Business owners finding value in social web sites
By Matt Wrye and Kevin Smith, Staff Writers© Pasadena Star-News, August 22, 2009
Got a Facebook account for your business, or a profile on LinkedIn? Are you "tweeting" about it on Twitter? You should be. That's what the business experts say.
Merely having a Web site just isn't enough these days. If you're not using at least one online social networking service while everyone around you is, you're bound to get left in the dust when it comes to representing your business on the Web.
"We're just starting Facebook, and we're getting ready to look at Twitter and MySpace," said Kyle Koestner, co-owner of the Fenix 5-4 pure food and organic juice bar in Whittier. "It's a different kind of marketing." Koestner said these kinds of online social platforms can keep a company's marketing presence up front - without being obnoxious.
"You can keep people posted on the goings on of your company without blasting them 16 times a day with e-mails," he said. "People in the 30-to-40-year-old demographic are really tuned into this." Eydie Stumpf, owner of Corona-based EydiesOffice.com, which builds profiles for businesses on social Web sites, agreed. "You really wanna show people that you're the expert," he said. "People buy from those they know, like and trust."
But it's more than just a trust issue - it's hip to join a following these days. Internet-savvy consumers are eager to discover the personality behind the brand, whether you own a candy store, make skateboards or sell life insurance.
If people thoroughly enjoy your product or service, you better be on Facebook. Or Myspace. Or some of these sites: Yelp, YouTube, MeettheBoss, Ryze - there are dozens of them. "You wanna offer people information and benefits," Stumpf said.
Gary Kaplan, president of Gary Kaplan & Associates, an executive search firm based in Pasadena, said LinkedIn has become especially effective as a tool for both companies and people searching for work. "Right now for a person in transition, LinkedIn is one of the more viable resources for keeping your name out there," he said. "Many companies are posting jobs on LinkedIn." Kaplan said such sites can also help companies in another way.
"If you are a benefit specialist with a company, you can hook up with another benefit specialist to see if they have similar software problems," he said. "It can save you a lot of money in consulting fees."
Shawn Wood's business has a small fan base, and he needs to keep it growing. The co-owner of The Orchards Events Center in Oak Glen sent his partner to Tuesday's workshop to get the lowdown. The events center holds weddings, caters to weddings and opens as a restaurant during fall. Online social sites are an "untapped market." Wood said. "You have to have a personal relationship with your clients," Wood said. "You spend a year to year-and-a-half with a bride. It'd be great to Twitter once a week about wedding plan ideas."
