1. Social Media Challenges Corporate Environment

2. Traditional Businesses Can’t Ignore It  Using small business social media brings its own challenges of turning clicks into customers and this one old fashioned business is focusing on creating a distinct social media voice to meet that challenge. - BBC News -

3. It’s Not as Simple as it Looks  Ted Rubin, social marketing strategist with content marketing firm Collective Bias, has earned a reputation as most followed chief marketing officer on Twitter. How does he do it? On a recent visit to Australia, Rubin spoke to a journalist about the secret to his success. He claims there are no tricks to his trade: just hard work, authenticity and lots of personal branding - The Sydney Morning Herald -

4. Your Efforts are Being Ignored  A recent study of Australian businesses found 70 percent offer social media channels for customer service. But only 31 percent of consumers are making use of them. Experts say the problem is outreach. Businesses must work harder to go to the social networks their customers use. They must engage as they would with any other communications tool. -Dynamic Business-

5. There’s Too Much Noise  There is another reason small business social media is challenging. Making yourself heard above all the other social messages out there is difficult. The question becomes how to cut through all this noise to reach your customers. Small business owners should seek out areas where potential customers regularly communicate. They should cultivate customer communities that will spread the business’ brand and message to others

6. It’s a Huge Time Sink  Make no mistake. Small business social media takes time. That usually means time taken away from something else equally important. A professional management company gives 10 suggestions that will allow you to get the benefits you need from social media while effectively managing the time required -Forbes-

7. Mastery Remains a Challenge  There is another reason small business social media is challenging. Making yourself heard above all the other social messages out there is difficult. The question becomes how to cut through all this noise to reach your customers. Small business owners should seek out areas where potential customers regularly communicate. They should cultivate customer communities that will spread the business’ brand and message to others -The Guardian-

8. It Requires Investment  Used effectively, small business social media is more powerful than advertising and has the “power of the personal,” says business blogger John Luciew. Still, every small business is different. Luciew takes us through one fledgling entrepreneur’s journey to make social media an integral part of her startup success. - John Luciew-

9. You Just Don’t Have the Staff  The majority of companies may not be hiring to deal with their small business social media needs. But having someone dedicated to the task is important. Experts say one option is delegating social media chores within your company. Make it the responsibility of the advertising or public relations team, for example. -Charlotte Business Journal- https://www.facebook.com/lfddecor?fref=ts

10. Public Relations Risks Abound  Last month, Jim Franklin, CEO for SendGrid Inc., lived every chief executive’s nightmare when a controversy involving his own “evangelist developer” Adria Richards, erupted on Twitter and then on Richards’ blog. The fiasco lead to the dismissal of Richards and an employee at another software company. The firings have also drawn criticisms highlighting the need for a better social media policy at the company to prevent future incidents - Small Business Trends – http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/online-social-media-principles

11. It Distracts From Important SEO  You may already have an online presence. You may worry time spent on social media will distract your team from other important things. Your website needs SEO, for example. Tamara Weintraub, content marketing manager at ReachLocal, says there is no reason you can’t have both. -Small Business Computing –

12. Summary  Traditional Businesses Can’t Ignore It Traditional Businesses Can’t Ignore It  It’s Not as Simple as it Looks It’s Not as Simple as it Looks  Your Efforts are Being Ignored Your Efforts are Being Ignored  There’s Too Much Noise There’s Too Much Noise  It’s a Huge Time Sink It’s a Huge Time Sink  Mastery Remains a Challenge Mastery Remains a Challenge  It Requires Investment It Requires Investment  You Just Don’t Have the Staff You Just Don’t Have the Staff  Public Relations Risks Abound Public Relations Risks Abound  It Distracts From Important SEO It Distracts From Important SEO

13. Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvblA1NFQkM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=twitter+sound+effect&FORM= HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=C066BCF61A4671BC97F8C066BCF61A4671 BC97F8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtZhvzsF1U

14. Q & A