Study Shows Small Businesses Embracing Social Media

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

While opinions differ on whether Twitter is a useful business tool, one thing is for certain: small businesses are embracing social media.

A recent study, The State of Small Business Report, by Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business reports “social media adoption by small businesses has doubled from 12 percent to 24 percent in the last year.” While this statistic may seem surprising, it really makes sense.

The typical small business owner generally has a small marketing budget. Social media enables companies to extend their customer reach with minimal expense. Small businesses need to connect with their customers on a personal level — which social media provides. And with the widespread adoption of social media as a standard tool for communication, it’s very accessible and effective for business.

As with any technology, the report described both positive reactions and concerns about social media.

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Using Contests to Cultivate Fans (and Ultimately Customers)

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

I am a sucker for contests, especially contests that require me to be at a certain place at a certain time. I will admit that I’m uber competitive, so beating out the next guy for a prize, no matter how small, is pretty gratifying.

Recently I’ve participated in several contests held on Facebook and Twitter, and they were really fun and exciting. They not only provided that competitive edge that I love, but also brought fans of a particular brand together. Let me give you a great example of why contests work as part of a social media campaign:

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Kickstart Your Online Marketing with Three Social Media Tips

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

I’m a firm believer that planning is critical to the success of any small business marketing campaign. If you’ve already planned your social media campaign, kudos to you. If not, here are a few tips to help you satisfy that need to “do something” without derailing your forthcoming plan.

1. Plan the time to share and engage. It’s easy to set-up a Facebook page or a Twitter profile, but no one gets excited about old, stale posts. If you want to start the year by connecting with your fans you should, but plan resources for maintaining the stream. Set aside a few minutes each morning to converse with your fans or assign a team member to do it throughout the day. But, don’t start something that you can’t maintain.
2. Baby steps. It’s easy to be bedazzled by new exciting social media tools, but stick with what you know. If you have a lot of photos, consider starting a Flickr page. If you are already on Facebook with a personal profile, start a fan page for your business. Start with what you know and assess anything new when you create your campaign strategy. This will save you time and provide more effective engagement with your fans.

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CEOs Weigh in on Government 2.0 at Obama Administration Briefing

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

On January 14, the Obama administration held a series of events to support its campaign promise to use technology to make government more transparent. A selection of executives and CEOs, largely from the tech sector, were paired with government officials and asked their opinions on how technology could be better used to streamline government programs.

Among those in attendance was Craig Newmark, founder of Craig’s List and Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer. The administration is pushing for the use of new technology in an effort to improve the efficiency of antiquated government processes using technology similar to the private sector.

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Why Pepsi Traded in a Super Bowl Ad for Social Media

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

The Super Bowl is right around the corner. And what’s the best part of the Super Bowl? The commercials, of course. This year, Pepsi has stunned the advertising world by skipping their beloved 30 second, $4 million dollar commercial for something that they think will be more effective – a social media campaign.

By investing $20 million dollars in a combined social media and crowdsourcing campaign, Pepsi appears to be trying to connect with its fans for the long-haul. Pepsi is hoping its “Refresh Everything” campaign will have a longer shelf life than the typical Super Bowl commercial.

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Getting the Most from LinkedIn

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

The face of LinkedIn has undergone a variety of changes since the last time I blogged about it a year ago. LinkedIn’s development team has added a variety of widgets giving users more functionality. LinkedIn can now be synced with Twitter. The design has experienced a much-needed facelift. But, that just scratches the surface. Let’s break it down.

• The Application Directory adds new content to your profile.
  • Reading List by Amazon.com - enables you to share books you are enjoying.
  • Box.net Files - share files with other LinkedIn users.
  • Polls - this market research tool enables you to collect data from your connections.

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