Social Media in 2013 |

SCORE OC counselor Jerome Chiaro graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton with a B.A. in entrepreneurship and specializes in helping small businesses across the nation on Social Media, Internet Marketing and Restaurant Marketing with his consulting firm: Restaurant Management University. He has published multiple e-books and video training series such as Restaurant Management Blueprint (a restaurant back-office management software), The Restaurant Road Map (an SEO and internet marketing guide for restaurants), and Facebook ?Like? Machine (a Facebook marketing guide).

SCORE OC: What area of social media should small businesses concentrate on for 2013?

Chiaro: The quick answer is Facebook. Facebook recently passed Google as the most visited website on the internet and they are vying back and forth for the #1 spot. As a small business owner, you can?t afford to not have a presence on Facebook.

There is so much out there now, Pinterest is getting big, Twitter is growing very fast ? Tumblr, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Yelp, Instagram and the list goes on and on. Eventually, small businesses can and should brand their business on each site, but the key is to concentrate on the one site that will reach your target market the fastest ? and 9.5 times out of 10 that is Facebook.

A deeper answer would be email marketing. Email marketing is often overlooked within the ?social media world,? but it is still the quickest, most effective form of communication for small businesses and is the core of any social media campaign. There are some rumors of email attrition, but the statistics show that email will still be the dominant marketing medium for the next few years.

SCORE OC: Do you have any tips for new Twitter users?

Chiaro: Yes, don?t treat Twitter like Facebook And don?t copy/paste your Facebook messages to Twitter. Twitter is a completely different platform, with a different language and niche. They tend to be younger, edgier, techier, hipper even.

For list-building, use the search bar to find and follow as many of your target market niche as you can. Most of the time people will reciprocate and will follow you back.

Once you?ve beefed up your following, start to build relationships with your followers. I use the 80/20 rule with my clients: 80 percent of your posts should be value-driven, no agenda attached; and 20 percent can be promotional-oriented. The most successful Twitter ?retweets? are provocative, engaging and use popular culture.

SCORE OC: What are the biggest mistakes you think small business owners make when it comes to social media?

Chiaro: I think the biggest mistake is doing it all by yourself. A common misconception with social media is that ?it?s is a free way to market your business.? Yes, it is ?free,? but it?s hard to gain any traction without help. Social media can be time consuming, daunting even. To list-build, engage and run promotions is almost a full-time job for any business.

Many of my clients hire independent contractors or even college student interns to help execute their social media marketing plan. The younger generation is so quick on social media technology and they understand the language very well because they use it constantly. They usually end up completing each project better, faster, and cheaper than any small business owner could have.

Source: http://scoreoc.org/2012/12/24/social-media-in-2013/

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