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Social Media for Small Businesses - Recap

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:28:58 +0000

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?

Find your target market
Determine the appropriate direction
Create demand
Make it personal / Be authentic
Keep the information coming
Be focused and consistent
Ask for feedback
Run promotions
Create a community
Integrate your efforts

Where Do I Start?

We focused on a few popular options:

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

Introducing RecWebsites.com and RecSurveys.com

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:48:55 +0000

It has been a while since we've updated the blog. That is because we've been busy working on developing two new niche-businesses for the recreation profession:

RecWebsites.com is the first company to deliver easy-to-update, feature-rich websites designed specifically for recreation organizations. We are working on sites for our first three clients and can't wait to share them with you!

RecSurvesy.com takes paper surveys, evaluations, and job applications and converts them into powerful, attractive online surveys. We just launched the first public survey last week. It has been a great success!

A Delicious Website

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:26:13 +0000

This past Tuesday we launched the new "Rex's Outrageous Road Crew Crunch" website and online store. The website launch coincided with the company being featured on the Food Network. The site provides an easy shopping experience for the customer as well asn a simple interface for the client to update the site and store. If you are looking for a delicious snack for you or a friend, look no further. Their product is outrageously good!

Exciting Stuff from Google!

Sun, 31 May 2009 04:01:14 +0000

Google Wave is on the way. Watch the (lengthy) preview here: {youtube}v_UyVmITiYQ{/youtube}

Jason Fried - 37 Signals

Sun, 31 May 2009 03:54:31 +0000

A very interesting presentation by Jason Fried of 37 Signals. {vimeo}4717683{/vimeo}

The KPG Corporation Website

Thu, 21 May 2009 02:42:28 +0000

We recently completed a new site for KPG Corporation. This site provides the company with a better way to showcase the products, allows them to easily keep their website up-to-date, and also has a file-sharing section for registered clients.

The At Home Aquatics Website

Thu, 21 May 2009 02:29:01 +0000

I am happy to announce that Catamount Web Solutions has completed the website for At Home Aquatics. Actually, the site has been done for over a month, we've just been so busy that I haven't had a chance to update the blog. At Home Aquatics offers aquatics services to home pools in Scottsdale, AZ and the surrounding areas. The site features a photo gallery, several online forms, and online timesheet reporting for staff.

The Next Time You Get Frustrated with Technology...

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:11:47 +0000

Very funny & very true. Enjoy!

{youtube}jETv3NURwLc{/youtube}

Recreation 2.0: The social network for the parks and recreation profession

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:56:36 +0000

We are excited to announce the completion of Recreation 2.0 - www.rec20.com. This website is a social network for parks and recreation professionals. The website features user profiles, profile pictures, article and web-link submission, article tagging, commenting, discussion forums, document sharing, a point system, and many other great features.

Sawol E-Commerce Solution

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:01:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that the Sawol online store has been created and is available to the public at www.sawolsoccer.com/store. This new apparel company has started by releasing several t-shirts (short- and long-sleeve) for men and women. The store was created using VirtueMart and integrates PayPal for payment processing. This powerful e-commerce solution offers a lot of flexibility and should serve Sawol, LLC well as they expand their product line.