Social Networking Simplified - A Small Business Primer - Part I

Simplifying Social Networking for Small Business Part I

Here is Part I of the recent workshop done in Squamish for 50 entrepreneurs.  The response was very positive and I look forward to the upcoming one-on-one consulting sessions.

Unfortunately this widget from Slideshare tends to mess with some of the formatting.  That said, hope you find it useful.
View more presentations from Bret Conkin.

Where do I start with Social Networking?

This is the common question seasoned and new entrepreneurs are asking as they consider jumping on the Social media Bandwagon.  Barraged with news reports and friends talking about Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, small businesses feel like they should be active in social media.

The big barrier is their concern about the time investment to both learn about and execute social media and, most importantly, what to do.  As I consult to and present workshops on the subject here is some of the advice I share with them.  Hope this may be helpful to you too.

The number one mistake made is to jump right into the tactics.  To decide that all of a sudden you are going to blog, tweet or make someone the mayor on Foursquare.  This is folly unless you frame your action by considering your marketing strategy first!

• Who is your primary audience?
• Are they likely to be found on social media?
• What content can you share that would create connection and engage them?
• Who are the key influencers in the social media channels for your niche?
• Do you understand the fundamentals of social media so you can be efficient?   Like tools that publish your content across multiple channels,  or the right frequency to optimize SEO?
• What are the advantages of social networking and social media vs. traditional interruption marketing?     

These are some of the key questions that must be asked to make your time investment worthwhile.  Remember, even if you decide not to jump on the bandwagon, that doesn't mean that your prospects and customers are not talking about you or the problems you can solve!  

Look for my presentation slides from the workshops I have been doing in Squamish for Howe Sound entrepreneurs in a future post.  In the meantime, start to listen and learn by checking out your competitor's social media activity (start with a search on Twitter or Facebook) and by following some key voices that matter in your area of business online.  There are a wealth of resources that just might make your business more successful and sociable!   

Social Networking for Small Business Workshop

This is an overview of a workshop I'm doing for 40 or so entrepreneurs in the Howe Sound area for one of my clients this July.  Just recalling that there was the Whistler forest fire last summer when I did a Selling Skills workshop in Squamish.  While I am looking forward to creating more small business sparks this year, let's hold off on the fires!

Common craft has a great video on social networking in Plain English well worth checking out here.  

Tweet. Yelp. Four Square. LOL.  What the heck are they and why do they matter to your small business?  Social networking is a hot topic but like a second language, putting it into practice can get very confusing.  Like most small businesses you may be trying to sort out social networking myth from reality, whether it can work for you and why.  In this workshop, you will view examples and learn in plain language how social networking can be a powerful and low cost way to connect, prospect, reward customers and gain word of mouth.

Topics include personal vs. small business social networking, social media vs. traditional media, privacy, measurement and hands-on practice applying this learning to your small business.  Plus discover 10 free networking and promotion applications you can use on Monday.  So, get Linked In and avoid having your HUB, LDO (texting acronyms for Head up Butt, Like Duh, Obviously).