which brands are best, ways to mend existing diapers and of course the normal chatter mothers engage in. Sara had found her niche online and started chatting with her new-found friends like crazy.
LESSON: If you provide value even the most reluctant consumers will seek you out online. Everyone has an itch waiting to be scratched.
#2 Frank- Enterprising Employee
My friend Frank initially balked when I suggested that Twitter had a variety of interesting uses. I offered to give him a brief walkthrough and suggest some uses for it. About a week after the walk-through I checked back in with Frank. He was a changed man. His position entails that he manage PPC and SEO issues for his clients. Frank chose to use Tweetdeck to monitor the chatter on Twitter. He had chosen search terms like PPC, SEO, Adwords and SEM. Frank started sharing links with me regarding interesting advances in his field that he discovered by monitoring conversations via Twitter. Not only that but he was even helping other folks who needed assistance with Adwords and SEO.
LESSON: People like to help others. Empower experts to do so. Then connect them with those in need of advice. Each side wins and your audience will love you for it.
#3 Mike- Music Maker and Risk Taker
Mike has a day job as a project manager but what really gets his blood pumping is music. He likes all sorts of great stuff from rock to R&B to funk to hip-hop. During his free time Mike put together a great album of tunes. He created all the instruments using his keyboard, did all the vocals and mixed/mastered it himself. Completely DIY! Mike wanted to let his friends know about his new creation so he shared the link via Facebook. They in turn shared it with all their friends as they saw fit. The album reached far more people thanks to this collaborative sharing than it would have otherwise. Mike leveraged his friends online to help promote his new album.
LESSON: It’s not selling online when those who are helping you are your friends. They just want to see you succeed. The trick is to turn those customers into friends.
Every community has them. The tried and true business owners who have weathered countless economic disasters, rattle their sabers to “Keep It Local” and eschew big brands with little personality, quirks or passion for the areas they inhabit. The David vs. Goliath of the 2.5 era can be fought with weapons that level the playing field and help local businesses exploit their largest advantages over mammoth competitors.
Living large but staying small. Off the map and into the niche. Create, innovate and dominate. Authenticity comes naturally. Love conquers all.
Living large but staying small. The thing I love about Internet marketing for small businesses is that it allows you to beam your message to multiple locations 24/7 at a minimal price. As a small local business you don’t have an army of sales people or a legion of marketing folks telling your story. Your Internet marketing can take on this challenge if you leverage it correctly. While having a quality website that is properly optimized is important, your social media channel can add another dimension. Social media is about adding personality and a sense of humanity to your brand. The customers you interact with might assign traits to your company like funny, smart or adventurous. Social media helps tell this story online by allowing you to share this experience through vehicles like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Another nice thing to note is that most of the best social media sites are completely free. You just need to roll up your sleeves and apply the elbow grease to see the results. Organic growth tends to tie in very neatly with most small businesses plans for expansion and that is the very essence of social media. Speak “small” and carry a big digital footprint. (My apologies to Theodore Roosevelt for turning his quote inside out.)
Off the map and into the niche. While major social media juggernauts like Facebook and Twitter are all the rage these days there are other really valuable communities you can address that will set you apart from the Big Box stores. Your local blogging community will likely turn up its nose at most corporate marketing but might be willing to partner with your company to promote a neat event. Get to know them and they can serve as brand evangelists helping to spread your message to a very targeted and attractive audience. There’s also an entire nether world of forums that you can delve into that are perfect for you to participate in. Become the local expert that folks suggest online. There’s even an opportunity for a very cost-effective ad spend on display advertising via forums. The cost per impression will likely be very low and if the forum is city/state/region specific the audience you’ll be reaching will fit your needs perfectly. Go off the map and into the places only locals tread online.
Create, innovate and dominate.Small businesses are more nimble than their hulking counterparts. You can institute a social media plan in a week whereas it might take cutting through a lot of red tape and hand wringing for a big corporation to do the same. You’ve got access to the decision-makers directly within your company or you can just make the call yourself. If you purchase a cheap camcorder device like a Flip you can shoot and upload videos about your business weekly or even daily. Why not highlight your favorite customers, your staff talking about their area of expertise or just something unique that only happens in your office/store. If you create things of value online your customers will love you for it.
Authenticity comes naturally. Large amounts of virtual ink has been utilized talking about why big brands should “keep it real” online. One thing small businesses tend to do well is to just be themselves. The lack of rigid hierarchy and TPS reports tends to favor local businesses when it comes to social media. It comes naturally because you’re intimately involved with the day-to-day operations of your business, your customers and all the minutiae that makes up your brand. In online social networks people like to know that they’re talking to a real person even when the person represents a company. Just being yourself can give you a leg up on your larger competitors.
Love conquers all. Now, I’m not suggesting we all hug each other and break out an acoustic guitar but your passion for your business is an advantage that can be conveyed vividly through social media. A short video on 12seconds.tv featuring a tip from you, a thoughtful blog entry about the future of your industry or an audio podcast of your staff hosting a round-table discussion on how to receive the best service possible can go a long ways with prospects and current customers. If you love your business and articulate that passion by developing an online conversation with your customers, you’ll stand out against the “Big Boys.”
Go local and keep those dollars in your community everyone! Tell the story of how your small/local brand used social media to compete against bigger rivals in the comments section.
Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Nick
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