In a May 14 article for Entrepreneur Magazine, small business marketing expert Gail Goodman discussed how social media has been rapidly changing the field of advertising. In particular, the author noted that while word-of-mouth buzz was once hard to track in the days before Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, these tools now give companies the ability to track the performance of their services, deals and marketing campaigns.
Goodman also offered a number of tips to business owners who are looking to create buzz through their small business advertising, while offering some advantages for these individuals to consider. For example, she cited the ability of small, local businesses to create meaningful connections as one of their main advantages over larger competitors.
"As a small or midsize business, you have an advantage," she wrote in the piece. "You can create personal connections with your customers by providing extraordinary every single day."
Some examples she gave of small businesses creating what she called "wow experiences" are simple to replicate, provided these organizations can generate one-of-a-kind ideas and have the backing of an experienced local online marketing firm. For instance, Goodman says that manufacturing firms have produced special, small-scale runs for clients, banks have offered treats to dogs that come through drive-up windows and retail shops have made special deliveries to coincide with a customer's new baby or marriage. These gestures of goodwill can in turn create word-of-mouth buzz.
But, how can business owners ensure they are able to track the effectiveness of these strategies?
By really connecting their customer base through these actions, business owners can then generate advertising. These experiences can be profiled through video and online content that can create special campaigns capable of highlighting the positive qualities of a business that consumers may not otherwise see firsthand.