Emerging uses of technology such as the World Wide Web, blogs and social media or news/URL sharing websites are not only changing the way small businesses market themselves, but are also exposing and perhaps widening a generation gap in terms of technology use to meet marketing and other business goals.

This is Part 4 of a series exploring generational gaps in small business and family-owned business.  This article will discuss how blogs, websites, and other types of social media and new media create new marketing opportunities for small business, as well as the future of this new media for small businesses.  Previous posts in this series include:

- Intro: Closing the Generation Gap in Small Business

- Part 1: Measuring the Technology Generation Gap

- Part 2: Beyond The Cool Factor

- Part 3: Leveling the Playing Field

We interviewed Ed Lohman, VP of Affordable Computing Enterprises, on these issues.  When asked whether a small business can benefit from blogs and social media sites, Ed answered, "Once the small business realizes what blogs can offer, and they select a few to monitor, the value of blogs becomes quite apparent to them."

Small Businesses Can Leverage The Power of Blogging and Social Media

The Long Tail and ever-widening array of business tools at our disposal means that small businesses no longer have to remain content with dreaming about the kinds of tools available to large enterprises.  Here are just some the ways in which small companies can leverage the growing power of the blogosphere and social media sharing sites:

1. Monitor the online conversation to learn what is being said about their industry, niche, product(s), service(s), competitors, leaders and employees

2. Respond to that conversation through blog comments, online forums and other participatory tools.

3. Create smart marketing tools using inexpensive technologies and platforms such as corporate blogs, social media website accounts.

Choosing An Effective Small Business Marketing Method Has Never Been More Important

As the ability to spread the word about companies grows by leaps and bounds and becomes effectively much cheaper and easier to do, the risks and benefits associated with small biz marketing have actually polarized.  What might work well might also blow up in your company's face, and much faster and more intensely than 15, 10 or even 5 ears ago (or even last year!).  Ed Lohman acknowledges this when he says, " There is no one panacea for any business, be it large or small.  The beautiful thing about technology is that it makes the playing field equal between large and small."

How Will Small Businesses Market Themselves In The Future?

While the need for continuing education in the marketing space has never been more critical, the potential for marketing to become an important and powerful tool for even the smallest business has also never been more enormous.  The World Wide Web will continue to be a strong tool for small business marketing.  As information becomes easier to share (look no further than Wikipedia for an excellent example), the balance of power may shift increasingly to small businesses.  What will become more critical is the habit of harnessing others - other small businesses, other individuals - and motivating them to spread good word of mouth marketing for your small business in a way that exceeds that of your competitors.

Noise isn't the only need, however.  Small businesses need to research and use YouTube, Digg and other media/URL sharing websites, but they also need to insist on high-quality workmanship and execution at work.  More than anything, the quality of its work will speak for or against a small business in the future.  It will simply be too easy and tempting for bad news or customer complaints to spread, and too difficult to exercise damage control.

Internet Marketing Will Increasingly Require The Closing Of The Generation Gap

Small businesses that use the Internet effectively for marketing purposes will enjoy an increasingly wide advantage over those that do not as the 21st century progresses.  Individuals on both sides of the technological generation gap must learn to collaborate in their respective small businesses to make the most effective use of the available technology and communicate well to the kinds of people that would respond positively to pertinent, well-presented information about their business.