AUDIO: Social media for small business

KALISPELL, MONT.
September 6, 2010 9:00pm

Social media to small business is becoming more like gasoline is to your car’s engine every day. But small business owners who feel daunted by the thought of search engine optimization (SEO) as well as developing their Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels should take heart, says Tom Heatherinton, one of the original Internet seers.

“SEO is kind of a mind-numbing process as you go through it when you realize all of the aspects that make up the SEO campaign,” says Mr. Heatherington. “But once it’s done, it’s done forever.”

Having a website is essential in today's world, but establishing a website is no longer enough, he says. It must be “optimized” for search engines to find the site and then leveraging the website using social networking platforms is crucial, says Mr. Heatherington, who is author of the new downloadable book, "SEO & Social Media Marketing Guide."

(Tom Heatherington offers practical tips about SEO, SEM, and all the other jargon and how to leverage it in today’s CVBT Audio Interview via Skype. To listen now, click on the play arrow below. To download the MP3 audio file, please click on the link at the end of this article.)

Tom Heatherington is co-founder of PICNet, one of the first ISPs in the country. He is the former president, COO and co-founder of Opinioneering Corporation and one of the original founders of Buy Local Montana. His first book, “The Complete Small Business Internet Guide,” was one of the first Internet business books published by Macmillan.

Today he is the principle consultant and co-founder of The Webunet Group and founder/editor of the Log Home Directory.

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