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.

Trish is responsible for creating the business strategy to drive the social media and online community development activity for AT&T Business. She is directly responsible for AT&T’s business social reputation, presence and engagement.

What is the focus of AT&T’s small business strategy?

TN: Our goal is to help small businesses understand how technology can increase productivity and deliver a better product to their customers. We want to provide real, practical help – the technology, tools and services that enable businesses – and the world – to work better. We live that through our people. That’s why we started our social media efforts with the Networking Exchange Blog, made up of AT&T employees sharing their views and expertise on technology topics.

How is social media specifically changing the way AT&T communicates and works with small businesses?

TN: Twofold: One, We are creating a culture that enables 1 to 1 communications by directly connecting small businesses with AT&T employees who are living and breathing the technology every day. We have a wealth of knowledge within AT&T, and I’m focused on leveraging social media to share that knowledge with the world. We are focused on providing practical content via social that small businesses can use.

For example, we have video tutorials for mobile devices on YouTube, blog posts on what the cloud means for small business, articles on how to use your mobile device for payment. Secondly, by participating in the public forum we are engaging earlier in the buyer lifecycle and providing value during the consideration phase. We find that so many small businesses are searching online and practically deciding on vendors before the even speak to one. So, social media and content marketing allows us to be found much earlier in the buying lifecycle.

Describe how AT&T is a) using social media to reach SMBs and b) helping SMBs with their social media.

TN: A) We participate in various channels across social to reach small businesses, so we can reach them wherever they prefer. We have focused Twitter (@ATTSmallBiz) and Facebook communities for small business. We were one of the first companies to create a company profile on LinkedIn that allows business to review and recommend our products and services and see reviews from their peers.

More importantly, we are creating an environment where our subject matter experts can engage with businesses on their terms. We created an internal program, the Networking Leaders Academy, that provides education to the employees that are committed to leveraging social to engage with customers. The program helps employees learn how to find out where businesses are conversing on topics, how to start a dialogue and how to provide value to them.

B) A core content area of our Networking Exchange Blog is social media. We bring in external social experts to provide content that helps small businesses understand the value of social media and specifics on how to leverage it as a new channel to reach their customers. We’ve provided ongoing content to small businesses around this topic via webinars, articles, tools and blog posts.

What advice would you give small businesses about using social media?

TN: First, don’t be afraid to jump in and try new social media channels. I attend conferences where everyone talks about ensuring you have a plan before jumping into social. I agree plans are great, but if you wait until you have it fully baked, then you’ll never start. Sometimes jumping in and seeing what works is the best way to learn. There are plenty of secondary research and resources to understand enough about where to start. Once you’ve had a chance to do some research and experiment, narrow your focus to what works and do it really well.

Second, find a few social media mentors and blogs to follow and learn from. In my early days in social media, I learned so much just by following relevant leaders in the social media space. Marcus Sheridan, @TheSalesLion is an entrepreneur who leveraged new social channels to grow his pool business. It’s an amazing story and he is someone for small business to definitely follow.

What are some of your biggest lessons or takeaways from working with SMBs as part of your social media efforts?

TN: The spectrum of their business needs are very wide, and social media gives us a great opportunity to not just provide greater information on the solutions available to them, but also to listen and identify their technology pain points. At the end of the day, social media enables us to reach them with the information they want, when and how they want it. For small businesses especially, who rely on the ability to customize their technology solutions to fit their needs, this has been invaluable.

The first session featured John Marrino and Ryan Self from Olde  Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB). They received advice from a panel of  social media experts that included – Lexi St 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.

Company profile: 

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook

KEY ISSUES

OMB's Ryan Self and John Marrino

Some of the key social engagement issues facing Olde Mecklenburg Brewery were:

• How to capitalize on a well-known product and the growing popularity of craft beer industry in Charlotte

• Lack of overall marketing strategy yet alone a social media strategy

• Owner doesn’t know how use social media

• Multiple employees handle channels – no dedicated expert

• Content: It’s repetitive, and the owner worries it has lost impact with his customers/audience who may not be reading updates

• Want to strengthen ties to the local community

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR IMPROVING OLDE MECKLENBURG BREWERY’S SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

Sam Sova and Lexi St. Laurent

Quality over Quantity: Focus on engaging your true fans, not building numbers. Stress how social media meets your business objectives. Ask what more fans would do for your business before aggressively going after them.

Photos: Use photographs to tell your story and reveal a behind the scene experience. Megan discussed how HMS uses photos to show mechanics working on the cars – a fan favorite. Through photos, you can enhance the offline experience.

Special events: Host special events to give fans a true understanding of what makes your product different. In the case of OMB, that could include beer tastings and beer making 101 for customers. These events make excellent fodder for online discussions and ways for people to share your brand via social media. Or host an online party for places that carry your product.

Ambassadors: Find third parties to tell your story. In the case of OMB, it was suggested that they should reach out to waiters at restaurants that serve their beer and incent them to share their experiences with OMB beer. OMB should also highlight places that serve their beer; that will encourage them to reciprocate.

Content Plan: Don’t be overwhelmed at the process. Take small steps. Consider an editorial calendar to manage your content. Share the little things that make your business unique.

Megan Whiteside - Hendrick Motorsports

Community: Understand what community you want to serve. OMB wants to remain very much a local brewery. It is not interested in a regional or national following and therefore it needs to focus on reaching local residents with local events and content. Compare that to Atlanta-based High Road Craft Ice Cream and Sorbet, a makeover recipient with regional aspirations.

Ownership: A popular product doesn’t guarantee great social media activity. As Chris Harrington wrote: “It isn’t a case of build it, and they will come.” Even the best brands need to work their social media channels. Give fans a sense of ownership and they will want to contribute to your success.

Audience: Don’t just pump out content with a blind eye to your customers. Understand them.  Follow them. Check out how they are are using social media and talk with them to get their ideas. Identify customers who are passionate about your product and engage them.

Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare: Leverage the power of place by using Foursquare but give users a reason to check in and mention you. Consider a Tweet-up with prizes. When using Facebook, make sure you are using a fan page not a profile. The distinction can be confusing. And take advantage of an events page on Facebook. Include your links on all your advertising, labels and collateral.

Hiring: Before hiring a full time social media person, make sure you understand your overall marketing strategy.

Passion: Above all, share your passion for your business.

Photos by szeredy.com

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.

Hopefully the sessions will help attendees and the makeover recipients take their social engagement to the next level.

I believe we succeeded in creating an interactive, dynamic discussion where  the attendees could experience AHA moments as the makeover recipients got advice to redirect their efforts, recalibrate their strategies and ultimately achieve results that meet their business objectives.

Over the next 6 to 9 months, we will track the progress of the makeover candidates, see what worked, what didn’t and why.  You can follow their progress on @dangreenfield (#socialmakeover) on Twitter, SMB Social Media Makeover Forum Group on Linkedin and Listeningpoints blog.

I will also be posting pictures on Pinterest.

For now, I wanted to take a moment to thank the attendees and the sponsors and partners for their participation and support.

Megan Whiteside - Hendrick Motorsports

Gold Sponsors: UPS

Silver sponsor: General Sentiment

Event Sponsor: Manta

Partners: The Big Council, Social Media Charlotte, Charlotte Business Resources, Charlotte Business Professionals, Charlotte Chapters of NAWBO, DMA and AMA.

Mediachest: Looking to stand out from the competition

Our final sneak peak video is Charlotte’s Medichest - an ecommerce site focused on health and beauty products. They will be the third small business to receive a consultation at the SMB Social Media Media Makeover in Charlotte on May 8th.

They will get advice from Becca Bernstein, Social Media Marketing Manager, Picaboo; Debbie Curtis Magley, Public Relations Manager, UPS; and Doug Caldwell, Vice President, Social Media Program Manager, Wells Fargo.

The lessons learned from this session will focus on building a social media strategy and competing with larger better funded sites. 

Here is a short interview with Medichest President Mitch Kranes explaining his social media challenges and what he hopes to get out of the Forum.

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.

They will receive advice from Lisa Hoffmann, Social Media Specialist Duke Energy; Steve Jones, Director, Social Media, Michelin; Chris Harrington, Tech Director, Luquire George Andrews.

The lessons learned from this session will focus on building a social media strategy around a new service and engaging both B2B and B2C audiences.

Here is a short interview with Virtual Race Bags President and CEO Gary Schwake explaining his social media challenges and what he hopes to get out of the Forum.

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.

Chris Harrington, Social Fresh, JasonKeath

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.

You have nearly 115,000 followers on Twitter @chrisharrington. What did you to attract that many people and how do you keep them engaged?

CH: Never let a Twitter following fool you. Although my number is legit and was the result of a nationally recognized campaign, many people have learned how to game the system to build a great, although lesser engaged, following.

Back in 2009 – back before TV execs understood that TV would soon become a very social medium, I ran a campaign to keep Steve Wozniack on Dancing with the Stars. In short I knew early on that social platforms would play a huge part in getting people talking about TV programs and I saw an opportunity to help pull together a loose knit community of people who were fans of the Woz. The campaign garnered national attention and ran on hundreds of news channels, newspapers, magazines, and blogs including CNN, TV Guide, USA Today, Wired, and the ipTV network TWiT.

Keeping the community talking was the easy part. DWTS supplied great content with Woz and his weekly dance routines and the conversation followed. The hard part was being active with the media during the day and being accessible to rapidly growing following each night. At the peak of the two weeks leading up to and the four weeks Woz was on the show, I was getting 5k-8k followers a day.

You have worked with some very large brands and celebrities. What lessons can you share that will be helpful to small businesses trying to take their engagement to the next level?

CH: Don’t over do it. Naturally we want to broadcast all day long but it’s the recognition we give our followers that has the biggest impact. Recognize who your followers are and don’t ignore them. Unless you are Starbucks, this isn’t a “build it and they will come” medium. Take the first step and listen to what others are saying. You’ll have plenty of time and other avenues to broadcast your goods and services later.

What do see as the biggest social media mistake that small businesses make? Is it just a matter of size, resources or inexperience?

CH: I’m not sure small business understand that social is more than posting to Facebook and Twitter. To do the right thing in this space takes time, experience, common sense, and in many instances – a tough stomach. Depending on the nature of your business you may find the trolls of the Internet to be your biggest headache. It takes experience and a touch stomach to deal public with people.

Size does matter…most of the time. It’s a whole heck of a lot easier for big brand companies with products people are passionate about to be successful in social media. Some small businesses may rank at the bottom of the sociability scale and that’s when a stronger resource is needed for content strategy, and experience with long-tail social platforms. In this case your resource is an experienced social media lead.

Where do you see social media heading and how can small businesses keep up when many are still trying to master Facebook and Twitter?

CH: As you can imagine with my history, I’m going to tell you that social TV will be bigger than ever. The backchannel for live and recorded broadcasts is booming with rich conversation and data right now. Execs have finally figured out that hashtagging a show has significant benefit as more of their audience is watching TV with a laptop, tablet, or mobile device in their lap. The next big boom in advertising isn’t going to online banners and rich media – it’s going to be in branded social experiences tied to backchannel conversation.

For some insights, I turned to Ed Abrams, vice president of marketing for IBM Midmarket. In this role, Ed is responsible for the marketing strategy and execution around the company’s small and medium business efforts with a specific focus on driving the Smarter Planet strategy, offerings and value proposition for the midmarket.

What is the focus of IBM’s small (mid-market) business strategy?

Ed Abrams: Our goal for mid-market customers is to deliver compelling products and services. We seek to drive innovation and provide technology solutions to achieve their goals – whether it’s assisting with business analytics (Cognos) or managing data and security issues resulting from the growing use of mobile devices.

For the midmarket customer, however, we rely on a national network of local partners to serve these companies who generally have between 100 and 999 employees. This is a significant market. Small and medium businesses account for 65 percent of the world’s GDP.

How is social media specifically changing the way IBM communicates and works with small businesses?

EA: Depending upon your perspective social media has turned us upside-down or right-side up. 85 percent of our customers begin with a search query. Social media helps validate their choices as customers increasingly rely on peer-to-peer communication over paid advertising. Social media has become a priority; it accounts for 70 percent of our mid-market messaging mix (not total spending).

Midmarket IBM

Describe how IBM is a) using social media to reach SMBs and b) helping SMBs with their social media.

EA: IBM is doing a number of things to establish our social media presence. First, we rely on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, etc) to amplify of our engagement strategy. All incorporate “midmarketIBM”  in their description or name. But we also turn to a network of influencers to help spread the word. We don’t view our social media as marketing. We try to communicate objectively about our products and services.

We also train our business partners on how they can help customers use social media including our Social Media Boot Camps. Our goal is to educate clients and business partners on social media tools and techniques to showcase our expertise and create new business opportunities.

What is your most effective social media channel and why?

EA: There is no one channel that stands out from the others. We integrate our message across multiple channels into a coordinated continuous dialogue.

What advice would you give small businesses about using social media?

• Don’t use social media as a marketing tool but  as channel for conversation.
• Don’t be defensive – the conversation will police itself.
• Engage with your customers.
• Don’t stretch yourself too thin.

What are some of your biggest lessons or takeaways from working with SMBs as part of your social media efforts? 

• Simplify. We once had 350 Twitter handles serving the midmarket.
• Be honest.
• Be human and communicate on a personal level.
• Encourage employees to engage.

He will be one of the social media expert “consultants” at the SMB Social Media Makeover Forum on May 8th at the Mint Museum.

I asked Steve to share his perspective on social media including the role that the Michelin Man icon plays in their strategy.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned from managing a company’s social media efforts that can help a small business?

I don’t know whether I can narrow it to just one. This space changes so frequently that I find myself learning new lessons every week. And maybe that’s the biggest lesson: Learn from how others have succeeded or failed in social and apply to your own efforts. So many different companies are experimenting in such a variety of ways, and I find myself clipping their ideas to Springpad or sending them to my Delicious and Digg accounts on a daily basis. There are a variety of sources that I think are great for it too: mashable.com, socialmediaexaminer.com, SmartBrief on Social Media, SocialMedia.Org’s Big List and Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! are probably a good starting point.

What is the most common social media mistake you have seen businesses make?

I’d say it’s treating social accounts as distribution channels rather than as a means for engaging consumers in two-way communication. I suspect even the biggest fans of a brand don’t generally care to read its press releases or have its marketing messages force-fed to them.

I myself on Facebook, for example, am selfish. If I’ve chosen to click “like” on your Page, I want you to entertain me, offer me a deal or try to engage me in some way. I don’t want you to annoy me or sell to me in every instance you try to communicate with me.

The same goes for Twitter. Are you adding to my day in some way or interrupting it? I don’t expect every piece of content to match perfectly with my interests. But I do expect you to understand your followers and show that you’re truly trying to connect with me in an interesting or real way. On the job, it’s something I try to keep in mind every single day. We’re working to improve our adherence to it as the right approach as much as possible.

Regardless of a company’s size, what do you think is the secret to a successful social media strategy?

I think you really have to keep working at knowing your audience as much as you can. What do they want from you? What interests them? It’s not an easy task, but asking is always a great place to start. Then listen and listen some more. Many companies have multiple audiences. If you have three or four truly distinct audiences, you may find you need multiple accounts on any one social platform. “Audience” may seem an odd choice of word, but I think as a brand we’re looking to tell our stories and have people not only to share them but also to tell their own.

Social media is about conversations. How do you incorporate the Michelin Man icon into your social media strategy when he has never spoken?

He does speak–just not usually audibly. His actions, attitudes and behavior are his main means of expression. But he can also express himself through “thought balloons” and other forms of written conversation. As for the Michelin Man’s role in social for us, it’s still evolving. He’s arguably one of the most recognizable brand icons in the history of international business. So it goes without saying we go to great lengths to not only promote but also protect him. There’s no denying he has social power: Just this month his photo with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham at our Earthmover press conference found its way onto thehill.com.

How well are you engaging?

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.

Of the 546 Small Business Owners (SBOs) who took part in the survey, more than half (52 percent) said that brands are ineffective at marketing to them.

Many of these SBOs feel that companies fail to reach them on a personal level, the very level that is the psychological engine, motivation driver and competitive differentiator for this group.

This lack of personal interaction plays right into social media’s strength.

It’s my belief that social media can forge stronger relationships between small and big companies within the business community.

Building these stronger bonds is a motivating force behind the SMB Social Media Makeover Forum in Charlotte on May 8th. By sharing best practices, social media experts from large brands will help small businesses who are grappling with how to use social media drive business.

Are you underutilizing social media?

Despite its ability to strengthen relationships,  social media is a still underutilized sales channel.

The truth is that SMBs are shifting to electronic media & information sources driven by relevancy, trust, and interactivity. But as Peter Auditore pointed out, a lot of old schoolers are ignoring the opportunity to get closer to their customers.

It’s a missed opportunity. Understaffed SMBs, operating under the mantra “do more with less,” are hungry for information and help.

The consulting firm Bredin found that 41 percent of survey respondents are more likely to think favorably of vendors who provide business management advice, 39 percent are more likely to visit that vendor’s site, and 32 percent are more likely to do business with that vendor.

Social media is an ideal channel to identify customer need and deliver information – key ingredients for customer engagement.

AMI Partners found that an estimated 4.8 million SMBs in the U.S. and (76 percent) use some form of social media for business use. This represents $180 billion in information technology spend and 48 percent used some form of social media in the purchase decision-making process.

These facts are supported by an Ivy Worldwide survey that found that many SMBs rely on word-of-mouth referral when making their purchasing decisions including blogs and forums (34 percent) and third-party reviews (35 percent).

Big businesses need to leverage those channels. They need to participate on forums an comment on blogs. Social media won’t replace traditional channels, but in a world of shrinking margins and slower growth, your sales team needs to tap every tool at its disposal.