Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) is a digital and social brand consultant, blogger, and speaker. Her knowledge of business strategy, passion for creative expression, and marketing technology helps businesses achieve the remarkable. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

As marketing dollars flow from traditional to social media, more small businesses are leveraging social platforms in order to drive traffic and increase visibility.  Nearly 60% of small businesses surveyed plan on spending as much or more in 2012 as they did in 2011 on online marketing efforts, according to the 2012 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll.  An interesting finding is that male business owners are more likely to rely on their company website for marketing than female owners (65% vs. 58%), while female business owners are more likely to rely on social media than their male counterparts (48% vs. 34%).

Location-Based Social Networks & Daily Deals

Small business owners are slowly gravitating towards location-based social channels such as Foursquare.  Since 2010, the amount of small businesses using these networks to establish their brand has nearly doubled from 5% to 9%.

This marks a significant jump, but the more telling statistic lies not in how many small business owners are using these platforms, but in how many actually think location-based services will help them.  In 2010, only 2% of small business owners using location-based social media thought it helped them get the word out. Today, that number now sits at a much more robust 25%.

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Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) is a digital and social brand consultant, blogger, and speaker. Her knowledge of business strategy, passion for creative expression, and marketing technology helps businesses achieve the remarkable. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

Demanding audiences participating in the global bazaar of social media continue to pressure brands into reorienting their goals.  Consumers demand a higher level of engagement that affords them a fulfilling, relevant experience anchored by the same common denominator—authenticity.  From corporate giants to small businesses, marketers continue to seek ambitious social media initiatives in order to humanize their brands.

Some brands see this shift as an opportunity to get closer to their audiences, while others act like they’re caught in a digital mousetrap looking for an escape.  Regardless of how these different firms respond, there’s no doubt about it: social technologies have had a dizzying effect not only on consumers but also on brands.

While some brands depend solely on Madison Avenue to dictate the rules of engagement, the smartest brands have found a new voice to humanize their image—their employees.  Though these employees may appear softly spoken, there is little question whether their voices are being heard.  Savvy audiences respond remarkably well to these messages, as a company’s employees represent the most authentic expression of a company’s brand.  For many brands, such an approach marks a major shift in mindset.

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Cheryl Burgess (@ckburgess) is a digital and social brand consultant, blogger, and speaker. Her knowledge of business strategy, passion for creative expression, and marketing technology helps businesses achieve the remarkable. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

From the moment we wake up, brands bombard us with attempts to get our attention.  These marketers gear their advertisements and logos towards making our lives easier and connected.  However, in our internet-savvy world, we are beginning to demand more from our brands.  We want them to make us feel alive.  Make us fall in love.  Give us a reason to choose.  Gain our trust.

One of the most fascinating aspects about successful brands is their new status as “party throwers.”  Brand roles have dramatically changed from being advocates to entering an environment where they are “ambassadors, they’re party throwers,” according to Jennifer Aaker, Stanford Graduate School of Business Marketing Professor and co-author of The Dragonfly Effect.  These new ambassadors invite us into a community of shared interests, and let the party develop from there.

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