I'll just say it. I am bullish on social marketing. I haven't written much about it thus far, largely because so many other people are writing so much. There are days, frankly, when I've downloaded my eighth white paper and clicked through my sixty third tweet of the day about how to, why to or what to do regarding social platforms that I just want to say "enough already". But I love it all, and, while it's overwhelming at times, it's good, healthy and encouraging that we're all talking about this as it becomes an essential part of our businesses. Reminds me a bit of a disruptive force called e-commerce that came along about a decade and a half ago. It had dust spinning throughout retail corporate America, and permanently changed the face of how we do business.
I'll say one more thing. I have enormous respect and admiration for small local businesses. While most of my clients are larger online and multi-channel retailers, I've had the pleasure of working with many small businesses to shape their online strategies.
On April 22 in Seattle, I'll be speaking to an audience of local businesses about the convergence of social, mobile and local innovations and the subsequent disruption to what we've known as marketing on the internet. This phenomenon, cleverly named the "Splinternet" by social marketing icons Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (of Groundswell fame) has big implications for companies of all sizes; some are thrilling, some are a bit frightening. I am a bit uneasy. On the one hand, I am bubbling over with enthusiasm about the subject matter and the litany of examples I have to share. On the other hand, I am concerned about how the audience will react. Small business owners have limited time, human resources and money. They spend their days running their businesses and taking care of customers. Marketing is usually not a dedicated function, if it's a function at all. Many local business owners are not "digital natives", and may find these new marketing methods intimidating and impersonal.
As I've prepared for the event and looked at the advice that's out there for small businesses, it looks daunting. Now, in addition to maintaining an informative and engaging website, they need to cultivate an online presence in so many other ways. Got a Facebook page? How are you using it, building a fan base and engaging fans with your brand? Are you Tweeting? Are you optimizing your social media participation for SEO? Got a blog? How about a LinkedIn profile? And don't for get your Google Place Page. It might become as important as your website itself. Be sure to keep that updated. Are you listed on all of the major directory sites? Do you have a mobile version of your site? An app? The Splinternet isn't just a jigsaw puzzle for big companies, it applies to small companies too, in spades.
It's no wonder that the myriad of choices and pressure to participate has many local businesses frustrated and overwhelmed. The statistics tell the story. The recently released "State of Small Business Report" from Network Solutions and the University Of Maryland Business School reveals that just 24% of small businesses have adopted social media. While that's double from the prior year's 12% showing, it's a small number. Of those small business that are using social platforms, 50% reported that participation takes more time than expected.
So, what's my advice?
Shameless plug, but if you're in Seattle on April 22, come to the event, sponsored by the terrific team at AlphaGraphics Seattle. It will be a great opportunity to learn, discuss and (if you want to) vent about how the world of local business marketing is being rocked. You can register here.
See you on there! (And if you can't make it, we'll be sure to do a follow up post and/or webinar).
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