Video Presentation

Video presentation of why small businesses should use Social Media to market their business is now online!  I would like to give a special thanks to Sunrise Cyclery in Logan, Utah for letting us talk to them!

For HD quality, please visit here http://youtu.be/rIgP0346H2k?hd=1

Do Your Customers “Like” You?

Living the entrepreneurial dream? Kids flow in left and right into your ice-cream shop on a hot summer day, a family has a huge kitchen remodel to be done and hires you on for the job, a desperate mother calls you to fix the overflowing washing machine, and everyone in town wants your designer clothes. The dreams go on and on for every small business, but what happened to the glory days of economic prosperity? Times are becoming ever more challenging and uncertain for small businesses. People aren’t buying as much, the prices of gas and goods are sky rocketing, debt is overwhelming, job cuts are imminent, and the future of one’s small business stands on thin ice. Many businesses are doing everything they can to adapt to these challenges; many businesses are actually still ahead and in the green. The usage of technology and the internet are key to many business’s success. The new generation of consumers are looking to these sources to find their products and services. Many traditional marketing tools are less effective and could be keeping you behind in the game. A new kind of business marketing model is forming. Many, if not most, large and small businesses are catching on to these trends and have websites and/or advertisements on the internet? There is however one trend that might be undermined, ridiculed, or even overlooked and that is “social media.” We are no longer in the days of only limited chat-rooms, underground forums, and teenage MySpace pages. Social Media is the newest form of marketing available to small businesses that should be incorporated into your small business marketing plan. The excellent advantages will out weigh any doubts and difficulties associated with social media integration. Possibly to make the term “social media” more meaningful I would call it something like, “the key resource businesses have to connecting directly to their customers and their customer’s friends;” or simply “social marketing.”

The human race is very social; people like to talk to each other and find out what is going on. This social aspect in all of us is very beneficial to small businesses because they offer products and services that make us even more social. What woman doesn’t love to talk about their cute clothes she just bought at a low price, or what man doesn’t like to talk about the best steakhouse in town? Okay, there are a few exceptions but you get the point. People love to socialize and they socialize about everything. Think, what if customers were socializing about something you were selling; would that ultimately generate more sales? It is well known that word-of-mouth advertising is very effective and gets people to buy products, which builds up a good clientele. This form of thinking is driving many businesses now to think of better ways to market and really reach out to customers.

You might be thinking, “if everyone is so social, why aren’t they here in my shop buying my products?” This is understandable and brings up the point of “where are your customers?” and almost just as important, “where is your business?” These sociable people are on their computers, on their phones, and at their friends house on the computer. It is up for debate on the effects of being “connected” all the time with technology, but it is apparent that that is the place where most of your customers are, and maybe you are already there too. It is very common for people to go onto the internet to do a whole slew of tasks and among them look for products and services. Technology has made it very easy for anyone to quickly search for businesses. One example of a typical Google Search for the “nearest plumber in Logan, Utah” comes up with a list of exclusive plumbing websites; list of geographical plumbing locations in Logan, Utah with addresses, phone numbers, and websites; list of local plumbing websites; etc. There are so many wonderful resources that are fast and inexpensive for marketing on the internet. Small businesses have jumped on the bandwagon to get a website or some sort of advertising available on the internet, which has helped them tremendously. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the second quarter internet retail sales of 2011 have produced about $47.5 billion, and those figures just keep growing each year. These figures are really only about 4.6% of total retail sales but I would argue that many other sales were made because customers were able to find businesses online (“Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 2nd Quarter 2011” 1-3) Could there be other possibilities with such a great resource and how does a small business connect into the social end of marketing online? This is where “social media” comes in, or as I like to call it “social marketing.

The internet started as a very bland and rudimentary medium for sharing research and other information between “experts.” The internet has quickly evolved in the last twenty years into a grand source for sharing information, opinions, news, music, videos, products, and now even our personal lives. Brad Stone, in Newsweek, states that even less than a decade ago many technical experts would not have banked on the internet as being a large source for revenue until “online users” came into the picture. Now it is like a bomb shell of ever increasing revenue (Stone, “Hi-Tech’s New Day”). As for myself, I contribute to these “online users” because I use the internet daily for sometimes hours on end. Much of that time is spent socializing with friends and family. Social media is growing and there isn’t just one tool. Tools like blogs, Facebook,Google+, Linkedin, MySpace, Twitter, Foursquare, and community forums, to just name a few, are all mediums for people to communicate. Advancements in social media have come in leaps and bounds these last few years. Many still might think of social media as the common chat-room or dry forums used by nerds, researchers, experts, gamers, and pedophiles that really don’tcreate much of an environment for any business to market in. These aspects of social media still exist but the environments are changing and evolving to be more public and “sociable.” It has almost become a way of life for many to update their Facebook page everyday or “tweet” until their thumbs are numb.

My definition of “social marketing” suggests that small businesses use social media to market their services and products directly into the conversations of the community. Like any conversation, one usually doesn’t cut in midway and expect to be the center of attention. In an interview with Sara Gibbons, the webmaster for the Huntsman School of Business, explained that a small business should ”start small and build from there.” She explained that with any website or social media incorporation it is important to do tests to see what works. This testing might include figuring out the size and quantity of things like posts, emails, or videos that are shared each week. She further explained the use of special offers or other incentives to get people to subscribe and share links with friends (Gibbons). People socialize, share, and discuss through things like comments, posts, and chat. This includes the famous “Like” button for Facebook, which shows others that they found something interesting. Social media is the fastest and easiest way for people to share opinions with large groups all over the world. The main purpose of social marketing is that your customers are socializing amongst themselves and other potential customers about your business, all the while leaving you “in” the conversation.

As an example, the other day I saw an ad for the Toyota Facebook page where they were advertising their new 2011 Camry Hybrid. I clicked on the ad and found myself engulfed in information, discussions, and YouTube videos all talking about this new Camry. I wasn’t looking to buy a car and I really don’t like hybrid cars all that much but I ended up spending a few minutes of my life going to their website and actually looking at their cars. I wasn’t going to take the time to socialize about this car but this Facebook page impacted me and probably influenced a whole lot of other people into getting excited about the car and eventually buying it. This is an example from a large company, but these same tools and tricks can get your business into the social pool. People aren’t just talking with their neighbors anymore, they are talking to the world.

Not everyone is totally familiar with the internet and knows how to use the tools available. Many might think that the cost is too high or it takes too much time. These and other concerns might lead you to believe that it is better to just not do it. Shara Gibbons advises that a social media marketing plan should start off small and work its way up. There are many sources now that offer website design, blog design, Facebook integration, and YouTube video editing all very inexpensively and rapidly. The best way to find out how to integrate is by looking around for local businesses who offer these services and looking on Google for resources. Shara Gibbons, in the interview, also shared some insight about how the school’s website and social networks have evolved in the six years she has worked there. “The web is never finalized… you are never done, there’s always things you can do to improve it (Gibbons).” This is very true, technology and the internet are constantly evolving which makes it so important to get informed and start into it now. Because no one solution or tactic will work for all businesses, new ideas and marketing methods will come out in the process that will specifically help your small business.

The goal of any small business isn’t to have the most so-called “friends” in the social networking world but to have the most “friends” actually buying their products or using their services. Social media marketing tools are new and haven’t yet been tested by a lot of time but I suggest that it isn’t as trivial as it sounds. Many have said things like, “it’s all about the customer.” Social media or social marketing attacks that straight on, you can get your business right to the customer and get them involved; they almost do all the advertising for you. The YouTube video“Social Media Revolution 2011” states many facts and statistics supporting social media and outlines the need for businesses to use social media. In it, it claims that the ROI for social media is high enough that you will be in business five years from now (Qualman). In these difficult economic times it is hard to say that your business will still be doing well or even be around in five years, so social media could be the security needed to stay afloat.

The economy is low and many small businesses are suffering. Your business might be one of these and even if it is not, a steadier stream of revenue could really help. Among the many good ways to market, social media sticks out as one of the most effect resources. Technology is constantly evolving and opening up doors for you to socially connect with your customers. Experienced and inexperienced technology users have many resources available at reasonable prices for integrating social media into current marketing plans. “Social Media Revolution 2011” also quotes Erik Qualman who challenges “We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it (Qualman).” Your customers “like” to socialize and are out there ready to talk about your business, but are you there to talk back?

Works Cited

Gibbons, Shara. Personal Interview by Clinton Buchanan. 18 Oct 2011.

“Social Media Revolution 2011.” Video. Socialnomics. Erik Qualman. 2011. Web. 1 Nov 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo>.

Stone, Brad. “Hi-Tech’s New Day.” Newsweek 145.15 (2005): 60-64. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

United States. Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 2nd Quarter 2011. Washington, DC: , 2011. Web. <http://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf>.

The Social Revolution

Very well made video putting in perspective the new rise of social media.  Erik Qualman put together this video and along with his book “Socialnomics” that explains the importance of businesses using social media to market to their customers.  He might call it socialnomics but sense I really can’t say it clearly and economics is a big word for me, I call it “social marketing.”  Whatever you call it, it really is just you and your business getting into the conversation with your customers.  Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo

Very impressive website to help your small business get on its feet with the latest marketing tools.  Very affordable and diverse.

http://www.crowdspring.com/

Even more is this nifty chart about the benefits of using social media in your business marketing plan.  This really shows where successful small businesses are going and how they connect to their customers.

http://blog.crowdspring.com/2011/09/small-business-social-media-infographic/

"Crowdsourced Logo and Graphic Design by crowdSPRING"

 

Duct Tape Marketing

Ever wanted to get your business into the social media realm? Here on www.ducttapemarketing.com, John Jantsch offers marketing helps for the changing market.  I looked through, and liked this document www.ducttapemarketing.com/socialmediaforbusiness.pdf that explains why and how your business can incorporate social media into your marketing plan.  Give it a look-over!

Research (Draft)

Research Draft (Small Businesses Online: Are you ahead or in the dust?)

Where is your small business? How has the economy effected it? What are you doing to keep up with the changing market? These aged old questions are still especially valuable in the current economic downturn. Markets are constantly changing. There are many new forms of advertising. Arguably for the good or the bad, but advancements must be made in any small business marketing strategy. A necessary addition is the world wide web. Every small business must incorporate a web based marketing plan to keep ahead or even just afloat.

What might I mean by web based marketing; I mean using resources on the web like company websites, online stores, social networks, website banner advertising, mobile applications, email, search engines, and more. Where are customers going? The answer is the web. When someone needs a restaurant in an unfamiliar city, they go to their nearest web-based search engine. When looking for the best value products, they go to their favorite store’s website. When looking for a hotel, they use travel sites. When searching for one’s favorite music artist, they find them on social networking sites. The new generation of consumers are using technology and the internet more than ever for their daily needs.

Alright, you might be saying “but my business doesn’t fit under those categories; I’m a contractor, I’m a doctor, I’m baker…” These are valid points, but look at it this way, how might you advertise your building contracting business to potential clients? You could at least put your name and ad out with websites that promote local contractors in the area or you could have a company website that showcases your recent building projects. An optometrist might have a website dedicated to informing patients about specific procedures they do, certain contact lens brands offered, or testimonies from returning patients and other doctors. A baker could write up a blog about their bakery’s legacy and share new recipes with dedicated customers. There are an infinity of different ways to promote your small business online that can help it grow in today’s economy.

Advertising has changed through the years and businesses have looked to many sources to put their name into the market. Advertising now-a-days can be anything from word of mouth, to newspaper ads, to radio, to the TV, to the internet. Brad Stone, in Newsweek, states that even less than a decade ago many technical experts would not have banked on the internet as being a big source of consumer sales until “online users” came into the picture. Now it is like a bomb shell of ever increasing revenue (Stone, “Hi-Tech’s New Day”). According to the U.S. Census Bureau there were about $47.5 billion in internet retail sales in the second quarter of 2011 alone, and those figures just keep growing every year. These figures are really only about 4.6% of total retail sales, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but how can that percentage help your business and what does that reflect on where consumers are going to find products and services (“Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 2nd Quarter 2011” 1-3)? Stone also explains many of the benefits of advertising on the internet because of current use of social networks, blogs, lower costs, and many other things (Stone, “Hi-Tech’s New Day”). As a young consumer myself, I look to the web and other technological sources to find the products and services I need. The world is gearing towards computers, easy access, quick information, global markets, and much more. I agree with Stone on the idea that the web offers many advantages to advertising.

Now you might know why web based marketing is important, but how does one go about doing it and what might be the downsides? With good reason, small business owners might be reluctant to advertise their business on the internet. As research and opinions have stated, many people don’t know how to go about developing a website, others might be concerned about the overall cost and time, many might be weary with security, and others just plain want to keep their business local. As everyone knows, there are many disadvantages with the web. It is a place where everyone can voice their opinions about a subject, a person, or even a company. Putting a small business out on the web to the masses creates a challenge of keeping it’s image and reputation untainted. Personal, one-on-one service lacks greatly with clients over the internet. Poorly designed websites can hurt a company more than build it up. And, scariest of all, a small business on the web just doesn’t truly define a good old “brick and mortar/mom and pop” store where they treat you like family. These concerns really can challenging to overcome in your business but it is possible to overcome them. Despite the challenges and the change in the traditional small business model, a small business has an advantage when they put themselves out on the world wide web. Even with the doubts, sources support online marketing.

When a company is going to put themselves out on the web, there are many different approaches. A small business has the option to invest a lot of money in online marketing or spend close to nothing. Full fledged website development, databases creation, cloud storage and managing, internet store creation, and web application integration are all offered by professional companies to really jump start everyone from small businesses to large corporations. These “investments” could be key to success for certain types of businesses while others might opt for a more economical approach. Companies like Facebook, WordPress, Yahoo, Blogger, etc. offer low cost or free solutions to connect directly to customers and potential clients through social networking. Other low cost solutions include Google Ads or banner advertisements. So, the cost and time fears of online marketing can be eradicated after comparing the price of sending out catalogs or advertisements to a thousand mailboxes and sending an email with the same content with links to online company sources to many thousands of people in an instant, and this being only one example of the many time/money saving solutions.

Noor Azuan Hashim looks at many of these aspects of small businesses in Malaysia that have gone online in his research study. He argues that it is assumed that internet marketing is always a good idea for companies but that his research shows that it is not always a valuable option. He tries to understand what managers think about using the internet in their businesses. Managers in his study group want internet presence to promote their company but at the same time there is reluctance to dive fully into the web and it’s resources (Hashim, “E-commerce and SMEs—The Need for Caution”). I understand and sympathize with the opinion that going on the web with a small business may not seem like the best option, but I think that if managers are careful, and can put a little money and time into it, a viable web presence can be very supportive to their business, even if it is just getting their name out to the online public.

An article from the Marketing Management Journal, focuses on how a local store’s image may be effected by their web presence which ties into the results of Noor’s work. The article suggests that there are many factors that tie into a store’s overall image. These include the “brick and mortar” store, previous customer experiences, quality expectations, overall web presence quality, etc. Their research shows that a company that has a good physical image needs a good web image for customers to come back to their website and stop in at the store more often (Moore, Kinard, Moore. “THE CARRY-OVER EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL STORE’S IMAGE ON ITS ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL”).

I absolutely agree that a company that is planning on going on the web must invest in having a good presence or it might backfire and lower the company’s overall image. All small businesses should advertise themselves on the world wide web. Many research studies and opinions support the viability of web integration of small businesses to increase business. A web presence is very important in our developing world but it should be approached in a controlled and smart manner. If a company fails to address web based marketing, they will fall behind in the pack and be left in the dust of a declining economy.
_________________________
Works Cited

Hashim, Noor Azuan. “E-commerce and SMEs—The Need for Caution.” Prometheus 27.2 (2009): 125-140. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

Moore, Robert S., Brian R. Kinard, and Melissa L. Moore. “THE CARRY-OVER EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL STORE’S IMAGE ON ITS ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.” Marketing Management Journal 15.1 (2005): 59-68. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Sept. 2011.

Stone, Brad. “Hi-Tech’s New Day.” Newsweek 145.15 (2005): 60-64. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

United States. Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 2nd Quarter 2011. Washington, DC: , 2011. Web. .

Preliminary Research (Draft)

With good reason, small business owners might be reluctant to advertise their business on the internet. As research and opinions have stated, many people don’t know how to go about developing a website, others might be concerned about the overall cost and time, many might be weary with security, and others just plane want to keep their business local. Despite the challenges and the necessity to do it in the right way, small businesses have an advantage when they put their business out on the world wide web. Even with the doubts, sources support online marketing.

Advertising has changed through the years and businesses have looked to many sources to put their name into the market. Advertising now-a-days can be anything from word of mouth, to newspaper ads, to radio, to the TV, to the internet. Brad Stone, in Newsweek, states that even less than a decade ago many technical experts would not have banked on the internet as being a huge source for consumers until online users came into the picture. Stone also explains many of the benefits of advertising on the internet because of social networks, blogs, lower costs etc. (Stone, “Hi-Tech’s New Day”). As a young consumer, I look to the web and other technological sources to find the products and services I need. The world is gearing towards computers, easy access, quick information, global markets, and much more. I agree with Stone on that web offers my advantages to advertising.

When a company is going to put themselves out on the web, there are many different approaches. These approaches might include contact information on a related website, a website with information about the company, e-Commerce, online catalogs, blogs, social networks or a combination of a few. Noor Azuan Hashim looks at many of these aspects of small businesses in Malaysia that have gone online in his research study. He argues that it is assumed that internet marketing is always a good idea for companies but that his research shows that it is not always a valuable option. He tries to understand what managers think about using the internet in their businesses. Like I stated before about how research and opinions show that some small businesses have mixed feelings about going on the web, managers in his study group want internet presence to promote their company but at the same time there is reluctance to dive fully into the web (Hashim, “E-commerce and SMEs—The Need for Caution”). I agree with the opinion that going on the web with a small business isn’t “always” the best option, but I think if managers are careful, and can put a little money and time into it, a viable web presence can be very supportive to their business.

An article from the Marketing Management Journal, focuses on how a local store’s image may be effected by their web presence which ties into the results of Noor’s work. The article suggests that there are many factors that tie into a store’s overall image. These include the “brick and mortar,” store, previous customer experiences, quality expectations, overall web presence quality, etc. Their research shows that a company that has a good physical image needs a good web image for customers to come back to their website and stop in at the store more often (Moore, Kinard, Moore. “THE CARRY-OVER EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL STORE’S IMAGE ON ITS ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL”). I absolutely agree that a company that is planning on going on the web must invest in having a good presence or it might backfire and lower the company’s overall image.

Most small businesses should get their business advertised on the world wide web. Many research studies and opinions support the viability of web integration of small businesses to increase business. A web presence is very important in our developing world but it should be approached in a controlled and smart manner. If a company fails to address their web integration in the right manner, it could come back to to degrade their image.
____________________________

Works Cited

Hashim, Noor Azuan. “E-commerce and SMEs—The Need for Caution.” Prometheus 27.2 (2009): 125-140. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

Moore, Robert S., Brian R. Kinard, and Melissa L. Moore. “THE CARRY-OVER EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL STORE’S IMAGE ON ITS ECOMMERCE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.” Marketing Management Journal 15.1 (2005): 59-68. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Sept. 2011.

Stone, Brad. “Hi-Tech’s New Day.” Newsweek 145.15 (2005): 60-64. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.

Welcome!

The SBO (small businesses online) Project is a blog to host my research on the subject of small businesses going into the internet marketing realm. Many small businesses are putting their products and services on the internet for the world to see. Some small business websites are made solely to advertise their services and provide a way for consumers/clients to find them; other businesses go as far as putting all of their services or products online. I would like to create an argument directed towards small businesses owners to persuade them to put their businesses out on the web but in a manner best suited for their business.

Every business is different and has a place in the free market. Obviously one type of web presence will not work for every business. For example: A construction business probably doesn’t have any use for an e-commerce type website, but it would benefit from a website showcasing their projects to show the public their work. A local clothing store on the other hand might benefit from a small e-commerce website to boost sales from people who live far away.

In a nutshell, I am doing research to help out the small business owner who may or may not be thinking about stepping into the digital world of the World Wide Web.

I hope to gather more information on this subject and get your feedback to add valuable information to this site to finally put together a research paper.  In addition to this paper, I would like to have the start of an information database on this blog for business owners to find the right solution for getting their business online.  Please stay tuned for updates, surveys, interviews from experts in the field, and more.

-Clinton Buchanan