Word of Mouth Marketing uses viral, buzz, blog, grassroots, cause influencers and social media marketing to get messages out to the public. With the rise of Web 2.0 and the development of 3.0 businesses have more opportunities to reach consumers and are using these outlets to market their products.

How often do you see people recommend  bands, restaurants or new products on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other social media outlets. Have you ever checked out a website or googled something you saw promoted or discussed on one of these channels?

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to get your brand or business out to the public, WOMM is the way to go.

Check out: www.womma.org

While Twitter can be fun and I have seen some interesting topics on marketing, politics, travel, relationships, etc., many people still post such silly things as, what they are eating for breakfast. How many people really care if I had an omelet or cereal? What I am wearing today and when I am planning on getting my hair highlighted again? The only person who would maybe be remotely interested is my mother. Does anyone want any privacy any more?

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter can be an effective tool for social commentary and business when used correctly. I have found some incredible articles on marketing, SEO and advice for small businesses, but only after looking through ten other ones that were useless. I know you as a Tweeter, decide who you follow and un-follow but I feel the line between social networking and personal information keeps getting blurred. Can there be too many Tweets?

As a marketing professional, it seems it is a sin not to be “logged in” all the time. I applaud those who send consistent mobile and web updates every few minutes, but who on a daily basis really has the time. How can we balance, life, work and now social media? Many marketing and sales professionals will tell you, people buy from people. Relationships are what drive business.

So my question to all social medialites is, can we still foster strong business and personal relationships without good old face to face contact?

Owning my own business has always been a dream for me. When I started CityGirl Consulting 9 months ago, my vision was for it to initially be a side job that would eventually become part-time and someday full-time. However, keeping a full-time job and trying to build a business is more of a challenge than I once thought. Especially since my 9-5 job contains a boss who clips his toenails in the office, brain numbing work and a travel schedule that needs to be reevaluated.

So I am asking for advice from all of you out there who have taken the plunge. Now that I have stuck my toe in the water, should I at least venture up to my waist?

While on-line marketing can be an effective tool for small businesses, direct mail campaigns are still one of the best ways to market your small business. What is better than a postcard, letter or package that is put right into your customers hands? Technology has removed many of the personal connections once experience by consumers, but many people still like the idea of having something to touch and feel, and hold in their hand. (A great example of an effective direct mail campaign is Bed, Bath and Beyond. Who has not used the 20% off coupon!)

If launched effectively a direct mail campaign can get new business and grow current accounts.

Some questions to ask when preparing your campaign?

1.      Who are you trying to reach?

2.      What are you hoping to get back from this campaign?

3.      Are you targeting the right people, demographic, age group, etc.?

4.      What type of material should you send; postcard, letter, package?

5.      Is your message, service, offer, clear?

6.      Will your mailing standout?

When your materials are ready to send, don’t just send them out once. Send multiple mailings within two-three week intervals. The more your services are put in front of consumers the better chance you have to get their business. Set reasonable goals and FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP! Nine times out of ten a follow-up phone call, e-mail or fax will drastically increase your chance of getting the sale.

*****Don’t worry, next time I will discuss on-line marketing and do believe it too can help your business grow****

OK, so I may not be the most computer savvy person out there, but I do know my way around social networking sites. From the somewhere in the beginning I was a member of Myspace, I met my boyfriend on Match.com, have Facebook pages for both professional and social contacts, created a LinkedIn page and more recently joined Twitter. Which at least makes me more experienced than the average Joe. Maybe I am bit behind on the social marketing explosion (I don’t have a yet) but I am trying my best to keep up without completely losing my mind and my eyesight.

So once again, I have to ask why does Facebook keep changing layouts??!! Facebook is used for social networking on a grand scale showing personal updates to photos, status, links, birthdays, etc. The new Facebook seems a little too similar Twitter and is losing some of the “user friendliness” it once had. By making the site “easier”, it has in essence made it more difficult for current Facebookers. Now when looking for information about profile changes, relationship updates, photos, or groups there is a “highlights” section. Who wants to scan through all of those and try and make sense of it all. And to make it even harder, I can’t even figure out how the wall-to-wall works on my own page!

All ranting aside, the old Facebook provided clear concise content in relation to updates, profiles changes, links, wall-to-wall conversations. I am sure nothing will be done to change back to the old format and I will just have to, as they say “suck it up” but maybe, just maybe they will listen to us and change it back.

My question for next time is, as social mediums continue to grow is there a competition for them all to be the same?

My goal is to explore the ever changing role of marketing for the small business. As the owner of a new small business and a consultant for small businesses, I understand how hard it is to keep up with new marketing tools that have developed over the last few years. Social networking has exploded and many small businesses are being left behind. Questions are posted daily about social/professional networking, web 2.0, blogging, on-line advertising and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but sorting through them can be daunting. For many people, especially those who own a small business, it is hard to decide whether or not to use social/professional on-line networks. If you do decide to join, how do you select the right ones for your business. I am still deciding how may groups I as a small business need to maintain and be involved with.

Through this blog, I hope to find answers to the questions posted above, both for other small businesses and for my own. As the blog grows, I will post and add any information, tips and words of I advice I find.

http://mashable.com/2009/02/27/social-media-for-business-2/

Small businesses unite!