HUNTSVILLE — Small business owners discovered long ago that networking was an essential part of conducting everyday business.  

Keeping in touch with customers, suppliers and partners, getting your companyís name “out there,” building your brand, generating return and referral customers keep your business alive.  

Whether or not you already use social media, you have most likely been conducting some form of an electronic extension of your business network via your mobile phone or the inbox of your e-mail.     

The key to understanding what social media is and how it can help your small business is to remember that it is a two-way street that gives you the ability to communicate.  Reaching out and communicating is essential in building all your business relationships.  Social media is just an extension of your daily efforts to connect with those same people and others like them while opening your business to a much larger audience.

There are some basics for beginning your journey using social media.  Success in social media relies on the same planning and understanding of your customers that you use in traditional marketing efforts for your business.  

Remember, no two social media tools are the same or designed for the same purpose. Not all may be useful for your social media needs.  Don’t forget that it is a question of where your audience (target market) is located and the best way to reach them.

Begin in your own back yard.  Companies often take their marketing efforts into too many social media outlets or try to capture a national picture before taking care of business with their trustworthy and true customers.

Small businesses aren’t immune from spreading themselves too thin in multiple social networks. Focus on the time you can allow for your social media presence and how it builds on your current successes in your overall marketing campaigns.  If your first time using a social media venue doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to quit and move on to the next one.  

Pick the media to match the market.  Understanding your current customer base will be the best group to pitch to using the social media that they use.  It wastes your time and effort to try a social media that your customers are not checking in on.  If you are a real estate agent looking to sell prime property with lovely views, Flickr may be your best portal.  

If you have a product that requires some demonstration to use or put together, YouTube may be the place for you.  

LinkedIn works for communities that are focused on business networking and selling professional services to other businesses.  

Current demographics show that Facebook is viewed by upper-income women with children.  The statistics show over 55 percent of Facebook’s users are women, 68 percent making over $60,000 a year and 47 percent have children under 18. Twitter users are 44 percent more receptive to promotions and offers and more likely to recommend a product on Twitter.

There are some pitfalls to remember about social media.  Because of the nature of social media, you can’t control what people are saying about your business.  

Pay attention to the Internet’s word of mouth about your business through social review sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor or UrbanSpoon to track customer complaints before it damages your company’s reputation.  Remember, you must work your network just as you do any other part of your marketing campaign and not be fearful of dropping social media strategies that don’t work for you.

Information on how to choose a social media that works best for you and your business will be offered in a seminar “Social Media Basics” on Thursday, Aug. 5, from 6-8 p.m. at the SHSU SBDC office located at 2424 Sam Houston Avenue in Huntsville.  There is a $15 fee for this seminar.  This seminar is open to the general public.  However there is limited seating, so please RSVP by registering on our Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/sbdc or calling the SHSU SBDC at (936) 294-3737.