Guest post by Alex Maegdlin

Vertical Response recently released this infographic showing how small businesses are using social media. The results confirmed many of the things we know here at AdeptPlus based on the social media efforts on behalf of our clients.

In the spirit of sharing, here are our Take Aways and Tips:

• To have a successful social media strategy, you don’t need to spend a lot of time or money and there are plenty of third party tools that help make the process seamless. We’ll post some of our favorites in another blog post soon.
• Though the infographic shows that Google + is the least popular social networking site, it is important to remember that Google is a preferred search engine by many. Therefore, it is important to have a Google + presence to aid in SEO. We think we’ll see an increase in the use of this tool over the next year.
• Don’t ignore review sites or think if you get a bad review you’re stuck with it. Engage with your customers using these platforms. Hansa Coffee Roasters is a good example of how you can use the ability to respond to users’ reviews on Yelp to work in your favor.
• Don’t ignore the value of a blog! On the Internet, content is king and the ability to create your own via your blog is a powerful tool. It doesn’t need to be updated every day, but an active blog can increase exposure and eventually lead to more business.

How are you using social media to engage with your customers? Do the findings illustrated on the infographic jive with your experience?