Aussie Women Proving More Social at Using Social Media in Business Arena

[image error]A recent study of more than 1,000 Australian small business owners from Galaxy Research for American Express points out that many of the country's small business women are turning to and more effectively using social media in the workplace than their male counterparts.

According to the research, more women are opening their arms up to the various opportunities presented them through social media networks and differing online channels.

Among the findings of the study are:

Forty-three percent of Australian female entrepreneurs utilize at least one mode of social media in their workplace;
Thirty-seven percent of male small business owners use at minimum one form of social media;
Forty-eight percent of women say they will increase their attention to social media over the next year, compared to male business owners, who report they are more apt to invest in staff and training as opposed to social media;
Female entrepreneurs are two times as likely to note a Facebook page as the communication device most apt to generate sales, and they are also more likely than men to sport a Twitter business account (15 percent to 10 percent);
Forty eight percent of women compared to 40 percent of men are more likely to have positioned their products and/or services to be acquired from their company's Web site.

According to Jason Fryer, head of small business services with American Express, males tend to invest more in new technology than their female counterparts, with 27 percent of men stating they had planned to do so in 2012, compared to only 17 percent of women.

In a statement, Fryer noted, "While male business owners focus on the importance of acquiring the tools with which to get connected, their female counterparts are more focused on putting these tools to work for them. It is encouraging to see that 40 percent of all small business owners are using at least one form of social media in their business – demonstrating this sector's resourceful and eagerness to embrace new technology and methods of communication."

As a female small business owner worldwide, how can you better utilize social media to your company's benefits?

Among the things to remember are:

Social media is essentially free – While using social media takes time and effort, the service is basically free. Make sure as a business owner your company is engaged on a number of sites, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and more. Having a company page on each of these sites will bring you more exposure, allowing you to promote goods and services, share industry-related information with customers, and interact with current and potential customers in a real-time manner;
Sociability – While not true in all cases, women tend to be more social than their male counterparts. That being the case, female business owners should use such skills to reach out to customers, especially given the large numbers of individuals who turn to computers today for browsing, shopping and buying goods and services;
Speak to both sexes – Short of selling men's clothing exclusively, female small business owners would be smart to give their social media campaigns a non-sexist approach. According to a recent study from Performics, males are more apt than women to be involved in "social shopping" meaning, using social media tools from start to finish in the shopping experience. The study goes on to note that men lead women in five of six social shopping behaviors researched, including researching product information, reading reviews, comparing products, locating product availability, and obtaining business information.

At the end of the day, female business owners need to understand that those who say social media is a fad that will come and go likely do not know what they are talking about.

The majority of experts who follow trends would tell you that social media is here to stay for the long haul.

Think about it, both business owners and consumers have been using one form of social media or another for decades and decades. While Facebook and Twitter are new within the last decade, word-of-mouth is not.

As a female business owner, in the event you are not already doing so, put social media to work for you and see how the real-time interactions can translate to real-time profits.

Photo credits: cia.gov

 

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