Six Tips to Build Your Brand (
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Social networking tools such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and others offer SMBs new ways to build communities and your brand. Here are the best ways to build both at the same time.In todays business climate, money is tight and competition is
fierce. The Internet and 24-hour news cycle flood our brains with
information and advertising. But how much of it sticks?
The midmarket business owner needs to spend advertising money wisely to
make the maximum impactthats obvious. But what about Web 2.0
technologies such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn? How do you build
an online community and keep it from falling into neglect? In an age
where communication is everywhere, how do you best extract feedback
from your clients? Its a big, bad, branded world out there, but here
are some tips that wont break your budget and build a brand that puts
you ahead of the pack.
1. Its Not (All) About Money
Enterprise companies across the globe spend money on advertising at a
rate that suggests saturation is the key to visibility. But is it? To
those of us who cant walk through Tokyo, London or New York without
seeing Golden Arches and Nike Swooshes, the answer might seem "Well,
duh." But for many, if not most, SMBs dont have the advertising
budgets to erect Blade Runner-scale neon billboards. The SMB owner must
look to innovative marketing opportunities in order to build the brand
without breaking the budget.
Im in the process of launching a new business of my own, says BL
Ochman, a Web and blog marketing and branding consultant who runs What's Next Blog. Its about
creating a community and letting people know who you are and asking for
input. Thats just not going to cost any money to do.
Build an audience by engaging people, Ochman suggests. The more you do
that the less you need to spend on advertising. Unless that audience is
in place, however, a marketing budget is indispensable. Unless you
have people already engaged, you better think about how youre going to
drive traffic to the site, and unless you already have an audience you
cannot do this without money, she says. An overnight success still
takes 11 years.
2. Web 2.0 Is Your Oyster
If you give customers and potential clients an interactive forum, your
company's name (and logo) is at the top of their minds. Ochman suggests
setting up a blog and offering fresh content in an interactive
environment. Keep in mind, however, that there must be a reason for an
online community to grow -- it's not something that can be forced. SMBs
can easily make the mistake of thinking, If you build it, they will
come. Keep content and conversation original, and foster an ongoing
dialogue by raising questions and proposing solutions in an informal
setting. You need to concentrate on your niche, she says. Theres a
difference between buckshot and a targeted approach. Ochman says the
top three most important online networking tools are Twitter, LinkedIn
and the blog community. You cannot succeed in any business if youre
not in that [blog] community, she says. Theyre much more influential
than social media, frankly.
Michael Alter, president of Glenview, Ill.-based SurePayroll and
architect of the recent survey, Small Businesses Harnessing the Power
of Social Networking for Business, says SMBs need to choose the social
media that best fits their market. Go out and hire yourself somebody
whos between 22 and 35, ask them how they communicate and let them
communicate your brand for you online, he says.
3. Harvest Feedback from Your Clients. Directly
The Internet has made expression of opinion easier than ever. This can
be a good and bad development. Many company Web sites now come equipped
with blogs where visitors can leave comments and other forms of
feedback. However, there's a big difference between allowing a customer
to punch in an opinion and taking some time to speak -- yes, speak --
to the client directly. While the Web essentially comes with an
integrated feedback loop, a phone call or an office meeting is your
personal extension of the brand. And no matter how you cultivate
feedback, Ochman says its absolutely critical, even if the feedback is
negative. Companies are afraid: What if they say something bad? she
says. You should be so lucky that someone tells you what they dont
like, because most of the time they walk out the door and they never
come back.
Alter agrees using social networks to solicit feedback is crucial.
Social networking is not so much about advertising as it is about
feedback, he says. If you can start to do that now, the advantage you
have as a small business owner is that most of your competitors are
not. Alter says if your business provides good service, you will get
comments on your site that will drive more traffic than anything the
company would post. If you use [social media] to reach out to your
existing customers, you can start to create a web from that, he says.