Mediaboss Marketing

Q: How much attention should I pay to social media and other Internet tools in my small-business marketing effort?

A: A lot. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels are gaining popularity among small-business owners as a means for connecting with existing and prospective customers. About 75 percent of small businesses have at least a page on a social networking site, according to Social Media Today, an online community of public relations, advertising and marketing professionals.

But don't let social media overshadow other valuable options in your marketing toolbox. Each has its advantages and features for getting the word out about your products, services and expertise. When combined with social media, the results can be powerful.

For example, email marketing has the highest return on investment of all marketing tactics - about $40 for every dollar invested, according to Jeanne Rossomme, president of RoadMap Marketing.

The business technology company Pitney Bowes, whose services include digital and physical communications integration, reports that more than two-thirds of all small businesses do some type of email marketing, which can include newsletters, news releases and coupons.

So what happens when you integrate social media with email marketing? A great deal, Rossomme says.

"By posting interesting content nuggets and links through your social media channels, you can allow this content to spread beyond your email lists," she says. "Customers, fans and friends can pass on this information to their networks. And these links are actually stronger since they come as an independent referral, rather than a perceived 'marketing message' from you."

In any form of social media-based marketing communication, content is key.

Learn more by attending the SCORE workshop "Increase Sales through Internet Marketing Techniques," Oct. 26 at the Kingdom Builders Center, 6011 W. Orem Drive. You can register at http://www.scorehouston.org and view other SCORE workshops.

View post:
Small-business Q&A: Make social media your friend