The results of the recent 2013 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll were very revealing in the area. They confirmed that staying competitive is a key motivator behind using social media platforms and online tools. They also showed how businesses are using these tools and how this has evolved over time.

Here’s where the social networks ranked with the small businesses polled:

1. Facebook

No surprise here. Facebook is still the top platform among the business owners polled, despite a small drop in users (from 44% last year to 41% this year). The overwhelming majority use it to share news and communicate with customers.

2. LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s popularity among small business owners has received its share of media attention recently. This poll appears to support this, showing its use grew from 31% last year to 36% this year. Business owners use LinkedIn mostly to network with peers. With this increase, perhaps LinkedIn is becoming important as a way to customers for some small businesses.

3. Twitter

Only 17% of the business owners polled have a Twitter feed. While that number has changed little over the past couple of years, small businesses are becoming more savvy in the way they use Twitter, making it a tool for generating sales an important way to generate (19% this year vs. 13% last year).

4. Foursquare

Though just 6% of businesses use location-based services like foursquare, 29% of those who do see them as an important way to generate sales—a higher percentage than any other platform. Business owners can set up an account for free and begin posting specials to attract customers nearby—for example, a discount on a cup of coffee or a free dessert with a meal purchase.

This year’s poll also asked about relative newcomers Pinterest and Instagram. While the results indicate that just a small percent of small businesses use these sites now (5% and 3%, respectively), I think it shows promise in how they can generate sales and promote new products and services.

Email still delivers

Another key finding from the poll is that email—though virtually an ancient tool in the online world—is still the most common one that small businesses turn to for reaching out to their customers and prospects. A whopping 97% of those polled use it, and 53% of those who do say it’s the best way to communicate with customers. (Facebook and a business website came in at just 14% each.) Chalk up one for the little engine that still can!

While email’s dominance might seem surprising, it actually dovetails with an earlier blog post of mine, which shows consumers also still prefer email.

One finding that especially stood out to me, was that video conferencing services ranked as the second-best way to communicate with customers. The business owners polled indicated that they rely heavily on these tools to help improve customer service. With all that’s been written today about using social media for customer service, it’s refreshing to see businesses choosing to resolve issues face-to-face.

Ultimately, you should choose the marketing tools that are the best fit for your business, and not necessarily what your competitors are using. It’s important to monitor your progress through sales, customer response, website visits, or other metrics that are meaningful to you.

Which online tactics do you find most effective? Let us know in comments below.

Today’s business owners know the power of “showing” vs. “telling” when it comes to marketing a business or selling products. Video has made this easier than ever, and new technologies have made production very affordable.

Honing your video chops

Think you don’t have the skills to make a video? That’s not the case – you only need a smartphone or pocket camera to make a simple clip. And today’s small business owners are some of the more savvy when it comes to video. In fact, the smallest of small businesses use video 59% more than larger ones, a recent poll found,* which shows just how accessible the medium is now.

Shoppers rely on video to make buying decisions. I know I’ve gone to YouTube many times to check out new products that I’m thinking of purchasing. However, videos provide more than product information—they can also give viewers a personal glimpse into their company and their customers.

Here are four ways you can use video to promote your business:

1. Demo your products

Video demos can paint a very vivid picture of your offerings. They’re especially useful when a product is new or unusual. Want to sell a pen-sized fishing rod? Most definitely, consider a demo.

Be sure to keep your demos short and sweet—two minutes tops—to satisfy decreasing attention spans. Present a clear case for your product’s benefits and note what sets it apart. Keep the presentation engaging. I’ve seen great products sold short by lackluster speakers. A touch of humor may help, as the videos for the shave club and fishing rod show.

2. Give a virtual tour

An inside glimpse of your staff and facilities may also help personalize your company. Take this video from Koala Tee Company, a small screen-printing shop based in Florida. The video’s low-tech production values are suitable for this type of business and actually add to its “mom and pop” appeal.

This type of video can be particularly effective for businesses that design or manufacture products, since they can help viewers understand the craftsmanship involved. They can also be a good way for restaurants, day care centers, and other service-oriented companies to help customers gain trust in the business.

3. Explain how to do something

Do you want to establish you and your business as an expert or authority in your industry? Then consider an instructional video to help make customers and prospects more comfortable with your offerings. This type of video may also help improve customer service—a top priority among small businesses this year, according to the poll.

Think about a skill you or your staff is equipped to teach, whether making guacamole, the basics of crocheting, or the proper way to do a tricep press. Remember to engage the viewer and ask for their feedback- this can help you build community and improve your future marketing efforts.

4. Spotlight customers

And finally, remember it’s not all about you. Consider turning the camera on your customers, too. Online testimonials can give your offerings a lot of credibility and provide a decisive nudge to wavering prospects. For me, testimonials are definitely an influence when I’m considering buying a product.

Is the thought of asking your customers to be in a video making you break out in a sweat? Don’t – It doesn’t have to be complicated. You might simply bring a smartphone to a meeting with a customer and ask him or her to talk for a few minutes (though it’s a good idea to give advance notice). Once you have a few testimonials, you can create a testimonials page on your website for featuring the clips, as this software company did. You might even consider creating a page on your website for customers to submit their own testimonials like this online education gaming company.

Videos give you an especially powerful way to enhance your company’s presence on mobile devices which are owned by over half of U.S. adult Internet users. With mobile technology now mainstream, it makes sense to adapt your marketing accordingly, and video provides a fast, low-cost way to do this.

Are you using video in your business? If so, what are your results? Share your experiences below.

*The Small Business Omnibus poll was fielded December 17-19, 2012, among 511 decision-makers in companies with 5-99 employees. Interviews were conducted online through the U.S. Research Now business panel. Panelists indicated that they participate in decisions to purchase supplies or services for their companies and that the companies have more than $100,000 in annual revenue.

• 85% of Americans have a cell phone, and 80% of cell phone owners use them to send or receive text messages. (Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Internet: Mobile – Dec 2012 Study by Joanna Brenner, accessed 2013)
• Open rates for text messages top 95% (Frost & Sullivan)
• 90% of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery (MobileSquared)

Of course, high open rates don’t guarantee success. As with any other mobile marketing effort, you need to consider your goals, strategy, and execution. Here are four best practices I’ve gleaned from small business owners who are succeeding in this area:

1. Give customers what they want

The first question I would answer is: How can text messaging help me serve my customers better? No matter your business, the possibilities are many. Appointment-based businesses like salons and doctors or dentists can send reminders via text. Realtors can alert clients to new listings and open houses. Accountants can send last-minute tax tips and advice. Health clubs can notify members of last-minute schedule changes.

In all cases, I suggest putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and imagining what kinds of messages would be most helpful. Discounts are always appreciated, so include these in your mix if they’re suitable for your business type.

2. Deliver instant gratification

I don’t recommend using text messaging as another outlet for your email content. That could frustrate customers and result in them tuning you out. Instead, take advantage of its immediacy and send different offers that your customers can redeem right away. Do you run a restaurant? Text a coupon for the day’s lunch special. Are you a masseuse? Add 15 minutes to a massage session for making an appointment within three hours. I could see this approach lending urgency to your offers while giving customers a sense of exclusivity and reinforcing their loyalty.

Remember to note when and how to take advantage of your offer—and to identify your business in your text. (You may be surprised how many people forget this step!) A good example of a text might read:

Good Eats Deli: $2 off fish & chips today until 2 p.m. Show this message at checkout.

3. Add pizzazz

Always try to make your texts short, to the point, and interesting. You could also add a photo or video to bring your message to life. How much more appealing would that lunchtime special coupon be if subscribers could actually see what they would receive?

Services like AT&T Messaging Toolkit make it easy to create communications of this sort. When customers sign up for your text list, ask whether they can view messages with photos or video, then create separate lists for those who can and those who can’t.

4. Test and revise

When tracking results from your text messages, I recommend keeping an eye on which ones generate the best response. Are texts sent in the morning more effective than those sent later in the day? Also consider testing differently worded versions of your offers to see how they compare.

I’ve learned that not all effects of a text messaging program will appear right away. In many cases, the payoff can be increased loyalty rather than immediate sales. But this can help boost your revenue over time, and it can also help attract new customers as existing ones spread the word.

If you use text messages in your marketing, I’d love to hear about your results. Please share your experiences below.

Old-fashioned as it sounds, email is still one of the most effective forms of outreach for small businesses. In a 2012 survey by ExactTarget®, 77 percent of consumers cited email as their preferred way to receive permission-based messages. However, smartphone usage is changing how we should approach email marketing in a big way. It’s estimated that 15 to 20% of emails are now being opened on mobile devices, so if you aren’t designing your emails with this in mind, you’re probably losing business.

Here are three ways to help get more mileage from your emails:

1. Think fingers

I recently received an email from a local health-food store that invited me to tap on a photo of its storefront. The store’s website then opened in my smartphone browser. This makes more sense than using a tiny “Click here” link. Why? People don’t click on messages received on smartphones — they touch. Use buttons instead of hyperlinks and make them easy to spot and press. You can also add color to help make the buttons stand out.

Scrolling is cumbersome on a smartphone, so keep your emails short, crisp, and to the point. Your headlines must deliver a knockout punch, and your call to action (CTA) should appear on the first screen. Consider placing the CTA both up top and at the end if your message requires scrolling.

Include social sharing buttons at the bottom of your emails so recipients can spread your message via networks like Facebook and Twitter. If your CTA links to a landing page, that page also needs to be optimized for mobile devices. Remove any JavaScript or Flash to help the page render properly.

2. Reach customers on the go

Messages created for people sitting at their desktops aren’t always suitable for someone walking down a street. If you have five seconds to grab a desktop user’s attention, you have less than two seconds to do the same on a smartphone. How can you make your email more appealing to someone on the go? Some recipients may not want to visit an e-commerce site but would stop by your business if the incentive is right. Consider a discount or other perk if the recipient visits within two hours of receiving the message.

If you offer a professional service, ask recipients to press a big tap-to-call number. Since your targets are already holding a phone, a CTA that encourages calls makes perfect sense. Last week my yoga studio sent an email reminding me that I needed to choose a new class schedule. I tapped on the call button and had it all done in seconds.

3. Simplify the design

I really can’t add up how many emails I’ve deleted simply because they’re unreadable on my smartphone. Unless I know they’re important, it’s not worth the effort! Here’s how to make sure your emails don’t suffer a similar fate:

• Narrow the width so the entire email can appear on small screens. Most smartphones can handle a width of 480 pixels or less. Some devices automatically re-size emails to fit, but don’t count on this working perfectly.

• Limit the number of graphics, as images may fail to appear on smartphones. Work around this by including a pre-header — text at the top of the email — that asks viewers to enable the images.

• Develop a text version for recipients whose devices can’t display HTML. They can tell you which version they want to receive when they opt in to your email program. Always test the versions on various mobile devices.

How are you using it to increase sales and grow your business? I’d love to hear your ideas. Please share your experiences and tips below.

Do right now

The first thing you need to do is to capture their contact information:

• As you ring up their purchases, ask customers if you can add them to your email or text messaging list.
• Hold a drawing for a product or gift certificate and use the entry forms to collect email addresses, mobile phone numbers, or social media handles.
• Post signs that invite customers to send a text message to take advantage of a tempting offer.
• Conduct a quick poll and ask customers to include their contact information with their responses.
• Invite shoppers to sign up for a special event and ask them to include their email addresses or cell phone numbers.

Do later

When things slow down, spend some time developing ways to take advantage of the information you collected:

• Launch text messaging campaigns and include plenty of offers to keep customers coming back.
• Send regular emails with store updates, new product arrivals, and coupons.
• Use text and email to send links to your website.
• Urge customers to sign up for a loyalty program that offers increasingly valuable awards as their purchases mount.
• Encourage customers to follow your store through social media, which can provide more points of regular contact.
• Customize your messaging for different segments of your customer base. For example, a clothing store might send different messages to teen girls, teen boys, adult women, and adult men.

An online messaging platform can help you manage your contact lists and distribute your emails and texts. These services also make it easy to segment your lists, send multimedia messages, and post updates to your social media pages. Remember, contacting customers without their permission can do more harm than good, so always ask if you can send messages when you collect their contact information. Provide a way for them to opt out of your list.

Want to learn more about reaching consumers? Here are other articles about text messaging, email, and social media . Do you have any other tips for collecting and using customer contact information? Let us know in comments.

Prior to joining AT&T, Lisa was the owner and founder of two public relations consulting agencies and served as alliance manager for the BellSouth/Cingular Enterprise Channel. A journalist at heart and by training, Lisa made a “side-door” entrance into marketing and public relations, specializing in working with small and mid-size businesses. Putting on her reporter’s cap allows her to quickly assess a business issue and define a strategic solution.

Lisa has been involved with the BellSouth Gateway Leadership Development Program and is a charter member of Bellsouth Women’s Networking Alliance and the firm’s Marketing Association. She is a recipient of the Silver Flame Award, the Silver Quill Award, and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Phoenix Award.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Florida International University, where she served a highly coveted internship in CBS’s Miami news bureau.

In her spare time, Lisa enjoys painting, photography, and being a mom to eight-year-old twins.