Social networking touted as tool to generate new business opportunities
(Source: The Frederick News-Post)By Ike Wilson, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Feb. 26--BRUNSWICK -- Success in today's business environment requires an appealing online presence.
That's the message Brunswick business owners heard Thursday from Debra Schepp, an e-commerce expert.
Schepp said e-commerce could provide new opportunities for old businesses at a breakfast for Brunswick business.
"After all these years of writing about e-commerce, one thing remains the same: it always changes," said Schepp, who writes, edits and consults professionally with her husband, Brad.
The couple has written 19 books, covering a number of topics, including social networks. The couple's best-selling book is "EBay PowerSeller Secrets," with more than 40,000 copies in print.
"We're enamored with social networking and what it means to people personally, as well as to businesses," Schepp told the Brunswick Economic Development Commission. "So we've been writing about YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and how people can use those sites to market their businesses and find jobs."
If she were speaking to the business group three years ago, her discussion would be restricted to eBay or Amazon and she would have explained the basics of getting up and running on those sites, Schepp said.
The two sites still have a lot to offer, but e-commerce now embraces much more, Schepp said.
"Opportunities to promote your business are all over the web and they can be totally free of cost to you except in time and effort," she said.
For example, library websites offer databases that would be impossible for any business person to afford, Schepp said.
Schepp encouraged her audience to sign up with LinkedIn, a social network with 60 million users. A website and blog is the place to start, she said.
"Your website shouldn't be just an electronic pamphlet. It should be dynamic, changing and interactive. Update your blog regularly with links to interesting articles. Make it the hub of the wheel you'll spin to drive your e-commerce efforts," Schepp said.
She advised the audience to social networks like Twitter and Facebook to promote their businesses. Facebook currently has 75 million users.
"It's almost impossible to go any place that doesn't have Twitter and Facebook," Schepp said.
Brunswick City Councilwoman Karin Tome enjoyed Schepp's presentation.
"It was simple enough for those people who are still a bit cautious about delving into the whole field of social networking, but it was detailed enough and gave succinct information about using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for people who are thinking about or have already started using this type of advertising for their business," Tome said.
Business owners who don't have a lot of time on their hands should look at social networking sites as time set aside for advertising, Tome said.
"It's about getting people to know who and what you and your business are all about, as long as you don't stray too far away from your business goals," she said.
One good point Schepp made was to encourage business owners to use these types of media to tell people what is unique about their business, or about ideas they might have to share, Tome said.
She said setting up a blog on a website and using descriptive keywords will help business owners interact with the public -- their customers -- and let them know what's important, both from a personal and a work standpoint.
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