Consultants: Don’t tweet for the sake of tweeting

In the 1990s, business owners decided they needed websites, even if they weren’t sure why. A similar phenomenon is happening now with the explosive growth of social media, but a significant presence on Facebook or Twitter might not be appropriate for every business. “If you look at it as a way to do mission fulfillment, rather than a way to sell things, you will get people coming to you to buy things,” says Stafford Kendall, co-founder of Covalent Logic, a Web and graphic design firm. Kendall says social media can be a way to interact with your customers and remind them you exist, as opposed to constantly promoting your latest special offer. The general rule is: two-thirds about “them,” and what they want to know about, and one-third about you, she says. Consultant Sarah Kracke says you should have specific goals with measurable outcomes before embarking on any social media strategy. “I always go back to, ‘Is this appropriate for the brand?’ ” she says. “If it’s fake and phony, they’ll find out immediately.” Kendall and Kracke took part in a panel discussion yesterday about small business marketing and growth at the 2011 Smart Growth Summit, held at the Shaw Center. —David Jacobs