TECH411.ORG

By Jon M. Cohen

Owning and running a small business is as much a joy as it is a punishment. All small businesses are always chasing the bottom line and working hard to stay out of the red. Now as the economy takes a nosedive it is time for businesses to tighten their belts and cut unnecessary costs. 

The first cut that most small businesses will make is related to advertising and marketing. Everyone knows you need to spend money to make money; small business owners know you need to spend money wisely to make money. Thus it is best not to take risks during hard economic times and to do whatever you can to get a high return on your investment. 

Traditional advertising is expensive and while it can be successful it does not always produce the great customer response that is desired. Many ad campaigns end up going over budget because they paid for high demand time slots with the media buy. Think of the recent popularity of sites like Facebook and MySpace, customers who would typically consume these ads on TV or radio are not watching and listening. Rather these consumers are surfing and reading web content. It has been suggested that radio and TV consumption as a primary entertainment source is down about 10% over the past 2 years. 

Keeping in mind that you have high hopes for making a profit with your small business and want to ensure the goal of being around next year, it can be easily understood why your business should look down different avenues for advertising. One of the most direct ways to target potential customers is to use the Internet as an agent for advertising. Now you can pay for clicks, banner space or words online, but keeping in mind that you have a bottom line to protect, it is suggested to use social networking websites like Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) to promote your business. Need more info about Twitter, CLICK HERE

Twitter is a free website that is super simple to use, and can be one of the best ways to leverage potential customer and investors who don’t know that your small business exists. Twitter can be a gold mine to you the small business owner. Here are a few key tactics to use to be successful; pick an identifiable user name, add a human element to your content, and use social networking websites to promote yourself on Twitter.

A good example of a company that picked a direct name that says exactly who you are and what you do is Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors is a small company that makes a good-looking electric sports car. They use the Twitter name “TeslaMotors”, it can’t get any simpler then that right? 

Now remember that once you have the right name, the second key is content. People online want to feel a personal connection to your company, so it is important that you bring a human level to your Twitter updates. Therefore, I don’t recommend updates that just talk about products or services. Instead focus on how what you are offering in your small business is “cool” or “unique”. 

The last of the three simple tips was to use other websites to promote your Twitter account, like the previously mentioned social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. If you can nail down these three things, you have added the potential to reach millions of customers and it didn’t even cost you a cent.

It is important to spend money in hard economic times. It is even more important to spend money wisely! You will need to advertise your business to get customers and increase sales. So as you trim your advertising budget don’t forget to use the free tools that are out there. Your success is in your own hands, and regardless of what your small business sells or offers, you can make a lot of money when you leverage the Internet.