Session: Is social media still relevant for small business or is it just wasted time?
Speaker: Kirsten Wright

While the simple answer to the question this blog post poses is ‘of course’, I know the Blogworld community wants more than that, right?

You want to know why social media is important, what you should be worrying about and how you can possibly get it all done.

Let’s start with the why.
To find your audience. Most small businesses clientele are the average consumer. This means they are neither the richest or poorest 10%, they have a computer in the home and are probably among the 900 million+ people that are active in social media on a regular basis.

Next, let’s discuss the what.
Measuring conversation, engagement and analytics. Learning what your customers are saying is key to figuring out how to improve what you’re doing and to add more customers to your current buyers. In order to accurately and effectively do any of this, you need to be worried about conversing with them. This means 70% conversation, discussion and engagement (ie: about them) and 30% promoting your business and links to your content (ie: about you).

Finally, let’s cover the how.
With a strategy team. No one can do social media alone. It takes understanding the unique dynamic, having the tools for the analytics and having brand awareness that is a combination of you and their expertise. The monetary commitment into social media will vary but there is no free way to get involved. However, it is important to know that social is less expensive than a lot of traditional media forms which is why the barrier for entry is lower and therefore more reasonable for small businesses.

Of course, all of this just grazes the surface of social media for small business…but you didn’t think I’d tell you everything, now did you?
What struggles do you face in social media as a small business? I am happy to hear from the big businesses too!

Hear a bit more about Kirsten’s topic and why she is pumped to attend BlogWorld Expo L.A. in November:

 

At 5150, Kirsten rules the social space, managing a team of content creators, analysts and project managers to bring passion and intelligence to the daily social activities, assuring that every tweet, status update, dialogue and video asset is ideally placed in your markets. Kirsten is a graduate of California State University Long Beach with a degree in Rhetorical Communications, and in her off time, loves taking her greyhound, Badger, for runs, and watching old movies with her husband. You can connect with her on twitter, facebook & youtube.