Patch Blog: Promote Your Business With Social Media

If anyone follows my blog, they know I am a huge small business champion.  I adore the little people and love to shop at the smallest places on the planet.  I have to tell you all a story that just got my feathers so ruffled so I woke up flustered.

I went to an event last week that was pro small business.  It was designed to teach small business owners to maximize their internet presence via social media.  It was overall a good event.  However, when it came to the idea of "strategic marketing" that is where they lost me.  I asked the most unpopular question of the day.  I asked the experts to address the idea of how to assist the small business with giving me, the consumer, a reason to shop at their store rather than bombarding me with advertising.  Is anyone tracking with me here? 

I see this far too often.  Let me explain. I have spoken of my favorite small shops in town before, people like Pat at the .  She is one of the gosh darn friendliest gals you will ever come across. She will sell you the entire store of candy without you even knowing it and become your best friend in the first five minutes you are in her store.  I go in her store and shop with her because of the shopping experience.  Does she have a great social media presence? No.  I have spoken with her and even gone so far as to offer my help.  I know that she could be a force if her online presence was improved.  The key is communicating that shopping experience online.

Another one of my favorites is .   is again another gal that no matter where she is in her shop will holler out a, "Hi there", greeting when her door opens.  I have on many occasions just glanced at her website because I have forgotten what time she closed.  Again, she does not have a great website, but she has managed to communicate her presence and has left such an impression with me she gives me a reason to shop!

I can tell you of someone that is doing it all--.  I followed that little bistro on Facebook for almost a year before I went into their shop. Why?  Because they did a very polite, 'Hi this is our special menu today and oh here is a great quote'.  There was personality, politeness and a soft pitch. They drew me in with Magic Bars and their authentic selves.  The real life experience was even better! 

What I don't talk a lot about is my sales and marketing background.  I cut my teeth in retail, literally.  My father was the store manager for the Sunset Tower Records for almost 20 years.  I learned a great deal and naturally my first jobs were in retail (Nordstrom).  I spent the majority of my professional career in service industries, running my own catering/event business and working in  Hospitality in Sales and Marketing for 10 years.  The thing all that taught me was that how we present our product to the customer can be appealing or offensive. 

No one I know has ever disagreed with the generalization of a car salesman.  But we have all still purchased cars and managed to find the needle in the haystack; a good salesman on the car lot. This is my point.  That person never bombarded us.  He was developing a rapport. He was getting to know us, our wants and needs and speaking to that. 

I am asking the small business owners around to think on this, are you getting to know your customers, are you speaking to their wants and needs? Are you developing a rapport?  I want to buy your products and services, I want to like you on Facebook, follow your Tweets and subscribe to your blog.  What are you doing to find out what I want?