Publisher Description

This book will help small business owners and marketers feel comfortable using social media to promote their businesses, regardless of their past experiences or level of expertise.Social networking plus small business is a slam dunk! Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media explains why that's so and helps small business owners decide whether social media tools are right for them. Assuming the answer is yes, the book offers concrete advice and implementation suggestions that make using tools to start building word-of-mouth quick and easy.Built around actual success stories from small businesses, such as the Roger Smith Hotel, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Cafe Yumm, and the Tattered Cover Bookstore, the book illustrates how different social media can help achieve different business goals, how the Internet can be used to "listen" to customers, how networks and relationships are built online for both B2C and B2B, and how effective messages can generate awareness and attract customers. Measurement strategies and techniques for a social media audit are included. For the complete novice, step-by-step instructions on getting started with popular social media applications are provided as well.

Author Biography

Steve O'Leary is chairman of O'Leary and Partners, a full-service advertising agency in Orange County, CA.Kim Sheehan, PhD, is professor of advertising and director of the Strategic Communication Master's Program of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.Sterling Lentz is market analyst at the marketing firm Adpearance, Portland, OR.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1An Introduction to Strategic Social Media2Online Listening: Monitoring Customer Conversations Wherever They Happen?Getting Started with Blogging3Building Relationships: How to Build Social Networks and Engage Customers Using Social Media?Getting Started with Facebook4Social Messaging: Best Practices for Social Communication?Getting Started with Twitter5Say Goodbye to the Yellow Pages: Strategies to Optimize Search?Getting Started with Google Places6Better than the Rotary: Using Social Media to Create a Business Network?Getting Started with LinkedIn7Media Metrics: Measuring the Effects of Social Media8Social Media Audits: A Tool to Create Your StrategyAppendixReferencesIndex

Promotional

This book will help small business owners and marketers feel comfortable using social media to promote their businesses, regardless of their past experiences or level of expertise.

Long Description

Social networking plus small business is a slam dunk! Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media explains why that's so and helps small business owners decide whether social media tools are right for them. Assuming the answer is yes, the book offers concrete advice and implementation suggestions that make using tools to start building word-of-mouth quick and easy. Built around actual success stories from small businesses, such as the Roger Smith Hotel, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Cafe Yumm, and the Tattered Cover Bookstore, the book illustrates how different social media can help achieve different business goals, how the Internet can be used to "listen" to customers, how networks and relationships are built online for both B2C and B2B, and how effective messages can generate awareness and attract customers. Measurement strategies and techniques for a social media audit are included. For the complete novice, step-by-step instructions on getting started with popular social media applications are provided as well.

Promotional "Headline"

If your website is your business, then social media is your customer service. Social media can help small businesses remain top-of-mind with their customer base, reach potential new customers, and provide valuable feedback. How's it done? It's easier than you may think.

Description for Reader

* Addresses ways small businesses can use social media both strategically and tactically * Walks readers through setting up their own social media profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Business Listings, and Yelp * Provides hands-on information for any small business owner, from the complete novice to the experienced practitioner * Offers step-by-step instruction on getting started with popular social media

Details