I am not ashamed to say that my teenage daughters have more of a handle on the realm of social networking than I will probably ever hope to have, and they definitely have “two thumb” texting down to a science. We baby-boomers often lurk on the fringes of new technology, hoping that it will somehow seep into us by osmosis. If you don’t know your “Technocrati” from your Tweets and you certainly don’t Digg It, don’t despair.
As a business owner, you wear many hats. If you’re lucky, you have “people” who can figure all this stuff out for you and determine where you need to place your business in the expanding world of the Internet. If you are like many small business owners, you may be hyperventilating right now, wondering how you will ever catch up to the amazing speed of technology in order to keep your business name in front of potential customers.
I spend a fair amount of time researching how small businesses are using aspects of technology in their marketing and what I see clearly defines the competition. At the top of the heap are companies who really understand their marketing message. They brand every aspect of their business: their products, services, marketing materials and messages. Does your business utilize social networking well?
Here are some Internet mistakes that can HURT your business:
- No website. This is a no-brainer. An internet address is mandatory in today’s climate.
- Poor website. This is not the time to ask your geeky son or brother-in-law to design a “freebie”. This is your business card!
- Website that can’t be found. You’ve paid money to design a website that no one sees. How bad is that?
- Website O.K. but how is it marketed? A website is a tool to help you gather interest in your products and services. You MUST market it.
- Blogs, social networking sites, etc. – You must commit to posting regularly. Outdated posts, abandoned content will HURT you.
Businesses who delve into social networking without a clear plan and idea of the amount of time it takes to maintain websites, blogs, social networking sites and directories may become overwhelmed and the neglect will be visible. Don’t let this happen to you.
It’s important to have a “master plan” for marketing which includes today’s Web 2.0 technology, but don’t bite off more than you can chew without help.
