Small businesses that embrace Social Media are creating new realities for not only themselves, but a way to communicate and interact with their clientele. For years Social Media marketing has been an “Ace Up The Sleeve” of many savvy marketing connoisseurs. But, with the advent of higher band-wdith access and the mainstreaming of Social Networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, the business of doing business has changed the way we all think about commerce and communication. Just because you have and update your Twitter / Facebook accounts daily about how much the guy standing next to you smells bad, doesn’t necessarily equate more qualified followers and/or potential customers. The following is a simple strategy for an aspiring small business that most likely has some sort online presence, but really has no clue of what to do next.

You have 12 Seconds…

They say that you have 12 seconds to capture someone’s attention online. I agree, you literally have SECONDS to get your point across or people will bounce off your site or profile. Put yourself in the shoes of a site visitor…would you want to meander around a site and waste your time with meaningless content or images? No, you would want to get what you need and then get off the site. Over the 33+ years I’ve been blessed to be alive on this planet, I have realized that the most precious commodity is Time. We never have enough of it and you can NEVER get it back. To put it simply, you need to make an effective impact immediately.

A super quick way to get noticed by your consumer base and site viewers is interacting with them with on a multimedia level. Having a picture of your business is “nice” and passively “safe”, but having a video of employees at work or the boss giving an update on the company’s footing in a weak economy is thousands of times over more palpable. The entire concept of video in my opinion is not being utilized the way it can be. There are a bazillion video uploading sites like; YouTube, Revver, MetaCafe, etc., which are all great. There is one however, that you almost NEVER hear about: 12seconds.tv

12seconds.tv is similar to many other video social networking sites with uploading and video replying, but very different in the sense that they literally limit the video time to just, yup you guessed it; 12 seconds. You can record a video about whatever you want and then share it with everyone else in the 12seconds community. You can also link up your Twitter and Facebook accounts to spread your video message to many places at once, instantly. Granted most of the 12second community tends to be teeny boppers, but for a small business owner this is a PERFECT solution. Why do I say perfect with CAPS ON? I’ll tell you why…

With the ever expanding and intertwining nature of Social Media and Social Networks and connectivity, your last paying customer can now become your next brand spokesperson in a mere 12 seconds. Here is a scenario…You just finished selling an item to a customer who just loves your business and is excited. Historically, what’s the next step in the chain of sales from that point…have them fill out an email flyer with some room for their Facebook or Twitter account? You have a vital resource that at that moment NO other business has…which is the paying customer standing in front of you. The future of your business is literally right in front of you! You provided a service for them in some capacity or another. Hopefully, you have elated their spirits and retained your name in their short term memory. Why not use that moment to have them give you a positive review of your business on the spot…impromptu…in just 12 seconds. (My suggestion is to use very simple questions like: What was your experience like? What makes keep coming back? etc…) The best part of using this kind of service is that you do not have to worry about editing and sequences or dubbing.

This isn’t going to be a super high tech experiment requiring you to learn a foreign language. You don’t have to a Geek Paladin Level 71 to grasp the concept. This isn’t rocket science, but it is an ingenious way to use a medium that will benefit your business. All you need is an internet connection, a laptop and a camera. (or if you have an iPhone there is a 12seconds App in the iTunes store called: 12UP)

Just sign up, create an account, make sure your internet ready camera is on…and you are ready to change your small business into a smart business. When you finish uploading your video you then can take the code (if your slightly tech savvy and embed it onto your blog on your site.) See? Social Media Marketing isn’t THAT hard…you just need to think a little outside the box. Oh, did I forget to mention the best part? Oh…just that ever aspect of what I just wrote about is 100% Free? Yeah…that got your attention…in less than 12 seconds!

Here is a link to my 12 seconds of fame: http://12seconds.tv/v/CFFQI

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