Is Social Media For the Small Business?

“I’m A Small Business Owner.  I Don’t Have Time For Social Media.”

I hear that statement a lot.  The problem is, you can’t afford to NOT be involved with social media.  Just as many small business owners were slow to adopt an internet presence, the same struggle is presented with social media:  Time.

eMarketer estimates that 127 million people in the US, or 57.5% of internet users, will use social networks at least monthly this year. Facebook alone has over half a billion active users worldwide.   Regardless, the majority of small business owners don’t believe that they can market to their customers on social networking websites.

The small business owners that were involved in the survey were split on their decision on whether social media like Facebook and Twitter were a good avenue to connect with their current or future customers.  In fact, their response was largely negative.  Only 25% thought that customers wanted to hear from them on social sites.

The truth is, almost 97% of internet users used online media to look for products and services.  If you really think your customers are not included in that number, then click away from this page and have a great day.  For the most part though, our customers are online, they’re looking for deals, and social media is quickly becoming the hottest way to share those deals with them. 

Spend 20 minutes every week and post your latest deal on your business’ Facebook and Twitter pages.  Offer incentives to those who “follow” or “like” your business.  Not only will you be ahead of the curve, but you’ll find that 20 minutes pays off!