Why Social Media Is Worth Small Business Owners' Time

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Think back 15 years or so, to when you first heard of the term "Web site." Your first thought was probably "What's a Web site?" quickly followed by "Why would I ever need one of those?" Now, of course, some of the tiniest mom-and-pop shops in the farthest corners of the world do business on the Web. You probably had the same reaction when you first discovered blogs, text messaging, and even e-mail. Many of today's flavor-of-the-month social networking sites will go the way of the dinosaur, but the medium is here to stay.

Jump Right In

The key to getting on top of social media is not investing a fortune on expensive new initiatives. They key is to get your hands dirty. Pick a site, find a spare hour or two, and sign up. Experience it as a user, and observe how others are using the site. Only in doing that can you come to understand not only how it works, but how it might relate to your company. As outlandish as it may appear at first, there's probably an application of it for your business.

Let me give you an example. I'm not an early adopter, but I do have a Web site and blog, I use text messaging frequently, and have Facebook and LinkedIn networks. I had been hearing a great deal about Twitter, so I decided to spend part of a recent weekend getting up to speed on it. At first I was lost, but before long I figured out what the community was about and how I wanted to develop my network. I even made a business connection my very first day that made the investment of time more than worthwhile.

Interestingly, I found that, unlike me, most of the people now on Twitter would fit the "early adopter" category; when I searched for a wide variety of clients and other professional colleagues, most of them weren't there yet. But with that small investment of time, I now have one more social networking tool in my repertoire. And I now know how to fit it into my business practice in a way that isn't overwhelming or intimidating.

Dividends Within Weeks

If you were to take on, say, one social networking site per month, by the end of '09 you would be ahead of 90% or more of your peers (and your competitors). And it would have the added benefit of helping you relate to the emerging workforce for whom all of this is second nature. If you do, I'm convinced you'd have at least one new customer, product idea, or other business-building asset to show for it within weeks. Give it a try. Pick a site, log in, and get started. If you find me there, introduce yourself. I'll be happy to show you around.

Steve McKee is president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland Advertising, a firm that specializes in helping stalled companies rekindle growth. He is the author of the new book, When Growth Stalls, in bookstores March 2009.