Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business

Chapter 3

Every Business Is Now a Media Company

The top blogs today are simply more relatable than traditional media, which makes them cool—and that gets their content shared.

Consumers will always seek relevant news and information to make better buying decisions. Before social media, their primary sources for doing so were traditional media outlets such as radio, television, newspapers, and, of course, word-of-mouth. According to a study by Pew Research Center, the Internet is now the leading source of information for consumers making buying decisions—ranking even higher than the recommendations of their friends.

The idea that consumers trust the Internet more than their friends may initially seem surprising. However, it’s quite likely that they’re simply using the Internet to validate those recommendations. Of course, this spells opportunity for small businesses that are ready to take the initiative with the considerable resources available to them to publish solutions online that will attract the attention of consumers searching for them—especially those in their local communities.

Traditional media companies invest significantly in their media programming content to build their audience. Their reward is what follows—the opportunity to generate revenue with advertising placements. As a media savvy small business, you have to focus on serving up valuable programming, too—information that will educate your customers, thereby making them better buyers. Your reward is earning their ...