5 Things Small Business Owners Should Be Doing

Editor's Note: This article first appeared on StateCollege.com as a guest column by Eric Zimmett

5. Social Media

Social Media is a great space to interact with customers on a variety of fun, engaging platforms.

Use social media as a conversation with your customers – to strengthen existing relationships, build new ones and give a little taste of your personality as a business owner.

Today, your customers will expect you to be using social media. Participate: launch a Facebook Page; use Twitter, Foursquare or Pinterest. Engage and interact with your audience.

Facebook

Facebook is an excellent hub for conversations, news, comments, contests and photos. Facebook also offers a small-business advertising program. A good Facebook Page requires quality content and regular frequency. Update your Facebook Page every day and respond to comments and questions promptly.

Facebook rolled out its new Timeline layout to all brand pages Friday. Read more about the new brand pages at facebook.com/about/pages. Not on Facebook Pages? Get started at facebook.com/pages/create.php

Twitter

Twitter announced last week, on its sixth birthday, that it has reached 140 million users (in tune with its 140-character limit). The micro-blogging platform serves as a way to alert followers of news, specials, changes or insight into the company.

This week, Twitter introduced Twitter for Small Business, self-serve ads including promoted accounts and promoted tweets. Learn more at business.twitter.com. Join Twitter at twitter.com/account/new.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a mobile application that rewards customers for visiting your business. Reward check-ins with a special discount or offer. Or award your most frequent customer – which Foursquare dubs Mayor – with the highest prize.

Foursquare requires minimal effort to keep going. Unlike Facebook Pages and Twitter profiles, Foursquare is user-generated. Users check-in on their own. Users unlock specials that you've created and compete with friends on their Leaderboard.

Is your business already on there? Claim your venue at foursquare.com/business.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a pin-board for interests. Launched just two years ago the site has already eclipsed 11 million users, according to a January report by comScore, becoming the fastest site in history to reach the 10-million mark. Businesses have found recent success on Pinterest by interacting with users and sharing company photos. Request an invite at pinterest.com/landing.

4. Blogging

A blog is a great way to share your expertise in your field, to brand yourself as an expert.

It’s also a great way to stay on top of trends, new information and be connected with your industry. Start a blog and stick to a regular schedule to keep your posts fresh and relevant.

Three leading blog services are WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr.

Keep your content focused. Don’t sell your business on your blog; that will happen organically after you’ve branded yourself as an expert in your industry.

3. YouTube

The best part about YouTube – other than those funny cat videos – is that you can build your own online TV network free of charge.

Build a YouTube Channel and either link to videos in your industry (Informational Videos or How-To videos) or record them yourself. Creating the videos on your own allows the viewer to get to know your business.

A new feature introduced last week by YouTube allows for simplified video editing, making it even easier to get started with your own channel.

2. Get on the Street

Slow business day? Well don't just sit there, hit the streets! Talk with your customers one-on-one. Offer samples, coupons, or ask questions. What better a way to get customer feedback than talking directly to them? Thinking of implementing a new menu item? Or changing your store layout? Ask people on the street. Some won't want to talk to you. Focus on the ones who do.

Put your face in front of the business. Then your customers aren't just shopping at the store on the corner, they're shopping at your store on the corner: Bill’s office supplies, John’s book store, Wendy's coffee shop. They’ll connect with your business on a more personal level.

1. Advertising

Advertising isn't just for national brands. Local businesses need it more than anyone. It isn't enough to just open your doors and hope people come in. Advertising builds companies. It informs, sometimes entertains, and reminds customers that you're there, and that you have the products they want and the expertise to service them.

Believe it or not, it's possible to generate word-of-mouth. It's called advertising. When you advertise your business, and advertise the same message often enough, you're using word-of-mouth to build buzz about your business.

Search-engine marketing is an online super-highway where you can connect with customers who are searching for your products and/or services. Make sure your website is well optimized and contains information – skip on the fluff – that best portrays your business.

If you don't know how to build an effective website or make it search-engine friendly, find someone who does. Being visible when customers are searching for you is an important step in acquiring new customers.

What are you waiting for?!

So get out there and talk with your customers; whether it’s in person, in the ads or on your blog. Be friendly. Be yourself. Have fun. Interaction is key. Show people how much you love your business. Because if you do it well enough, they will too.

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Photo by Flickr user anniemole

The Twitterati

Twitterati: The Tweet elite, whose feeds attract thousands of followers and whose 140-character spews capture the attention of the rapt who doggedly monitor them.  -As defined by Urban Dictionary

Twitter, a mircroblogging site launched in 2006, is a triple-threat source for news, gossip and social networking. (That sums it up in 140.)

Recent reports estimate that 90 percent of tweets are generated by less than 25 percent of Twitter users. Let's call them the Twitterati. The USA Today broke them down into four categories: media, celebrities, organizations and bloggers.

Twitter is trying to change that and increase its Twitter appeal among a wider user base. Last week, Twitter announced it will be making its homepage more user friendly. More accessible for those who haven't yet made the Twitter jump; for those who are on Twitter but don't often tweet; for those who don't quite understand Twitter. (And those who have no connections to the Twitterati.)

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who returned to the company in late March, is in favor of a more mainstream website. Dorsey served as Twitter's first chief executive, then took a step back in 2008 and handed the CEO duties to co-founder Evan Williams; the two essentially switched roles. Dorsey is now back in the fold as executive chairman.

Jack Dorsey s Twitter account, announcing his return on March 28, 2011

Per Reuters, Dorsey wants to focus on users "that don't really understand what Twitter is and see Twitter mainly as a consumption experience."

"We have a lot of mainstream awareness but mainstream relevancy is still a challenge," Dorsey was quoted on Reuters.com, from an event in New York hosted by the Columbia Journalism school.

I noticed the home-page change Thursday, April 14. Here's a screenshot I grabbed. The tag has been changed to "Follow your interests," more in-line with way most people use Twitter. Subtitle: "Instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and what's happening around the world."

The new home page hasn't rolled out to everyone just yet. In fact, I visited the site two days later and saw the old page. Which offers only "Twitter. The best way to discover what's new in your world."

The change might seem subtle, but for someone new to the site and the service, the re-design definitely accomplishes what Dorsey wants. And it could be the difference in Twitter gaining mass appeal.

Dorsey started Twitter in 2006 with co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. In addition to his return role at Twitter, Dorsey serves as chief executive at mobile-payment startup Square.

Rumors were also floating around the web that Twitter is planning to redesign its Brand Pages, which as of right now are no different than user pages. The said move will make Twitter Brand Pages more like Facebook Pages.

Twitter’s microblogging service has exploded among celebrities, reporters and sports stars; and has filled a niche that Facebook doesn’t. All within 140 characters. Pro athletes are announcing moves on Twitter before the reporters have the story. Celebrity tweets are quoted daily in the news.

I'm new to the Twitter scene. One of the aforementioned 'on Twitter but don't often tweet' users. But now, I've decided, I'm in. I made the plunge a few short weeks ago. Actually, the specific moment was after I attended a lecture by John Andrews, Founder and CEO of Collective Bias.

"Collective Bias is an emerging media firm focused on the intersection of mobile/social media and social shopper marketing. Through our proprietary Social Fabric shopping influencer group, we build dedicated communities for our clients designed to foster the shared conversation between consumers, brands and retailers, creating an advocacy platform that fosters organic dialogue and strong brand relationships and ultimately enhanced loyalty and sales." - From Collective Bias handout at Penn State University in March, 2011. Collective Bias is based in Southfield, MI; Bentonville, AR; Scottsdale, AZ; NYC.

Andrews recently visited Twitter headquarters to get a first-hand look. See his visit on Whrrl.

"I must admit that my opinion on Twitter has changed greatly since visiting," Andrews told me via email after returning from his trip.

"Twitter is doing some great thinking on products.  Their point of difference is focusing on the interest graph vs the social graph.  I think this is a very powerful marketing tool when you think about the connection of people sharing their interests actively (like a google search with friends and family connected)."

In the NFL, Denver Broncos Executive VP of Football Operations John Elway announced the team's new head coach on Twitter before anywhere else. John Fox was announced as coach @johnelway on Jan. 13, 2011. It was retweeted by @Denver_Broncos soon thereafter.

Twitter has successfully evolved into a full-fledged news outlet, from the sources themselves. That's powerful stuff.

"I believe that small media wins ultimately and search levels the playing field," Andrews said. "Media is decentralizing away from brand control to consumer control.  Content still wins, there is just no longer barriers to who produces that content.  Search, to which I include Twitter, allows the consumer to decide what content is important vs. the channel owner."

Twitter’s microblogging service has exploded among celebrities, reporters and sports stars; and has filled a niche that Facebook doesn’t. All within 140 characters. Pro athletes are announcing moves on Twitter before the reporters have the story. Celebrity tweets are quoted daily in the news. Twitter is on the map. And I think it's here to stay.

If it's accomplished this in only four years, where is it headed? What's next for Twitter? And will it mean the fall of the Twitterati?