Considering he is probably too ashamed of being Socially Naked. I started off regardless.

I thought that the topic assigned to me was very interesting, owing to the fact that Social Media is an ever evolving industry. Small businesses however, are not yet aware of its benefits. They need to know how some of the other businesses are using Social Media not just to engage with their customers, but also to reap fiscal benefits, given that it is much cheaper than conventional advertising.

So I kicked off with a statement to the effect that it’s always about relationships and not about pitches.

A case in point which stands true to this statement is Reid Travis who is the social media manager for a Mexican chain of restaurants called Panchero’s. Travis claimed that they do not focus on marketing to their followers, fans or readers. Their primary goal was to connect with them.

In addition to this, engagement and transparent communication are important assets. This grabbed Mayur’s attention immediately. He quipped “How would a local restaurant like ‘Borivili Biryani Center’ gain from Social Media?”

This question triggered a healthy discussion. Aditya pointed out that obviously they won’t have a huge fan following and that their target radius would be about 5 KM about the eatery itself.

The conclusion to this discussion was that rather than acquiring a huge fan base, Social Media will earn them loyalty with their regular customers. It can eventually further grow their fan base through word of mouth.

The next aspect of my talk was about Jim Glaub’s Arts Meet Conference. Glaub handles social media for Broadway and off-Broadway shows with
the constraint of a limited budget.

In this case study, it was seen that people who liked the show would tweet about it to their friends. Celebrities who attended the show would tweet about it as well, resulting in a good deal of exposure for the show.

Similarly, Julee Mertz of Dance studio in Chicago Big City Swing uses Facebook to attract students and also uses Facebook Events for interested clients to RSVP. Each and every friend in their friends list receives a notification about the event. They project and plan their schedule based on the number of people who have responded positively to the event notification. Both Ankita and I found this very fascinating.

Conclusively, I would like to say, that small businesses should always be open to critics and respond appropriately. Aditya concluded the session by saying that Social Media is slow progress for small businesses but eventually fruitful. We couldn’t agree more!