small business

BIG Social Media Meets small Business: AT&T

May 17, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Today, I feature AT&T in my series on how big companies are engaging small businesses via social media. Big Social Media Meets small Business looks at the opportunities created, programs, initiatives and strategies undertaken, and lessons learned by big business. It’s a resource for big companies, but it will also explore ways that small business can learn from big companies to use social media more effectively. For insights, I turn to Trish Nettleship who is AT&T's B2B Social Media and Online Community Lead. … [Read more...]

Social Media Makeover Forum Charlotte Is in the Books: Thank You Queen City

May 10, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

The SMB Social Media Makeover Forum in Charlotte is in the books. In the coming days, I will distill the key takeaways, recap the key points and post them here. I wanted to thank our experts, sponsors, partners and attendees. I also wanted to recognize Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Virtual Race Bags and Medichest for sharing their experiences with our panels of social media experts and the audience of small businesses and social media professionals. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Charlotte, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Tagged With: CAMA, CDMA, Charlotte, Charlotte Business Professionals, Charlotte Business Resources, medichest, NAWBO, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum, Social Media Charlotte, social media experts, The Big Council, Virtual Race Bags

Social Media Makeover Sneak Peek: Virtual Race Bags

May 2, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Today's sneak peak video is for any startup or small company grappling with how to launch a social media strategy with a lean staff and limited resources. It features Charlotte's Virtual Race Bags They will be the second of three small businesses that will receive a consultation at the SMB Social Media Media Makeover in Charlotte on May 8th. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Case Studies, Charlotte, Makeover, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Tagged With: Charlotte, Chris Harrington, Duke Energy, Gary Scwhake, Lisa Hoffmann, Luquire George Andrews, Michelin, races, running events, small business, SMB, Social Media Makeover Forum, sponsorship planning, Steve Jones, Virtual Race Bags

Social Media Makeover Sneak Peek: Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

May 1, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Next Tuesday, May 8th, Charlotte's Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) will kick off the SMB Social Media Media Makeover in Charlotte. Lexi Laurent, director of marketing & PR, Amelie's French Bakery; Megan Whiteside, media relations representative, Hendrick Motorsports; and Samuel Sova, director of social listening and community engagement, TIAA-CREF will provide expert advice as OMB seeks strategic direction for its social media. The lessons learned from this session will be helpful for any small business looking to use social media to engage customers and build community. Here is a short interview with OMB's founder John Marrino explaining his brewery's social media challenges and what he hopes to get out of the Forum. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Case Studies, Charlotte, Makeover, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Tagged With: Amelie's French Bakery, Charlotte, Community Engagement, John Marrino, Lexi Laurent, Megan Whiteside, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, small business, SMB Social Media Media Makeover, Social Listening, TIAA-CREF

Social Media Makeover Advice: LGA’s Chris Harrington

April 30, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Chris Harrington is the technology director for Luquire George Andrews, a leading advertising, public relations, and digital firm in the southeast. He has received national attention as a social media strategist while developing campaigns for businesses, celebrities, social movements, major sporting teams and events. His 12 years of experience in building and growing digital, social and emerging media teams will serve the makeover winners well as he offers social media advice at next week's SMB Social Media Makeover Forum in Charlotte. I asked him for his perspective on social media and small business. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Charlotte, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Tagged With: Charlotte, Chris Harrington, Dancing with the Stars, LGA, Luquire George Andrews, small business, SMB, social media makeover, Steve Wozniack

BIG Social Media Meets small Business: IBM

April 27, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Today we look at IBM in the BIG Social Media Meets small Business series. My goal is to look at how enterprise-level companies are using social media to reach small and mid-sized (SMB) businesses. For some insights, I turned to Ed Abrams, vice president of marketing for IBM Midmarket. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Big Social Media Ideas for small Business, Mid-market, small business Tagged With: Big Social Media Meets small Business, Ed Abrams, IBM, IBM Boot Camp, IBM mid market, mid-market, small business, Smarter Planet, SMB

Tap Social Media to Improve the SMB Sales Channel

April 23, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Is your sales team effectively reaching small business customers? You may be surprised to discover that many SMBs feel ignored by the very companies that are trying to sell them products and services. That is one of the key findings of a new Inc. Magazine/Cargo study. True or not, perception is reality. And that's where social media can help small and big businesses work in concert. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: enterprise, small business Tagged With: AMI Partners, Bredin, Cargo, Inc Magazine, Ivy Worldwide, Peter Auditore, Sales Channel, SBO, small business owner, SMB, social media, Social Media Makeover Forum

Is Your Small Business Website Leveraging Its Social Presence?

April 18, 2012 By Dan Leave a Comment

Is Your Website Leveraging Social Media?

Is your small business effectively leveraging its social presence? Are your social media properties hard to find? According to the latest data from vSplash's SMB Digitalscape, less than 20 percent of small business websites link to their social presence. That means a majority of SMBs are not taking full advantage of their efforts on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin to reach their customers. This failure leaves an opportunity for national players to gain a critical advantage in the local marketplace. And the website shortcomings of SMBs don't stop there. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Makeover, small business, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Tagged With: Charlotte, small business, SMB, SMB Digitalscape, social media ghost towns, social media makeover, vsplash

BIG Social Media Meets small Business: UPS

April 16, 2012 By Dan 1 Comment

Today, I continue my BIG Social Media Meets small Business series with Debbie Curtis-Magley. She is social media manager at UPS where she directs social media strategy, policies, and practices. Join her at the SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Charlotte where she'll share insights on monitoring, reporting, content planning and engagement across UPS's social media platforms. … [Read more...]