Social Media and Small Business. Part 2 (Or, as the French say, Part Deux)

This is the second installment in a series on how social media networking and small business can begin a beautiful and mutually beneficial relationship. I should apologize for the lack of activity on the Blue Bike blog, but now that the holidays are over I will hopefully be able to blog a little more consistently. Enough excuses, here we go!

Now that we have an idea of what social media is, we can begin to identify the different SM outlets that are currently utilized. For this discussion I'm going to limit myself to just Facebook and Twitter. These particular outlets have very different manifestations under the umbrella category we call "Social Media."

We can start with Facebook, which is a wildly popular Social Media outlet especially amongst twenty-somethings. In fact, users aging 35-54 only make up about 3.5% of all facebook users. People use Facebook primarily to connect with friends. Whether they are finding new friends on the internet, staying in touch with people from their past, or connecting with the people currently in their life, the common denominator is networking with those we consider to be friends. Lately there has been a growing trend on facebook for users to network, promote and market their businesses. Scott Scheper does an amazing job of articulating the differences between facebook and twitter in his post, The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are you a Friend, Follower or a Fool? in which he say's that Facebook's main purpose is focused on "furthering and cultivating relationships with already established friends." The small business person can utilize Facebook for more than simply connecting with already established friends. Facebook offers you the ability to connect your pre-established friends with your business. It is not, however, the place for bombarding your friends with a myriad of sales pitches, specials and business updates. That's annoying. These are your friends, not necessarily your customers. The most beneficial way for your company to use Facebook is informing those people who would probably have no real reason for visiting your company's website. Why? Because these are your friends, they are the people who will recommend your company to others when the opportunity presents itself. The more information your friends have, the better they can refer your company. 

Twitter is one social media networking venue that is somewhat unique, in that the user is asked, "What are you doing?" But the user is limited to 140 characters within which to say what they are doing, which has been so aptly coined as micro-blogging. The use of Twitter has spread like wildfire within the business community over the last year or so. The reader might ask; "What makes Twitter so popular with businesses?" There are numerous benefits for businesses that use Twitter, so many in fact that there are countless blog posts about the very topic. The difference lies in the nature and use of Twitter. The primary drive behind Twitter is networking. You are able to increase your brand's awareness and network across the country (shoot, worldwide even) with people you have never met before. As Scott Scheper says in a post entitled, The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are you a Friend, Follower or a Fool? "Simply put, Twitter doesn’t position itself as a valuable use of time unless you’re a workin’ (wo)man. Twitter is a refreshing approach to social networking that benefits freelancers, designers, writers and people in the work-force."

Hopefully you now have a better understanding about a couple of the Social Media outlets available to you. As we continue our discussion about Social Media and Small Businesses we will address the particular benefits that come with the use of Social Media Networking. Stay tuned folks.