
The current rage—the whiz-bang, change-the-world way to market your business—is social media.
Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, you could spend your entire day being lured into it all. And there are many bloggers and business consultants out there touting the big benefits to social media. They’ll tell you that if you’re not using social media, you’re missing the boat.
There certainly are benefits to social media, but let’s be clear—its not the big solution to the problem that is paramount in your mind—How the heck do I drive more traffic, close more deals and make my business thrive?
That’s not to say that some small businesses aren’t successful using social media tools to help market their businesses. The New York Times recently published a story about a few small businesses using Twitter to alert people about deals, specials, etc. And, I know of a few small businesses here in Colorado that are using Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with customers. Here’s the thing though: All of them have a web site where they are hoping to drive traffic to. They use social media as one way to drive that traffic.

- Image via CrunchBase
To small businesses, the benefit of dabbling in local search is clear: Get found by a geographically relevant group of customers who are in search of the product and/or service you offer. What a concept—real-time interaction and a high conversion rate to boot!
However, the process by which you properly establish your small business in the local search world can be confusing to some, downright maddening to others. Take Angelo’s mom for instance. If you can ignore the talk of the devil and the image of her spitting down her own shirt, you might be able to relate to the frustrations here. Like a desktop PC for technologically hesitant parents over 55, online marketing is a mysterious world that few small businesses have mastered on their own. So before getting stubborn and rejecting the process, read on for some simple insights into getting your business successfully integrated into local search …

About a month ago, my wife and I welcomed our fourth child into the world and the team at Kutenda presented us with a gift certificate to a restaurant near my house. Needless to say, our hands were full, so ordering in seemed like the perfect option.
It was a surprise to me when I did a Google search and couldn’t find a web site for the place. This was a bit frustrating, as it’s tough to order for delivery when you don’t know what is on the menu. Fortunately, the place was only a 6-minute drive, so I went there to find out.
I entered the restaurant and asked for a takeout menu. The hostess said their takeout menus were located in the Yellow Pages. Wow.
We talk a lot around here about phone books. Well, not really. What we talk about is that small businesses who spend money advertising in the phone book are probably not getting their money out of that marketing push.
Most people find companies to do business with using search engines — even when searching for a local business. When I talk to people about this, they generally agree that its easier and faster to look online.
When was the last time you used a printed phone book, anyway? I can’t remember the last time I did. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I brought one into my house (usually, they go right to the recycling bin).
But, since we are really into community service, we thought we’d let you know how we’re using our phone books over here at Kutenda:

Phone book use #1: prop open the door
What do you use your phone books for?
Any time a company starts, there is an initial “a-ha” moment that provides the initial energy and desire to get the company off the ground. For me, that moment was not so much a single point in time, as it was a series of challenges I faced as a small business owner trying to market our business online.
You see, I’m a big believer in the power of technology. For small businesses in particular, the right technology, when properly applied, has the ability to dramatically change how they do business, who they are able to compete with, and the degree of profitability they are able to achieve. And every small business owner knows that they are supposed to be using the Internet in some smart way to grow their business - we’ve been being told this by the magazines we read and the seminars we go to for the last several years. And yet, most of us know we aren’t doing everything we should.
Why? Because it is only possible for the small business to achieve these ideals if the technology is:
- Available
- Priced right
- Easy to use
- Doesn’t require a lot of expertise to be successful
Compared to large corporations, who have enormous budgets they can apply to research and development teams, this typically puts small businesses at a disadvantage when it comes to fully utilizing the benefits of new technology.
As I’ve tried to market my current business – Everon Technology Services – using the Internet, I’ve found the technology needed to do so doesn’t meet any of the criteria listed above. I’ve had to employ high-priced experts to help me along the way, which has slowed my progress and caused me to experiment less. This has been incredibly frustrating, because I know I am only tapping a fraction of the potential of the Internet when it comes to marketing my business.
Not one to give up easily, I’ve spent countless nights and weekends over the last two years learning everything I can about marketing on the Internet. I’ve signed up for dozens of courses, bought many different tools, and read just about every blog, report and book I can get my hands on.
My conclusion: It’s just too damn hard for small businesses to market themselves on the internet!
Until now.
That’s the big idea behind Kutenda. We’ve set out to fulfill the great promise of Internet marketing for small businesses. Our goal is to make the power of Internet marketing available, affordable, and so easy to take advantage of that just about anyone can do it.
The power of small business is a driving force in our economy. It’s our hope that Kutenda can be the resource that small businesses most rely on to build, expand and gain competitive edge in the marketplace.
Everyone is talking about Tweet this and Tweet that. What is this Twitter thing? It’s a simple way to let people know what’s on your mind and what you are working on at the moment. The Internet is a big place and can be daunting for a small business, using Twitter to find an audience and communicate with them can help generate traffic and interest.
4 steps to get started on Twitter:
- To get updated on all the terminology in the realm of Twitter, check out the Twitter Terminology Wiki.
- Next step is to go Twitter and sign-up for an account. I would suggest using your company name if you can!
- Then find people to Follow and generally they will follow you!
- Then Tweet!
Write about news stories, things your company is working on, pose questions, and start a conversation.


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