What are the objectives of marketing?

To what degree do SB's use social media to achieve business objectives as compared to other channels ie Sales, Business Development, Partnerships, ATL and other forms of marketing?

• The question is targeted at understanding the social media usage behavior of SB's. There has been a lot of hype regarding social media and it seems the social media has been at its peak of the technology adaption life cycle but how have SB's embraced social media as a marketing channel? Because even big companies haven’t yet fully figured out how to monetize and effectively use social channels. Also, time continues to be the biggest form of currency for any small business owner. There are more than a million SB pages on Facebook and LinkedIn but is it only because the barrier to entry is close to nothing or have they genuinely considered social media as a marketing channel?

• Answer:

  Almost every SB owner I know uses social media for their business, many as an outgrowth of their personal use.  The advantage is low cost and targeting our audience.  In some ways, we're the perfect user.  We have a story to tell and people who stand behind the biz (unlike, say, a chain store).  That said, you're right, it is nearly impossible to monetize and we often don't have the time (or expertise) to use it well.  So, I'd say, yes, we use it because the barrier to entry is nearly nil but yes, we do genuinely consider it a valid marketing channel.