Even today we talk to businesses that are not on social media. These typically are small businesses where the main decision maker is not on social media themselves, or they may be on Facebook but can't see the point for their own business.

It can be difficult to see the benefits without actually being there, especially as it can be difficult to measure some of the less tangible results like building trust. So here's why you need to become active on social media.

A question many a small business owner asks themselves.

Unlike a lot of the advice you'll get if you Google "Facebook marketing", we don't necessarily agree that Facebook is the answer to all your marketing challenges – especially if you are a small business with a few (or possibly only one) employee(s).

Much of the advice is very generic and, just like stretch pants – one size does not fit all.

New Zealand is a nation of small and medium businesses - how does that affect how we use social media in our marketing?

Because we have limited budget, time and expertise it means we have to be sure our efforts will be worth it. So for those who want to utilise social media in their marketing - what is the best way to get the biggest bang out of a small buck?

Networking - the life blood of small, local service businesses.  It can be hard to generate referrals for them but here is some good news – there are other ways you can support your fellow group members that are quite powerful without directly or regularly referring people or businesses to them.

When you setup a page on Facebook the URL will be something like www.facebook.com/your-page-name-1248972121.

This looks pretty ugly if you were to include it on any material like a business card or email signature!

But once you’ve got 25 people liking your page you can apply for your a URL that reflects your name or business name (also called a Facebook vanity URL).

Claiming a friendly username makes your Facebook page easier to find and looks more professional. Try and come up with one that is appropriate for your brand name but easy to remember and read.

Once you claim your username YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT – so choose carefully! *