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This issue of Lawn & Landscape focuses on social media, something many small business owners still have a tough time wrapping their minds around. I know this from speaking on this subject to a number of green industry associations, as well as working with many of you personally.
Social media is nothing more than a platform that allows anyone to communicate pretty much anything they want to at any time – that’s it.
You can use social media for whatever purpose you choose. Just be aware that social democratizes media. This means it works best for what the community wants, not necessarily for you or your business.
What you communicate on the social networks, and how you do that, all says a great deal about you and your business to the members of your community. Conversely, what you don’t say does the same. While you may not think this is fair, it is nonetheless true.
Social media is a community, and you are part of your community, so your customers expect you to be involved. This is no different than being active in your local Chamber of Commerce or participating at churches or local schools. The idea is to use social media to be more local, what marketers refer to as hyperlocal.
Contrary to what many believe, social media is not a marketing platform, not in a traditional sense, anyway. You don’t market at church or your local schools, so approach social media in the same way. Think of this as an opportunity for building relationships to better accomplish your objectives, while also helping others with theirs.
One way to get comfortable with social media is to view it as a new game that we are all learning to play and one that will continue to change as it evolves. It’s a game that requires skill, and you cannot develop that if you skip the essential step of showing up.
An ideal place to start is by registering your business with Google Places, Google Maps, and Facebook Places – so you are visible to the respective search engines. I’m sure you are familiar with Google, but you may not be familiar with what is emerging with respect to Facebook and social search. Refer to my article ( pg.64) in this issue to learn more about this important topic.
There is an element of fear involved with social media because it opens you up to a potentially large and unknown audience. Some embrace the limelight, others take a moment to consider what to say, and a portion will politely decline the opportunity.
Like it or not, every small business is now its own media company, or should be. It’s a new responsibility that we all have to take seriously.
Jeff Korhan is a speaker, consultant and top-ranked blogger on new media and small business marketing at www.jeffkorhan.com; mail jkorhan@giemedia.com.
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