Tips for Social Media Marketing with bizSugar (Part 1)

(Susan Oakes, marketing consultant at M4Bmarketing discusses tips for social media marketing with BizSugar.com in this two part interview.)

First, Susan, could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your business, where you’re based and what you do?

Our business is based in Sydney, Australia and my background is in marketing for over 25 years. Working with some great companies like Johnson & Johnson, I honed my marketing and business skills and knowledge which paved the way to starting my own small business.

Since January 2005, I co-founded a company called Marketing for Business Success where we saw an opportunity to help small business get and stay on the path to marketing success. To do this we developed a software product called M4B Marketing Software which basically takes the marketing process that successful big businesses use and simplifies it so any small business can market their products or services.

Our company also provides marketing coaching so we can work one on one with our customers who have specific areas in marketing they would like to improve or develop. Taking advantage of today’s global technology, we offer this service primarily by phone and email so we can work with our customers wherever they live in the world.

How long have you been a member of BizSugar and how did you originally hear about the site?

Although I have only recently become a registered member of BizSugar, I have been visiting the site and reading the articles since 2008. I first heard of BizSugar through a blog post on Small Business Trends, visited the site and was very interested in the concept of sharing news for and about small businesses. Since that time I have read a number of articles and a little while ago I became more involved, voting on other articles and posting articles from my blog.

Can you tell us a bit about your philosophy for marketing with social media and how BizSugar has figured into that strategy?

Social media to me is one of the many marketing tactics to choose from when marketing your brand. As such, before you jump in and become involved you need to first really understand how your customers think, feel and behave, choose your marketing objectives and decide on your marketing strategy. Only then are you in a position to decide how social media can be a part of your overall marketing plan…

(Join us next post for the conclusion of our interview with Susan Oakes of “Marketing for Business Success”. Meanwhile, check out the new BizSugar toobar available for free download and remember to vote for your favorite posts on BizSugar.com.)