NJ.com: Status updates, tweets and posts! Oh my!

Hey kids, here's another social media post from NJ.com's Business 101 blog:

Status updates, tweets and posts! Oh my!

By Kristen Scalia - Kanibal Home

May 06, 2010, 11:17AM

When you boil it all down, social networking is about communicating. For small businesses, it’s about getting your points across effectively and efficiently. But, more than the tweets, status updates and posts, social media should better your business.

Pick the best social media platforms for your biz and stay focused

According to the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 74 percent of the 1,898 small business owners surveyed say social media has helped them close business and 85 percent say that it has created buzz for their business. Pretty impressive.

So what are these small business owners doing right? Well, for one, they’re using social media on a consistent basis. And they’re not wasting time on a million smaller sites, but utilizing the most powerful platforms: 88 percent use Twitter, 87 percent post on Facebook and 78 percent are connected on LinkedIn. These social media sites encourage users to spread the word about everything from music to companies and movies they love, so it’s no surprise that these services are ranked high among small business owners.

And it’s just not customers who are trolling your business’ Facebook Fan Page or Twitter page. Reporters are now getting in on the action. And who doesn’t like a little positive publicity?

Recently I taped an episode for HGTV’s new show “Battle on the Block”. On Kanibal Home’s Twitter page I tweeted about the experience and soon after was contacted by a reporter from The Jersey Journal, Jersey City’s local newspaper. The reporter wound up writing a great article about me and the shop. After the article ran in the paper, customers came into the store to chat and even tweeted their congratulations about the upcoming episode. That initial tweet over a month ago went full circle and continues to bring my business buzz.

Although social media can be an exercise in discipline and creativity (and at times it may feel awkward to talk about your business in such a public arena), its value is something that can’t always be measured immediately. Trust that your time and effort will pay off in the long run and keep those tweets, posts and updates coming.

Kristen Scalia is the owner of Kanibal Home, a lifestyle store offering new and vintage home goods, apparel and gift items in Jersey City, NJ. She can be found in the social media universe over at kanibalhome.blogspot.com, twitter.com/kanibalhome and kanibalhome.com.