And in the small biz corner: technology!
Angie’s back! Today she’s written a great post about how small businesses can use mobile technology, social media and viral marketing to compete with bigger organisations.
In my first post, Wired for…Everything, one of our readers raised an interesting discussion point around small businesses using mobile technology.
The question was about whether the accessibility of today’s technology tools – and the fact that they’re so easy to use – is in fact unfairly raising the expectations of our customers and creating an extra burden for the already time-strapped business owner.
For example, is it really a benefit that you can respond to a customer enquiry from your son’s football game via your PDA? Or is that an intrusion on your time that’s getting harder and harder to avoid, because there are enough businesses who ARE willing to be online 24/7 that it’s making those who aren’t look pretty bad? Backwards, even?
Are businesses investing in communications technologies because of the peer pressure, or because there are genuine benefits to small business? Can we really keep up with the big corporates?
My response was a resounding yes, it’s worth the investment. In fact, these technologies give small businesses the chance to compete with the big end of town like never before, because:
- If you’re smart about it, it’s cheap
- Mobile technologies and social media are underpinned by the authenticity of the communication. And that’s something that small businesses can nail much more easily than big business – because we interact with our customers every day; we’re in touch; and we’re the heart and soul of our own business.
Large corporations can’t buy authenticity. Suddenly, they’ve lost a huge advantage over smaller players – their bigger budgets!
Viral marketing has exponential potential, and it costs you virtually nothing. But web users are savvy and they’ll sniff out a phony campaigns from a mile off – think Wal-Mart, Sony, Heidi the fake Witchery girl .
Which is why it’s so cool for small businesses. Here’s my working example of how you can leverage viral marketing through creating your own video content, on the cheap.
It’s only a matter of time before TV and the Internet become full blood brothers. The lines of distinction are already blurring with TV stations streaming their content via the internet, and internet providers making big plans for their own video content like Google Video and Yahoo! TV.
It’s quite easy and low cost to make and edit your own video. Business and marketing is all about relationships and dating agencies have been using this method for years.
Ok, so you might say that some of us should not be in front of a camera. I disagree. Check out this amazingly effective promotional video made on a very low budget which increased sales by 400%, (and it’s really funny, too!).
I’m not saying video will suit all businesses, but it is a great and cheap way to create some potentially interesting content that will put you in front of new customers without you having to physically be there.
If you’re lucky (like Will It Blend?), you may even get a cult following!
I’m currently setting up a training business and have no doubt that offering someone an ‘experience’ of my style and approach via video is a great way for a potential client to decide if I’m the right trainer for them.
I’m doing the video this week so I’ll send you the results. (I may have to eat my words!)
Angie Porter, Founder, SearchLab
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What a rich, thought-provoking post, Angie!
First I was going to say that I daren’t buy a PDA lest my email-checking obsession invade the rest of my life.
Then I was impressed at the link to the Will it Blend video, which I’d read about but never seen.
Finally, I was dismayed at the wanton waste that video occasioned. I do, however, totally get the point of the exercise.
It sure is a wild new world we live in. Sometimes I think I should move to an ashram to avoid the ethical dilemmas this small business caper continually throws up.
Thank you for getting me thinking. Best regards, P.
There’s no doubt that a PDA (or in my case, an iPhone, does require some strict disciplines so it works for you not against you. But I couldn’t run my business as a solopreneur without mobile technology, so I give it the big thumbs up!
the link to angie’s twitter address is broken.
Thank you, Reader; that’s kind of you to point out. I hereby invoke the power of MEGAN!
Fixed, thanks guys.
G’day Folks :- )
Blessed be the ‘Internet Marketers’, for they shall inherit the big cloud of static just above the Earth, and pretty much everything else, virtually… :- )
Nice one Angie :- )…a nice hearty winter post full of chewy chunks :- )
Oh, and before I get started, Paul’s got me ROTF laughing here with – …”I think I should move to an ashram to avoid the ethical dilemmas this small business caper continually throws up.”
Mate! An Ashram IS an ethical dilemma!
I reckon that any Ashram worth it’s ’salt’ is not a place to hide from anything!…contrary to popular misconception (as they say in the Northern Territory – ‘You’ll never bluddy know if you never bluddy go’…or something like that :- )…not to mention the fact that Ashrams are businesses…at least here in the ‘West’ they are operated as such. So Paul, as usual mate, there is no escape and resistance remains futile :- P.
Back to Angie’s post:
For me Angie, this raises an issue that I find all too common; i.e. people thinking that having an online presence (here including the mobile means of access & distribution), is something akin to building a shed or a fence. The misconception being ‘once it’s done, it’s done’.
Some people are inclined towards technology and/or communications by nature (e.g. Geminis :- ). But a great deal are not. I therefore think it’s worth mentioning that Blendtec has produced 86 Videos (and that’s just on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec) over a couple of years. That’s about 3 videos a month.
I suppose I could cut this a bit shorter by saying, with particular regard to Viral Marketing, that I consider such authenticity to be underpinned by frequency & momentum: i.e. doing it once doesn’t do much…blogging is a classic example.
A couple of others before I go:
“Large corporations can’t buy authenticity.” – Yes they can! :- )
“Suddenly, they’ve lost a huge advantage over smaller players – their bigger budgets!” – I don’t see how even a big pile of ‘authenticity’ eliminates the advantages of a ‘big budget’. As a small business owner without a budget, let alone a big one, I don’t have anything but authenticity. When I get a ‘big budget’, I’ll let you know which is better…but right now, I’m already leaning toward the big budget :- )
“It’s quite easy and low cost to make and edit your own video.” – It should say, ‘It’s quite easy and low cost to make and edit your own REALLY CRAP video.’ And it’s as low cost as my time.
Looking back over my blurb, it seems that what I’m saying is that from the perspective of a small business owner, any new marketing regime, especially one that relies on my physical presence (whether remotely or otherwise), needs to be ongoing to generate enough ‘traction’ to generate measurable results…let alone profitable ones. Whichever way you cut the mustard it adds an entire new/extra dimension to my business…it requires management just like a non-virtual business, and that requires time commitment and resources…if nothing else, a hell of a lot of my time.
It just took me half an hour to write this post :- )
And I reckon we’re just scratching the surface…nice one Angie…thanks :- )
Cheers
Stephen G
You’re right, the technology doesn’t have to be overly expensive for you to be contactable and connected.
I like to think that by being a ‘mobile worker’ I am working more effectively that if I was office bound. Anywhere is my desk, and there is very little dead time where I can’t be doing something.
One point I think is worth making here is that nothing beats being contactable – being connected isn’t worth a brass razoo if your customer can never get you to take their call.
Thank you for giving us the best half hours of your life, Stephen G. I certainly appreciate it!
Jolly nice to see you back, Stephen H!
Oh! These aren’t my best ones mate!…enough said
Cheers
Stephen G
You mean … there’s … another blog?!
There can be only one!
Thanks guys. Still reckon money can’t buy a great “authentic” creative idea that people want to watch. I would send some YouTube examples but I’m too busy filming my cat play ’smoke on the water’.
Amazing! It’s really informative video for me, and I think also that business videos are very important for online marketing and advertising, and videos play a major rule to make money online. Thanks for sharing.