Your prospects are bombarded with messages and distractions like never before –

Can anyone simplify all that’s happening online and produce effective marketing? You know, marketing that brings-in new clients day-in and day-out.

Frantically posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, your blog, your YouTube channel, Pinterest, Instagram and tweeting whenever you get a chance will make a small business owner go crazy.

Google is changing their algorithms every week. Google is hiding more and more keyword data from us every day. And Google is reducing the number of websites it shows on first page results. If you rely on Google search for most of your lead generation, it’s time to add some more tools to your toolbox.

Stop. Take a deep breath. Then …

Turn off your iPhone or Android for a second. Step away from Facebook and everything else you’re doing. Stop and think. Let’s find a common denominator among all this clutter.

The Common Denominator

First thing in the morning do you check your email? Do you check Facebook? What do you use to check your email or Facebook? Where are your contacts? On your smartphone, right?

If you’re like most business owners, you check your smartphone several times a day.

The Fastest & Easiest Way to Get Your Message in Your Prospect’s Head

The easiest way into a person’s smartphone is through email or Facebook. And email is still the most used “app” on smartphones.

When someone reads an email, they usually hear themselves speaking the words in their head. The voice from an email is their voice, just like their own thoughts.   What a great spokesperson for your business; your prospect.

• Email is still one of the most popular online activities: 92% of U.S. adults online use email (Pew Research Center 08/09/2011).
• 86% of people 18 and over share content via email (Marketing Profs October 2010).

The statistics above were taken from Email: The Forgotten Social Network

You Probably Already Have What You Need to Start Your Own Email Marketing Program

There are a lot of good email marketing solutions available today. But I want to show you a very simple solution for integrating email into your marketing efforts immediately. If you have a website built with WordPress you’re already able to start email marketing quickly and easily.

Install the MailChimp Plugin for WordPress

If you have WordPress then add the MailChimp plugin. MailChimp has great set-up instructions and MailChimp is free as long as you have under 2,000 subscribers and send fewer than 12,000 emails per month. If you want us to help you, call DSC Web Services, Inc at 918-409-2372

Automatically Email New Articles and Blog Posts on a Regular Basis

As long as you add articles and blog posts, MailChimp will automatically email your subscribers updates. It’s that simple. But you will have to post new content on a regular basis to your website or blog.

You’re also able to have your articles/blog posts feed your Facebook page with Networked Blogs.

If your website or blog isn’t built with WordPress, I recommend you change that as fast as you can. There are too many advantages to using WordPress as your website’s content management tool. If you want help, we can help you at DSC Web Services, Inc.

Website Success – Video Tutorials and Tips

In the next few weeks we’re rolling out an online video training service. We’ll teach you a successful system for marketing your business successfully online. We’ll teach you about local search engine marketing. We’ll teach you step-by-step on how to set-up MailChimp and Networked Blogs for yourself. We’ll also teach you how to use WordPress to promote your business across the internet.

The first tutorial will be free. We don’t have an official sign-up page yet. But you can shoot me an email at websitesuccesskit@dsc-webservices.com

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys”

On January 27, 2012 I wrote on my Facebook wall, “Looked at Pinterest today. Just what I thought. I have no interest in Pinterest.” Within a few minutes several people I respect told me I should look into Pinterest  further. They were right.

Then Kelly Kinkaid shared this:

You can find the whole article on Mashable here.

Pinterest is driving buyers to retailers’ websites. It’s a year later and I still don’t use Pinterest much. So when a friend asked me for advice about Pinterest the other day, I decided to do a little research.

Before even revisiting Pinterest my first thoughts were, tell a story with the pictures and videos you share. Follow others. Share. Promote others and find like minded people or people that are your customers.

What’s Popular on Pinterest?

You’re able to find out what is popular on Pinterest very quickly. They have a “popular” link near the top of the home page. I clicked on what’s popular on Pinterest today and saw this:

You don’t have to be a rocket scientest or even see the data to know that the Pinterest world is predominately female. Here are the numbers:

From the Momentum Factor blog 

What Businesses are using Pinterest well?

I looked up a few companies using Pinterest. I wanted to see who was doing well.  And to my surprise one of the big winners – drumroll please – is Lowe’s. That’s right. Lowe’s.

So why would a hardware store do well on Pinterest?

1 – Lowe’s uses a custom Pinterest tab on it’s Facebook page. You don’t have to leave Facebook to get the benefits of Pinterest. So it cross promotes effectively on both social media platforms. The first 12 days that Lowes used the Pinterest Facebook tab, it had a 32% increase in followers on it’s main Pinterest page.

2 – Lowe’s promotes their Pinterest page on TV ads and more. It shares it’s most popular “pins” on Facebook too. Cross promoting

3 – Lowe’s encourages people to “pin” their own pictures and videos using Lowes products

4 – Lowe’s creates boards on Bathroom Decoration, Style, and entertaining. In essence it’s an online magazine that it’s readers help create.

Read more about Lowes Pinterest strategy here:

• Lowe’s Hopes Pinterest + Facebook = Higher Engagement
• 5 Ways Lowes Integrates Facebook and Pinterest 

What You as a Small Business Owner Can Do to Duplicate Lowe’s Success

Add the Facebook Pinterest tab to your company Facebook page. Then cross promote like crazy. You can get the Facebook Pinterest tab here.

Make it easy for people to “pin” items from your company blog or website. Here is a great plugin for WordPress powered websites and blogs called Hover Pin-It

Encourage people to pin and share your products in use.

If you’ve had success with Pinterest, share your stories with us in the comments below. If you have any questions about using Pinterest for your business, let us know.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys”

Recently I was asked for advice on using Pinterest. I know people are having great success driving traffic to their websites and blogs with Pinterest. So I’m digging around and finding out what’s working for small business success and sharing it with you.

This is the first post in a series on how to use Pinterest effectively.

Thanks goes to Socially Sorted and Mookoo Design for this great graphic

This is the final post in a four part expert series about marketing your small business online in 2012. In this post Cheryl Lawson answers the following question:

What Online Marketing Activities Should Small Business Owners Focus on in 2012? 

#1 Google Plus - Most of us are using Google products like Gmail, Picasa, Calendar, Youtube, Google+ and the +1 project will have the power of Google behind it.

Personal Google+ pages will be like places for people.  The one stop shop for everything you.  Set up your profile if you do nothing else.

Business pages have come to Google+. For more details, see this video:

If you believe search will be important in 2012, your business should begin creating a strategy for Google+.

#2  Is there an App for that?  Is there some part of your business that would work as a mobile app?  WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mobile app creators are more available and more affordable than ever.  Get in the mobile business.

#3 Get social - You have a Facebook page and that’s great. Facebook has changed the way people see content so you might see your engagement going down.  Find ways to engage your fans, friends, and followers in other ways. Find your most active community members and give them other ways to connect with you. Take the relationship to another level. Facebook groups, Twitter chats, Meetup.com, Google+ Hangouts are just a few ways to do that online.

About Cheryl Lawson

Cheryl Lawson is the owner and founder of event planning and marketing firm, Party Aficionado. Cheryl is also the mastermind behind Social Media Tulsa.  

Resources:

Official video explains Google+ Hangouts here:

Want to learn more? Register for the Social Media Tulsa Conference 2012

On March 15, 2012 at 9:00 AM  local and global social media, tech, mobile, PR, and internet marketing thought leaders will share their knowledge. Get inspired by our speakers. Meet the people behind the tweets, blogs, posts, and comments. Whether you are a small business looking to get started with a social media marketing plan, or a corporate marketing manager needing tips for taking your online marketing strategies to a new level, the Social Media Tulsa Conference is for you.  Find out more, here ›

Read the Rest of the Series on What Small Business Should Focus on in 2012

• Attitude, Video and Going where your customers are by Becky McCray 
• Taking Action and What’s Next by Allen Gibson
• Facebook Changes in 2012 by Melanie Nelson

This is the 3rd post in a four part expert series about marketing your small business online in 2012. In today’s post Melanie Nelson, author of Facebook All-in-One For Dummies and of the popular blog Blogging Basics 101, talks about the Facebook activities you should focus on for maximum growth in 2012.

What Activities Should Small Business Owners Focus On?

It really depends on what the business is because individual goals play a huge part in how you approach social media platforms. Since I’m writing Facebook All-In-One for Dummies right now, I’m hyperfocused on Facebook. The new Facebook changes outlined at the developer conference in September are going to have a big impact on how online and social media marketing evolve over the next 10 years. Back in 1995-96 web browsers brought the internet mainstream and changed how companies reached new audiences and advertised products. The Facebook changes coming over the next year will likely have the same impact.

Three Things Business Owners Should Look for this Year:

1. Facebook commerce will be an important part of how people use social media in 2012.

EDITOR NOTE: A good place to find out more about using Facebook Commerce is here, The Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Commerce

2. Overall, local businesses have been slow to adopt things like Facebook Deals or Foursquare check-in deals. Those that have adopted them don’t publicize them or work to promote them. If that changes, local businesses will find they have a goldmine.

3. Add the “Like/Share/Own/whatever” verb button to your product pages. When people click these buttons, it will show up in their friends’ Ticker. Since Facebook is “verbing” things over the next few months, this can be a great way to market your products. Users aren’t limited to Liking, Sending, or Sharing a product. They’ll be able to be more descriptive.

The New Timeline

Oh, and with Timeline finally being rolled out worldwide, you know it will be available for fan pages soon. That means you’ll be able to create customized campaigns on your fan pages that integrate images, text, video, and music in one place (not like the Wall is now, it’s much more usable). It will truly change the way companies market and create social media campaigns.

Additional Resources

Read more about Melanie’s thoughts on Facebook’s new Timeline here, Facebook’s Timeline Changes Everything

NEXT: 3 Most Important Online Marketing Activities for Growth in 2012

Next up in this series, find out what Cheryl Lawson recommends small business owners focus on for maximum growth in 2012. Read more ›

This is the first in a four part series about marketing your small business online. We asked several experts about what activities business owners should focus on in 2012 for maximum growth in their business. Today we’re spotlighting Becky McCray’s answers.

1. Change your attitude. Talk less about you and more about them.

No matter what tools you’re using, no matter what you are doing with them, the best way to achieve growth is through better serving more people. And to serve people you need to talk about them: their needs, their accomplishments, their success stories. Found out what your customers find interesting, and talk more about it. Sounds easy enough, but if we looked at the last 20 things you put out online, how many would be about your business, and how many would be about your customers?

2. Do video. From the field. With your product in use, or with your people doing something.

You can put the video on any platform: your own website, your blog, your Facebook page, or YouTube. What matters is that you don’t do video of just you talking. Get your video camera out and shoot the action. Show your customers using your product. Teach them something. Heather Thomas shares 21 more ideas here: 21 Ways To Use Video For Your Small Business  Hint: none of them include you sitting in front of your computer talking to your webcam.

3. Go where the customers are.

Don’t trust me to tell you which networks to add, and don’t trust any other expert or guru. Before you add any new tool or platform, make sure it’s the one where your customers are. How do you find out? Ask them. No, really. Ask them what networks they use, where they spend their time online. For a bit more perspective, you can take your customer list (and their emails) to Gist.com. It will let you browse and see their other public profiles. That will help you get a better perspective.

About Becky McCray

Becky McCray has been featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Entrepreneur Magazine. She publishes the popular website, Small Biz Survival. She and Chicago entrepreneur, Barry Moltz, are writing the upcoming book, Small Town Rules. 

NEXT: Getting Potential Customers to Take Action

Next up in this series, find out about online marketing activities that get action from Allen Gibson. When prospective clients take action, you’re on your way to success. Read more ›

Are you a small business owner looking for a plan to dominate your niche online next year? Here are twelve actions you can take for online success:

1. Define your prospects or online audience well. Create a persona. Then make sure all your online communications are created with your ideal clients in mind.
2. Create your online elevator speech. Tighten your online message so people can quickly catch your business promise. Put it on your website, blog and social media accounts
3. Start a company blog
4. Set-up social media accounts
5. Brainstorm at least 48 articles or blog post topics. Publish at least 4 per month to your blog in 2012
6. Add an email newsletter if you don’t already have one. Build your email subscriber list
7. Connect with local reporters on Twitter. Build a relationship with them
8. Plan at least one live local event with a portion of sales going to charity. Send online press releases. Promote through social media accounts and blog posts
9. Connect your website and blog to automatically post updates to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media platforms
10. Create regularly scheduled social media activities
11. Plan and implement a social media contest to grow Facebook friends and Twitter followers
12. Promote local charities, local bloggers and causes in your community through social media

With all of the options available to market your business online today, small business owners can become overwhelmed. That’s why this list is important. Print it out. Use it as the groundwork for your online marketing plan.

Back when I sold IBM equipment, I used to pick the top sales guy’s brain all the time. The best advice he ever gave me was, “Plan your work. Work your plan.” The above list is a great place to start. But you have to work it.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart
“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys”

Presentation at the 2011 Small Town 140 Character Conference

If you like this, you might like:

• Seth Godin’s Blog – When You Stand for Something
• Bob Burg’s Blog - Stand For Something: A Brief Chat With John David Mann

A friend of mine put together this great list of Twitter tips. I recommend you bookmark this page. Add it to your favorites. Then put Cheryl’s advice to work for you.

Here’s a tip Cheryl missed. Follow Cheryl, http://twitter.com/#!/partyaficionado. Watch what she does. You’ll be glad you did.

Links to Resources:

• TweetDeck - Client or Application
• Hootsuite - Client or Application
• Support
• Bit.ly - URL shortener
• Disqus - Share blog comments accross the web
• Foursquare - Application for sharing your location

If you have a resource you want to share, please tell us in the comments below.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

PS – If you have a question about tweeting, ask. Do you have a tip or a story to share? Share in the comments below. We want to hear from you.

Check out this recent video from Google’s Matt Cutts. In the video below Matt talks about how Google uses Twitter and Facebook links as ranking signals.

Testing and Signals of Influence

When Matt talks; search engine experts listen. Everyone wants to know what Google is “really up to.” Here are my 3 major takeaways from this talk:

1. Google is still testing how they will measure and rank social media activities for the long haul.

2. Google is looking for true clues to a content creator’s authority. Google wants clues to authority that are difficult to fake.

3. Google seems to discount the current players of Twitter and Facebook as long lasting.

In the past black hat search engine experts would “game” the system and get high search engine rankings by creating false cues of authority. Google wants to do their best to avoid this issue when it comes to social media. I believe that is why Matt is cautious in the way he talks about the signals of authority.

What does this mean to small business owners?

If you want your business to be found on the internet in the future, you will need to be viewed as a major player within your niche on social media sites. You will need to create quality content consistently that helps prospects become more informed. It’s important for others to recognize that the content you’re creating for social media has value for the niche you serve. 

If you want the search engines to recognize you as a trusted resource within your niche, you have to create content that others in your space on the web value enough to share.

In the short term search engine experts or social media experts may get your company attention without providing quality content. But if you want to be the “big dog” in your niche online in the next few years, you need to provide great content.  

Want to learn more about creating great content?

I recommend you read this book:

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media
By Marcia Conner  & Tony Bingham

It’s five a.m. this morning. My eyes are glued to the page. I’m excited. I’m writing down ideas on my legal pad about how I can collaborate with clients and friends using social networking tools. I’m already using Twitter to learn from my social network. But as I dig deeper into this book, I realize I can learn more from my social network. And so can you. If you’re like me, this book will give you flashes of inspiration you can use in your small business.

The New Social Learning: Transforming Organizations Through Social Media includes pages and pages of examples about how the CIA, IBM, Intel and others are incorporating social learning into their organizations. Here’s one example.

“Josh Bancroft, technology evangelist and blogger at Intel, tells of an experience when one of the people he worked with needed to accomplish a task. To do so, she needed to use a piece of software no one in her group had ever heard of, let alone knew enough about to use. It would have taken months to learn the software and complete the task. Instead, she searched the organization’s internal wiki system and found someone who had done a project using the software. She contacted that person and asked for help. Within a matter of weeks the project was done. How many wiki pages was the efficiency gain worth? Add up not only the time saved by one person, but also the advantages of a quicker time to market for this project.”

In a smaller organization, you could do the same thing on Twitter. If someone in your business needs to learn how to solve an issue and no one else in your business knows how, then ask your network on Twitter. You’ll get answers with links in minutes.

The downside is that most examples featured in the book are from large organizations. But it doesn’t matter. The book mentions using blogging software and Wiki software. Both are free. Bulletin board software is free. Any web design firm can set-up this software quickly and easily for you. You’re also able to use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to accomplish the same goals. But if you want something password protected, you’ll need to talk to a web design firm.

Here is another example from the book:

“Bob Picciano, general manager of IBM Software Sales, uses microsharing tools to narrate part of his work and share his whereabouts with various teams. When he posted on IBM’s internal microsharing tool that he was heading to a town where he hadn’t been before for an important customer meeting, within a few minutes an IBM sales rep asked if Picciano might have time to meet with another customer in the same city. Picciano met with both customers that day, helped close a sale he didn’t even know about when he woke up that morning, and established a new and now long-standing relationship with another part of his organization.”

If you’ve only thought about using social networking for marketing, you’re missing out. I recommend this book if you want to expand your thinking and grow your business through learning and collaboration.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Yesterday I spent the day at my mom’s house. I had 4 chores: mow mom’s backyard, move some furniture to my sister’s new place (I have a truck), install a new printer/fax machine and grill the burgers and hot dogs for the family cookout.

As I’m installing the printer in mom’s home office, I can’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation in the other room. My mom and sister are talking about a friend who is always texting or Facebooking (did I just use Facebook as a verb?). They’re talking about how this friend won’t put down their iPhone or BlackBerry for a regular, relaxed conversation. They’re talking about how social media and smart phones are addictive and can interfere with a person’s life. I’m sure you know someone like the person being talked about. Is it you?

It wasn’t me. I’m an advocate of these new gadgets and tools. But I don’t want my e-mails, Twitter and Facebook or any other “social media” with me 24/7. I want to give focused attention to people or a project without being interrupted by a tweet, an e-mail and a Facebook friend request. I want face-to-face people time and no-gadget time.

I was unplugged yesterday. I didn’t check Twitter. I didn’t check Facebook. I didn’t check LinkedIn. I didn’t check my e-mail. Did I miss anything? Yep. I did.

I missed a mention on Twitter. I missed a really good blog post by a friend. I also missed an interview that was scheduled with a LinkedIn contact (I screwed-up and scheduled something on Labor Day – oops). But it was worth it.

We had a hoard of kids, all under five, running, laughing, squealing and tugging on me. They wore me out. And I loved it.

I enjoyed the noisy meal. I enjoyed sitting and talking with family. It also felt good helping my mom and sister. My work “to-do” list was un-touched. And it was good.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Listen to this interview with Cheryl Lawson, an event planner and social media consultant, and you’ll find out how small business owners can create events to meet Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter contacts face-to-face.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How to use events and social media for better lead generation
• How to use events to reach large corporate prospects
• How to get your company seen as a larger player in your community
• Converting Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn connections to customers
• Inexpensive ways to create powerful events for your business

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT CHERYL LAWSON:

Cheryl Lawson is the owner and founder of an event planning and marketing firm, Party Aficionado. Party Aficionado helps companies develop social marketing strategies both online and Face to Face, using full event coordinating capabilities, and coaching to help companies cultivate their audience before, during, and after events.

I met Cheryl through the Tulsa, Oklahoma Social Media meetups. I encourage anyone in the Tulsa area interested in social media to attend one of our events. You’re able to find out more here, http://www.meetup.com/Social-Media-Tulsa

RESOURCES

Website and Blog:

• http://www.partyaficionado.com/
• http://partyaficionado.blogspot.com/

Facebook and Twitter:

• http://www.facebook.com/PartyAficionado
• http://twitter.com/partyaficionado

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about creating events for your small business? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Blogging for Your Business: An Interview with Ann Handley
• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Listen to this interview and you’ll find out how a fourth generation retail jeweler uses a blog to grow their business.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How face-to-face selling compares to marketing with Twitter and Facebook
• Find out how a contest got over 5000 visits to their small business blog

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT DANIEL GORDON:

Daniel Gordon, 37, is a fourth generation jeweler and President of Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Born in Oklahoma City, and raised there for most of his life, Daniel attended John Marshall High School and the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition, Daniel holds his Diamond Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America.

Now in his 15th year with the firm, Daniel has made many important changes for Samuel Gordon Jewelers: he’s virtually changed its’ entire business model and corporate culture, thereby insuring the continuation of the firms’ reputation as a leader in both the jewelry industry and the Oklahoma City market.

Some of Daniel’s many initiatives include: changes in product mixes & buying techniques; major changes in personnel (both in sales and administrative staff); creation of the firm’s website and a massive change in the firm’s marketing strategies, and the implementation of revolutionary & creative usage of social media/networking websites in which thousands of people are communicated with constantly. Daniel has created over 20 different presences on the Internet including: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Flickr, Linkedin, plus a highly viewed personal blog, all of which have been recognized as cutting edge by every major jewelry trade magazine in the industry.

As humble as he is creative, his favorite expression, when receiving any compliment, award, or accolade, is to simply say, “I’m just a jewelry salesman.”

RESOURCES

Find out about WordPress and WordPress Themes (affiliate links included):

• WordPress
• Thesis
• Headway
• WooThemes

Samuel Gordon Jewelers Website and Blog:

• http://www.samuelgordons.com/
• http://blog.sgj.com/

Facebook and Twitter:

• http://www.facebook.com/SamuelGordons
• http://twitter.com/SamuelGordons

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about your small business blog? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Large businesses build brands through repetition and consistency. Commercials are repeated. Stores look the same. Packages look like the “brand.” People know what they’ll get with a brand. People trust the brand. On the other hand small businesses are built on personal relationships and word of mouth.

Small business owners take notice -

Regus, a provider of workplace solutions with over 1,100 business centers in 85 countries, recently published a study that explored the role of social media in customer acquisition. Based on input from senior managers and business owners around the world, the study found that almost one-half of small businesses are successfully connecting with prospects through social networks. On the other side of the spectrum, only 28% of large firms reported finding new customers in social networks. Medium-sized businesses landed appropriately in the middle at 36%. – From “Almost Half of Small Businesses Find Customers in Social Networks” by Brian Solis

Small business owners are using the power of local people to grow their business. People in your community are promoting locally owned businesses online. Here’s how .  . .

“For where two or three are gathered together”

On Facebook I’m “friends” with a large number of people from my hometown. My friends share photos of their favorite foods and restaurants where we grew up. We also share links to Facebook business pages owned by family and friends. 

My Facebook friends promote hometown businesses without being asked. They don’t get a financial reward for promoting local businesses. But they share a since of pride about where we grew up. They want to preserve and promote what they loved growing up in our hometown. Promoting the people and places in our hometown is part of our Facebook culture.

People want to support family businesses. People want to support hometown businesses. Social media helps people support the small business owners of the world. Social media is a revolution for you, the small business owner. But you have to dive into the water.

Developing a personal bond with prospects

Every good salesperson develops a personal bond with their clients. They care for them. Clients know when a salesperson really cares for them. Clients do business with those who care for them. They trust them. Social media helps you show more people that you truly care.  

As a small business owner now is your chance. Now is the time for you to publish information to a wide audience for almost nothing. Now is the time to build relationships by sharing of yourself. Let people know what you’re about.

Once people get to know you and trust you, they will do business with you. But you have to give of yourself first. You have to be brave and put your personal life under the spotlight so people can get to know you as a person. That’s what Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels do well. They magnify your personal life and personality.

If you are brave enough – - If you put yourself out there. You will be rewarded.  Remember, “Fortune favors the brave.”

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Related articles

• How Facebook Changes Marketing And Sales (forbes.com)
• Why you need a social media strategy, not a Facebook strategy(econsultancy.com)
• Why Are You Scared To Be Outspoken?(outspokenmedia.com)

Have you gone to a restaurant or a business because of a Facebook friend’s recommendation? What was your experience? Share it with us. We want to hear about your experiences.