The Small Guys Really Know How to Socialize

If you're a small business, you're aware that Web 2.0 offers entirely new channels for attracting and cultivating customers. And in a post at the Acquiring Minds blog, Robert Lesser explains why your diminutive stature might actually give you the social-media edge over your larger (and richer) competitors. So cheer up, little guys, you've got a lot going for you. For instance:

You know that social media are—to borrow a British-ism—cheap and cheerful. It costs almost nothing to launch a impressive online presence with the assistance of services like Facebook, Twitter and Blogger. If you have a tight budget, but there's sweat equity to spare, these tools become that much more attractive.

You're more likely to recognize the potential benefits. "The small B2B marketer recognizes that the rewards associated with engaging in public customer dialog outweigh the risk of losing control of the marketing message," he says. Because of this, you're willing to experiment with various options, even if they're not a sure bet.

You also have more flexibility. According to Lesser, the larger a bureaucracy, the greater the likelihood that top executives will put the kibosh on social-media components like untraditional press release formats.

The Po!nt: If you use a blog only to host warmed over press releases, you probably won't see the results you'd like to have; for those who innovate, however, Lesser says Web 2.0 is the perfect fit for a small business.

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