Your Small Business Community:
Build It and They Will Come

Find the Best Online Communities (and Offline)

A small business community is more than you think: it includes customers, suppliers, and stakeholders. A strong stakeholder model means belonging to the best online communities and business social networks.

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A small business network or group is what you make of it. In the right network, your business can prosper. In the wrong network, you're wasting time. Develop a network with other people who want to connect, communicate and succeed in business.

As a small business owner, an online social network might be a good peer-to-peer networking opportunity. Find the best online communities to belong to: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Flickr are considered some of the top, and best, online community groups.

Before you build your business group, particularly if you want to build a network online, define your stakeholder model: who has contact with your business, how important are they to you, and what points of contact do you wish to have with them?

For the best, and most productive, experience, make sure your network includes a number of the support and/or business groups listed here:

Business Social Networks: Online and Offline

• Government agencies, such as Small Business BC, or Small Business Canada, or if operating out of the United States, then Small Business USA;

  All three of these sites are government-run, and simply examples of how state, provincial, regional and national governments provide support to small business entrepreneurs;

• The right type of association (for example, industry and trade associations);

• An internal committee (for example, made up of employees and/or business stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, neighbors, shareholders);

• A small business advisory group (which can work like a board of directors);

• A small business network - which is a peer group either within your industry or outside of it or perhaps this could be a peer exchange group (where your business exchanges information with a peer business in another part of the country; a non-competing region);

• One, or several, business mentors - choose someone who's done it all before and is willing to share;

• A resource group, website, company and/or databank;

• Online social networks: build your business social networks online in a number of different online community groups (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more). Make sure that you pick the best online communities to participate in and that you define social networks in relation to your specific business connections and conversations.

• And, your employees, families, friends and associates.

Your business social networks will be most effective if you relate your business strategy and objectives to your stakeholder model. These associates and groups work together as a community for a common purpose: each wanting to improve their own business (or in the case of family and friends, helping you improve your business) through the support and connection with others.

Presently there are an estimated 300 online social networks. At present, the top social networks are those mentioned here (Facebook, Fickr, Twitter, LinkedIn) but these networks will move up and down in popularity based on the support they receive from their users. Make sure that you consider, and participate in, networks that are specific to your industry or business. It's important to listen to what people are saying, and it's also important to have a voice in your industry.

A peer to peer group or peer exchange can also be built into a valuable business social network. And if these groups don't exist in your industry or line of business, build one. You will be amazed at how eager people are to connect.

A home-based business can have additional challenges - it can be hard to meet people, and make a connection, from home. But smart home-business owners create connections with others and build their own successful network.

In other words, to build a strong business you need to build a strong support structure and a successful network around your business; and it must include all stakeholders.

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