Which Social Media Site is Best for Small Businesses?

Today, a small business needs to have a social media presence.  If your potential customers are on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, then it makes sense for you to be in those places to reach them.

First, you should decide on the results you want.  Since there are so many social media outlets, it can be overwhelming trying to decide where to spend your time and energy.  How do you want to interact with your customers?  Do you want to assist them?  Do you want them to buy something?  Do you want them to visit your website?  Do you want to create a relationship, build brand recognition with them? 

By defining what results you want, you can decide which social media site would work best for you.  Just because a social media site has millions of users doesn't mean your business would benefit from being there.  Decide where to spend your social time based on your desired results and the likelihood of payoff.  Check out Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  Do your research and see if companies similar to you are there and if there is talk about your business already.  People may be tweeting or posting about your business.  Take the time to do a search on the social media sites.

Keeping up with social media can be time consuming.  Don't feel you have to jump in and do it all.  Start where you feel you belong.  But do commit to posting on a regular schedule and engage with your fans/followers. 

If this still feels overwhelming, that's where marketing expertise can help.  A marketing firm, such as Blue Dog, can do the research for you and even maintain your social media presence for you.