One has to pity the small business owner, at least those in my age group and above. Arranging an ad in the local paper, or a flyer to be delivered to suburban letterboxes, was simple. Most of us managed to grasp the concept of having a website without too much trouble, even if we did struggle with the whole SEO thing. Next was the blog. Okay, that wasn’t rocket science, but most business owners didn’t have time for blogging – so many paid for blog set up and found a content writers to do the writing. But just when you started to pat yourself on the back for being so on top of new technology, social media came along to give you that sense of being left behind all over again!
However, small business owners are nothing if not tenacious. Many now have a Facebook Business Page and/or a LinkedIn account, and a few have even taken to Twitter. Some use these platforms more effectively than others. And those that have resisted using social media, considering it a big waste of time, may have to revisit the idea – because search engines are now using social media popularity as a factor to help determine a site’s positioning in the organic listings. How much weight is being given to it however, is still uncertain.
What is certain is that it’s getting ever more confusing and time consuming for the small business owner – now, the content on your blog, the content of your social media updates, and your social media popularity can all work together to help your site become and stay visible to prospective customers. And with younger generations now using social media extensively, ignoring it may prove to be a disastrous choice for businesses that need to reach customers in the younger age groups…meaning anyone under 40!
The good news is that there’s really no need to be left behind. There are two options available:
- If you want to manage it all yourself, social media courses are available to train business owners in using social media. And if you need one-on-one attention, you’ll find several social media consultants available who can help you join the dots in the social media puzzle and get started.
- Alternatively, if you’d prefer to get on with managing your business instead of your website content and your Facebook page, and you haven’t the slightest desire to learn how to Tweet, you can now outsource the lot to a content writing service that offers social media management.
Trying to keep up with changing technology is almost exhausting because it’s changing ever more rapidly. If you’re a ‘middle-aged’ business owner, have you given up trying or are you always on the lookout for the next exciting upgrade?
