Social Media is Small Businesses Best Friend

Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, Plaxo, the list goes on and on. Chances are, if you are over the age of 25, you think
these social networking sites are places young people go to get a date and post pictures of their most recent party. Well they
are, however, they're also the hottest business building opportunity to come along; especially for a small business.

As a matter of fact, according to almost every expert source, if you are ignoring these platforms, you are setting yourself up
to experience real pain in the future. The reason for this is really quite simple, your customers are already there, and chances
are, they are already talking about your business, your industry, and your competitors. You just don’t know it.

It’s no coincidence that Hewlett-Packard has fifty of its executive’s blogging. Smart companies, of every size, are using these
new technologies to promote their brand, solidify their relationship with their customers, test market new products, solicit
ideas, and gain valuable customer feedback. Small businesses are gaining a competitive advantage by taking their message,
for virtually no cost, directly to their customer on these sites as well as on video sharing sites like Youtube.com.

Their "Tweeting" away on Twitter to keep a buzz going, while developing loyal new followers and fans on places like
Facebook and MySpace. Sites like Linkedin are enabling savvy sales and marketing people to use their networks to connect
with prospective customers and penetrate new markets.

What was once six degrees of separation is now more like three. The question is, where do you start?

Step one, get a blog. If you don’t already have a blog, set one up. You can do this quickly and easily at blogger.com (owned
by Goggle) or use the Wordpress platform. I prefer Wordpress for several reasons. For starters, it’s hosted on your own server
so your blog address is something like http://www.jimdonovan.com/blog. It also presents a more professional image. For
links to a no cost Wordpress system, complete with all the necessary plugins, visit
http://www.jimdonovan.com/resources.html

Next, create a personal profile or page on Facebook. If you are an individual, like an author, speaker, coach, or consultant, a
personal Facebook profile may suffice. If you are a traditional business you can use the Facebook "Page" feature to
accomplish the same thing.

Once you are set-up on Facebook, you can join groups that relate to your industry or your interest. You can upload photos,
videos, audios, post notes and so on and begin inviting friends to "connect with you."

Start by connecting with people you know or people who belong to the groups you've joined. Make a habit of posting items
of interest and make every effort to be helpful.

Do not start promoting or hyping your products and services. This is a death rattle in social media. It's called "social media"
for a reason. Network and get to know people and let them get to know you. Be real and be helpful. Make friends. Share
ideas and get involved in the conversation. The business side of things will take care of itself. Remember the old adage,
"Givers get."

Depending on your customer demographic, you may want to have a presence on MySpace. The community there tends to be
younger so if your targeting a young audience it's an important place to be.

Twitter is next. It's been said that it's almost impossible for someone over the age of 25 to explain Twitter. It's essentially a
"micro-blogging" platform that asks, "What are you doing?" To get started, sign up for a Twitter account and start following
people. They can be people you know or admire, people who are well known in your industry and/or your friends.

What makes Twitter so popular is that "tweets" (Twitter posts) are limited to 140 characters so it forces people to be concise.
Like Facebook and MySpace, you can share ideas, tips, links to interesting sites and more. There are several books and
ebooks that will help you learn more about Twitter and other social media sites. And, of course, there are consultants to guide
you service businesses who will handle all the details for you.

What's important is that you do not let this opportunity pass you by. Start using these Web 2.0 tools to grow your
business and enjoy the process.