Small businesses always do have enormous challenges while getting their message out in the market place. Their small size and limited budgets always do deter them from going all out on traditional marketing channels. But with the advent of social media, this disadvantage has reduced significantly.

If used well social media platforms can greatly enhance the market reputation of small businesses within their local community. I had been running a small business from 2000 to 2005 and did not have the advantage of using Social Media then. But now having that 20-20 vision of what could have been, I am making a list of three platforms that small businesses could use to enhance their effectiveness.

Facebook -- Needless to say Facebook is the king of social networks right now andPhoto: Bruno Cordiolioi/Flickr (Creative Commons) what better place for a small business to start its social media campaign. Now it is important for the small business owner to keep his identity distinct from the business on Facebook but they should be linked. Once the Facebook page is set up it is important to keep the momentum going by

  • Having regular updates on service/products from your business
  • Providing tips and advice to both current customers and prospects as to how they can use the product or service better
  • Connect with customers and let them bring up any issues with the product or service
  • Launch new products or services
  • And, finally, list any events or special occasions

I think the business owner should also be active on FB and aggressively should also develop his own list of connections to divert traffic to the Facebook page.   know of one such example where the promoters of an online shirt retailer used their personal profiles on FB to promote the page for the company.

Facebook has one shortcoming though; it does not attract many business-to-business (B2B) buyers and is not taken too seriously by people looking for technical products.

So can small businesses using technical products use Social Media at all? Yes they can and the answer is my second network.

LinkedIn -- LinkedIn has long been associated with B2B profiles and it is best way to promote the company, especially if the offering is technical or is knowledge intensive. Now there are two strategies with LinkedIn; the group strategy and the answers strategy.

In the group strategy the SMB can start a group, not specific to it but to the market it serves. For example water purifier business can start a group called ‘Water Management’ or ‘Water Treatment.’ Second step -- they can invite all those who are either prospects or would most likely to enhance the value of the group. It could be environmental experts, health experts, mothers, sports coaches. The list is endless.

The key is to ensure that these folks are from the local community. The SMB also has to ensure that there is a continuous activity on the group. Often the SMB projecting itself as an expert on water management (read purification) can then go on to establish its brand name within the local community.

The other strategy is the Answers strategy where the SMB can have a dedicated person answering questions related to their core business, which are posted in the Answers section of LinkedIn.

Both strategies work, I have tried both. The first option is obviously more time-consuming than the second one. Firms might want to start with the Answers and then graduate to the group option.

You Tube -- There is nothing like the power of audio/visual representation. Again small home videos shot through a handy cam can create more impact than having multiple webpages. What is even better is if the SMB can use employees rather than paid models or actors. This is one medium that can be used for both technical products like how to assemble a box furniture or an awning and something more basic like a shirt or a candy. The objective is to ensure that it is locally done and authentic and that would have a great impact on the brand name and marketing. If the videos are innovative and funny they could also go viral. Who does not remember the ‘Dancing Matt’ videos that went viral in 2009?

For those who have forgotten Dancing Matt this is the link to one of his more funnier videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53A_2UFZikM

Also audio visual content is always more appealing to prospects  and they look forward to a similar experience when they give business to you.

Now the three platforms can used in various permutation and combinations, but the key is one has to start with an honest product or service.

Often people think that they can use social media to jazz up a mediocre or poor offering. The effect on a social network can be dangerous as poor responses can lead to the bad review spreading very fast. Also no one has control over the conversation and if that is a key criterion then it is best to avoid the social networks.

Secondly, being a small player means that should have the courage to change or at least challenge the status quo.  The important objective is to establish your brand over the cluttered market place and serve the local community.

So, social media has leveled the playing field for many small businesses and it is time that they realized the same and took advantage of the situation.