Think Small.

WTP? (What The Post?)

You've got your Facebook fan page. You've set up your business Twitter account. You're LinkedIn. Now what? Now you post.

Your posts need to be like ice breakers at a party. They should give readers a peek into your business culture and your way of doing business. They should invite comment. Tell me something I don't know. Your posts need to be on topics your readers’ care about (not necessarily what you care about). Your posts should be open and honest and insightful. Reading through your last five posts I should come away with a new, and better, understanding of your company.

Writing about yourself isn't easy. That's why a lot of small businesses hire a pro. Blogging. Facebook fan pages. Twitter posts. YouTube channels. It's your story, but sometimes it's easier if someone else tells it.

Whether you write your posts yourself, or hire a professional, goal #1 is to get into a conversation with your customers (and future customers). You can't do that by hitting them over the head repeatedly with a sales message. That's not why people frequent Facebook. A really great post will sell your company/product without sounding like a sales pitch.

Remember, you’re writing to a friend. Friends don't sell friends. Friends talk. Friends recommend. Friends suggest, but don't sell.  This reader is your fan, treat them like a friend.

Ignore review sites and potential customers will ignore you.

Common wisdom used to be that one complaint equalled 50 equally unhappy customers who just didn't get around to calling. You used to be able to assume that one complaint was passed along to maybe ten of her friends -- and then the complaint usually went away, and business went on like normal. Get multiple complaints and you've got trouble. But a few trouble-makers? What's the big deal?

The internet is the big deal. Today business review sites are making it a big deal for small businesses.

Power to the people.

Today anyone and every one of your customers can be "The Critic." Using popular review sites like Yelp, CityVoter, UrbanSpoon and CitySearch your customers are sharing their experiences with not just ten, but thousands of potential customers. Studies shows that humans listen to, and follow the buying advice of other humans -- even if they don't personally know the reviewer. This can mean big business, or big loss of business to the small business owner.

Get listening.

For the business owner these review sites are great listening posts. What are your customers saying about you? What are they saying about your competitors? Never before have you had access to such insight. And never before have you had the opportunity to address customer service issues (both good and bad) in such a public forum. 

The first step is to start surfing the reviews. Then start talking with your reviewers. American Express posted a nice four-step tutorial to get you started using Yelp. It's linked here.

Viral Marketing via Video "Hauls"

There's a new twist on customer reviews and review sites: YouTube "hauls." These are simple video diaries of the stuff people buy. But they're a hit. Just search "hauls" on YouTube and you'll see that many of these videos are being viewed tens of thousands of times. Why?  

More than just finding what to buy and what's the right thing to buy, video hauls are about fitting it. It's about belonging. Look at the way the "hauler" dresses. Look at the way she's talking, "she's cool, she's 17, and just look at all the people who are viewing her haul. I want to buy the kinds of things that she has." It's a powerful testimonial.

Search YouTube for various hauls. If you see your customers in the videos, then a haul video is an inexpensive and hot way to get your product in front of your customers.