Fernald Business Association

Conducting business through social media is a big departure from the traditional way of doing business, and in so many ways this departure is also a perfect opportunity for small businesses to carve their niche and grow their business in a revolutionary manner.

A paradigm shift of sorts, social media for small business is gaining slow yet steady acceptance. Many businesses are still skeptical, but many more are already reaping the rewards of fishing the untested waters of social media for small business.

Social media redefines the way businesses deal with their customers because social media has changed the customers itself. Social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook make it possible for users to conduct social activities online, such as posting and receiving social messages, establishing social networks, all the while transcending time zones and geographical locations. Users’ socialization behavior and expectations changed as a result.

Using social media for small business must therefore take into account this change in customers, in order for the business to adapt agilely to the change. Below are some ways that business should transform, in order to stay relevant.

Establishing two-way relationships with customers

Social media for small business discards the old school method of a top-down marketing deployment, wherein a handful of key business people plan a campaign, talk to the advertising people, and use traditional media channels to launch it. This kind of campaign is often one-way, and leaves little room for customer engagement.

Clients using social media expect communication to come from many directions and allow them the freedom to air their praises, complaints and questions about the company and its products.