Last weekend, my friend and I decided to order some take-out after a busy day. We faced the invariably contentious decision of where to order from - Chinese or Mexican? Pizza or burgers? Craving carbohydrates, we decided to go with Italian. Searching Google for "Italian food in [location]" brought several dozen results on Google. When the first result brought us to an informative, professional-looking site, we were sold.
Even for a small-town, mom-and-pop operation, having a strong web/social media presence is crucial. Those of my generation, who are used to doing anything and everything online, will greatly appreciate being able to find your business quickly and easily. Having a poorly designed or outdated website (or even worse, NO website) will only serve to drive people to more web-savvy competition.
Take Burgerittoville, a novelty fast food place in my hometown. Although their website is a bit barebones, it does convey most of the essential information customers will be looking for: Menu, contact info, directions, special deals, and a link to their Facebook fan page. One mysterious omission, though, is hours of operation. Another weak point is the fact that Burgerittoville's Facebook page has not been updated since November '10 (how much business do you think that is generating for them NOW?).
Small businesses would be wise to hire part-time employees or interns to maintain their website and associated social media accounts. A website should not be "one and done" deal. It needs to be constantly revised and updated to include the most relevant information. This is especially true in regard to social media. Facebook and Twitter pages need to be updated at least several times a week in order to garner significant results. At the same time, students and those new to the marketing arena will receive invaluable hands-on experience.
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