I was fortunate enough to interview Susan Gunelius this week (podcast link) and she has some great tips for the small business around social media, branding and creating the right content strategy that I thought I would share these with you below:

Online pointers:

1.Audience are online today. Traditional marketing still has a place but most people go online.

2.You can tell your story online using these tools like Face book, Twitter, Linked-in, blogs u-tube. Build your brand and a relationship with customers. It has levelled the playing field for building you company and brand with larger corporations for small businesses.

3. A website is essential for your core offering but the social mediums allow you to create a variety of online branded experiences for your customers. Choose the tool however that you enjoy using. Blog is a great core online destination and as a small business it is a way to share and engage in customers. It is also google friendly. Build your website on WORDPRESS. I agree.

4. It is about building relationships or pulling rather than push marketing. Look for social destinations with your customers. Build a content strategy that they want that they want to share.

Branding

1.Brand is a promise and sets expectations. By positioning that idea or word or phase in that customers mind and stick to it in every customer interaction. What does your brand stand for. Customers build brands not companies.

2. Branding Snapshot exercise. Ask yourself these questions. 1. What five words would you use to describe your brand right now? 2. Ask your customers to choose five words to describe your brand right now? 3. Write down the five words you want to own with your brand? Figure out the gaps and work out what you want to stand for. Create a focus brand identity.

3. Let go of the fear of creating a focused brand strategy. It works.

Social strategy

1. It is a great research tool. Tools like twitter, online polls on Face book and Linked-In, surveymonkey or wufoo make collecting insight from your customers or potential customers very easy and very affordable. You can listen to what your customers are talking about.

2.Content marketing longer marketing tool for growth. Short term tactics or gorilla marketing don't work well for small businesses.

3. Copy-writing,remember no-one cares about you. You need to understand what is important to your customers.WIIFM (what's in it for me)

4.Mobile marketing is providing new ways to do business. Squared app

For more about Susan please visit her website and you will find links to her books.