Social media and marketing your business

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This won't be a news flash for young entrepreneurs, but some of my fellow Baby Boomers need to know they are losing some great opportunities to market their business if they are not using social media.  I admit that I am late to this game.  I've only been on Facebook for a couple of years and on Twitter less than that, and there is still a lot I don't know about how to best utilize these tools to market my business, but I'm learning, and it's paying off.  What really caused me to get serious about using social media was when I read a book by Michael Hyatt called Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.  The book claims to be a step-by-step guide for anyone with something to say or sell.  I devoured the book in two evenings and began to implement some of it soon afterwards.  It continues to be a work in progress for me, but I am convinced social media should be one of the primary marketing tools a small business should use.

There are so many competitors out there today for just about any product or service you might be offering.  They all have Yellow Page ads, newspaper ads, and spots on the radio and TV.  How does a business stand out from all that advertising noise?  You have to create a significant platform that makes you visible, gives you a voice, and allows you to connect with people.  None of those things happen in the traditional marketing strategies we have used for years, but they can happen with social media.

But, before that can happen, you must have a product or a message that deserves a platform.  Small businesses are the backbone of our nation, but the failure rate of these businesses is very high.  Having lost a small business myself I know how much emotional and financial pain is involved in such a loss.  I have also been an ordained minister for the past 30+ years which means I have a desire to help people.  Soon after losing our company I began writing a book that described the many mistakes I made as a small business owner that eventually led to the business closing.  I wrote the book wanting to help other small business owners avoid the mistakes I made.  You can purchase the book for your NOOK by clicking on the book cover found on the right side of this page.

I have published a number of books for church leaders and lead workshops for these leaders across the country and Canada, but I am not known in the business community.  My problem was how I would get my book, which I felt was an important contribution to small business owners, known.  It was at that time I came across Hyatt's book and found my answer.  Through this blog, Twitter, and Facebook I have been able to connect with small business owners and make them aware of this resource.  The results have been slow but steady.

If you believe you have a product or service that the public needs and are not satisfied with your current marketing results, I strongly encourage you to get Hyatt's book and learn how easy it is to shift much of your marketing to social media.