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Essex Junction, Vermont

The following is the outline and brief recap of the Social Media for Small Businesses class that was held on Thursday, November 5 in Essex Junction, VT. Most websites/resources have been linked. Feel free to share this resource.

What is Social Media?

• Welcome to Scoopville Video by Common Craft
• Media designed to be disseminated through social interaction
• Highly accessible & scalable
• Supports human interaction through technology
• User generated content
• A move from people being content consumers to becoming content producers

Why use Social Media?

• Make business personal again
• Word of mouth marketing
• Viral growth
• More ways for potential customers to discover your goods/services

What are my options?

• Blogs: Blogger, Wordpress
• Podcasting
• Micro-Blogs: Twitter (140 characters or less), Tumblr
• Social Networks: Facebook (friends/contacts/business fan pages), Linked-In (business/professional), Ning (topic-specific, custom social networks)
• Digital Video: YouTube, Vimeo
• Bookmarking: Digg, Del.icio.us, Stumble Upon
• Photo Sharing: Flickr, Photobucket
• Presentation Sharing: Slideshare, Scribd
• Wikis: Wikipedia, Wikispaces
• Local Search/Directories: YellowPages, Local.com, Citysearch

Does it work?

• Yes and No
• Services may be free, but your time is not.
• Successfully using social media takes time and commitment.
• A few Examples: Dell, Moonfruit, NakedPizza, Street Vendors, Berry Chill

How Do I Start?

1. Find your target market
2. Determine the appropriate direction
3. Create demand
4. Make it personal / Be authentic
5. Keep the information coming
6. Be focused and consistent
7. Ask for feedback
8. Run promotions
9. Create a community
10. Integrate your efforts

Where Do I Start?

We focused on a few popular options:

• Facebook Fan Pages
• Twitter
• Blogger
• Tumblr

Sources

What is social media: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

What is social media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE

How to start: http://mashable.com/2009/07/17/twitter-street-vendors/

How to start: http://mashable.com/2009/02/27/social-media-for-business-2/

Additional References (examples used in presentation, quotes, ideas, etc.)

• http://www.bizreport.com/2009/11/study_small_businesses_may_not_fully_understand_social_media.html
• http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/06/social-media-and-small-business-getting-acquainted-slowly.html
• http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/07/twitter-can-be-good-for-business.html
• http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/05/twitter-local-business-and-results.html
• http://mashable.com/2009/07/28/social-media-small-business/
• http://searchengineland.com/social-media-marketing-for-small-business-10850
• http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/08/social-media-mistakes.html
• http://social-media-optimization.com/2009/10/social-media-and-small-business-not-connecting/
• http://societrends.com/2009/10/12/citibank-survey-question-muddies-water-for-small-businesses/
• http://www.rescuemarketing.com/blog/2009/05/08/social-media-mistakes-small-business-owners-should-avoid/
• http://www.wilsonweb.com/newmedia/social-media-sme.htm
• http://www.slideshare.net/kara_atDELL/tap-into-twitter-social-media-guide