Social Media Management 
Social Media Management
Social Media Marketing is Critical for Small Business As people spend more and more of their time on social media websites, businesses need to adapt their advertising to take advantage of this trend. Small businesses with limited advertising and marketing budgets should be aware of the latest trends and utilize social media marketing to expand their reach and presence. Social media is still an untapped avenue for marketing, as 43% of small business owners spend less than 10% of their marketing budgets on social media. Over a third of small businesses with a social media presence do not regularly update content. A small business that embraces social media marketing can stand out from competitors and gain an advantage in the marketplace.FacebookBy far the most dominate of social media sites, Facebook boasts over 750 million active members, a number which continues to grow. Many small businesses already utilize Facebook as an efficient way to market products and services to customers and prospects.Successful Facebook pages of small businesses treat these pages as the faceplate of their brand. Remembering that potential customers will use the Facebook page as a source of information, successful businesses provide meaningful content. At a minimum, a Facebook page should have accurate contact information, hours of business, and other relevant, basic information.One of the keys to using Facebook to market a business is connecting with as many people as possible. The first step is to add friends, starting with people the business already knows and then expanding into people those initial people know. Building this network will provide a base of people to whom the business can market.Groups on Facebook are another source of potential customers. There are many existing groups on Facebook and joining ones that are relevant to a given business will expand its marketing reach. These groups can be people who are interested in a specific product, live in a specific area, or are fans of a competitor. In addition to existing groups, small businesses can create their own in an attempt to draw in more people and further expand the network.Once a network has been established, it is important to continually update content to drive people to the Facebook page so that the business stays relevant and at the front of consumers minds. A common way for small businesses to market through Facebook is to publish their blog posts on the site. This will expand distribution and readership as well as drive more traffic to the primary website.In a similar vein, Facebook has functionality to advertise and manage event responses. Invitations to marketing events, customer appreciation nights and information sessions can be sent via Facebook. Responses can be tabulated within Facebook, making it very easy to see how many people to expect at an event. Using Facebook for invitations is also cheaper and more targeted than using direct mailings. Reminder messages closer to the day of the event are also easily distributed.Facebook Marketplace is a good choice for certain types of businesses. It allows a small business to list its services or products directly on Facebook and advertise to the broad membership. By listing goods and services on Facebook Marketplace, a small business can broaden its reach several layers into the networks of its own friends. Functionality within Facebook changes rapidly, and a savvy business owner needs to stay abreast of the newest features. The latest feature is Recommend This Place, allowing a user to tell friends about experiences with a business. While this function is only available to some users at the moment, Facebook is rolling out availability. People are much more likely to utilize products and services that have been recommended to them by friends, so expanding the number of people who have recommended a business can have a meaningful impact on future sales.TwitterWhile Facebook is by far the largest social media site, it is not the only one that business owners should be aware of and utilizing. Twitter has over 175 million registered users, and over one billion tweets are sent per week. Tweets are short burst messages limited to 140 characters which are usually accessed by people on their mobile phones. Twitter works by allowing users to follow the tweets of individuals and businesses that they find interesting.While it can be challenging to advertise effectively with a limited character count, successful businesses can use the service to stay relevant to consumers and keep them aware of the company. An interesting Twitter feed will keep a company at the front of a consumer's mind and be an effective form of advertising on a platform that consumers are spending more and more time interacting with, specifically their smart phones.The key to having a large following on Twitter is sharing interesting content. If people feel that the content they are getting from a business is worthwhile, they will read it, share it, and think positively of the business. A good strategy is to find a niche and become a source of information for that niche. Obviously, that niche should be something related to the business. Twitter can be used to advertise specials, drive traffic to a website to read new blog posts, or provide other interesting content related to a business or industry. Another important role in having a Twitter account is to be engaged in what other people are saying about the business. Often, people who have had a negative experience with a company will resort to airing their complaints on Twitter almost instantly. By having a Twitter account, a business can monitor negative mentions and reach out to offended customers and save the relationship. Negative news travels very quickly, especially over the internet, so fixing problems while they are in the early stages will be easier and cheaper than waiting to solve the problem later. Also, developing the reputation for being responsive and customer-focused will only enhance standing in the marketplace and customer perception.Linked InAs with all social media sites, Linked In works by creating a network of people connected to other people and businesses. While Facebook is more targeted towards personal relationships, Linked In is targeted towards professional relationships, so it is often a good place for a business to start its online marketing presence. As with Facebook, the initial steps are to establish a professional profile, connect to people already known by the business and then leverage those relationships. An important feature in Linked In is the ability to ask for and receive recommendations from people in the network. Perhaps a recent customer has had a good experience and is willing to share it online. Creating a base of positive recommendations will help drive further business. Companies should not be afraid to ask for the recommendations, which will increase the number they receive. After people recommend a business, their friends are more likely to utilize that business, because people are generally more open to using something a trusted friend has already used. Linked In also has professional groups, similar in concept to Facebook groups. Joining pertinent groups will help expand the companys network and give access to more potential customers. Linked In is another avenue through which traffic can be driven to blog postings and main websites.Google +The newest entrant into the social media space is Google with its Google + product. While still relatively small, the number of users has already surpassed 10 million. Google plans to roll out access to this social media outlet slowly. Given the size and reach of Google, it is easy to imagine several hundred million users in a relatively short period of time. Because of this potential audience, a small business should invest time and resources in establishing a presence on Google +. People must be invited to join the service, so a business that has not yet received an invitation would be well served by finding a friend who has joined to serve as a source of entry into the new network.The newest innovation Google + brings to social media is the concept of circles, where a user can add friends to certain categories and then share information relevant to only people in a given circle. This can be an effective marketing tool. Certain offers can be shared with prospects but not existing clients or vice versa. Being able to further target advertising will make marketing campaigns and communications even more effective and efficient.ConclusionPeople spend more of their time with social media, consuming content online rather than through more traditional media outlets. Because of this change in consumer preferences, businesses must adapt. Small businesses especially should embrace social media as a way for them to get their message to customers. Social media offers unparalleled access to potential and existing customers, as well as the ability to target messages to certain groups of customers. Best of all, social media awareness can be achieved at a fraction of the cost of a traditional advertising program. Small businesses can become more successful by leveraging the power of social media.
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