Hashtags are challenging for marketers due to their seemingly random and spur-of-the moment nature, short lifespan and difficulty to control, and small businesses in particular face challenges when it comes to hashtags. How are SMBs to compete with big business when it comes to leveraging tags? Where’s the money? Are hashtags more trouble than they’re worth? It’s important to step carefully, but hashtags have certainly their place for small businesses looking to create a buzz. Read →
Social media has leveled the playing field for marketers at businesses of all size to connect directly with customers. And small, local businesses are seeing the benefits. According to Dan Levy, Director of Small Business at Facebook, there are now more than 2 billion connections between local businesses and people on the platform. The scale of the network that local businesses have built is astounding. Read →
Nearly 90% of small businesses are spending time networking online, according to a new study by small business forum Manta. Out of 600 small business owners nationwide, 74% believe social networking platforms are as important as in-person networking. Read →
Most small businesses are no stranger to social media marketing, and a recent Constant Contact survey details which social tools small businesses are using, the effectiveness of these tools, and the perceived barriers to social media adoption – with comparisons to a similar survey in spring of 2011. 81% of small businesses reported using social media to market their businesses, up from 73% in spring 2011. Read →
This post includes all presentations from speakers who were on stage at #RLTM NY on June 6, 2011 in the afternoon: Rick Wion, Ginny Cooper, Michael DiLorenzo, Daniel Gallant, Frank Speiser, Allison Ausband and Jason Harty. Read →
The American Express OPEN “Small Business Monitor” spring 2011 edition found the use of social media networking for online marketing has risen to 35% among US small businesses (less than 100 employees), as reported by eMarketer. 44% of US small businesses now use social media tools ‘to promote their business to new customers’ (up from 39% in Sept 2010) and their efforts focus mainly on the top 3 social networking sites. Read →
Social media is now the #2 choice for small businesses using online marketing, second only to company websites. As of March 2011, 44% of survey respondents use social media for marketing, 28% use SEO and only 21% use paid search. In addition, more small businesses plan to use social media in their online marketing in 2011 than any other method (other than their company website). Read →
Can a small company use social media to compete with much bigger brands? Take a look at Orabrush, Inc., a company of 15 employees that makes a brush/scraper to remove bacteria from your tongue –- not exactly a ‘sexy’ product. By creating a funny and informative YouTube campaign, combined with a Facebook and Twitter presence, [...] Read →
With a little help from a Silicon Valley dad, Facebook‘s global policy manager Jud Hoffman, a group of Girl Scouts managed to sell 400 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in about an hour, according to this story in AdAge. Read →
Social media is providing a great low-cost marketing channel for small businesses in the U.S., according to the latest survey by local business networking site Merchant Circle. 70% of local businesses use Facebook for marketing, up from 50% in the same period the year before* 40% of local businesses use Twitter, up from 32% the [...] Read →
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