Page 404 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

392 12 Implementation Issues: From Globalization to Justification, Privacy, and Regulation

In addition, vendors realize that the large number of small Table 12.2 Ten steps to a successful social media strategy
businesses means an opportunity for acquiring more custom- Step Description
ers. Thus, many vendors have created service centers that 1 Understand what social media is and what the benefits of
offer both free information and fee-based support. Examples using it are
are IBM’s Small and Medium Business Solutions (ibm.com/ 2 Identify the audience you want to reach and where to find it
midmarket/us/en) and Microsoft’s Business Hub (microsoft- 3 Identify the resources you currently have available for use
businesshub.com). Professional associations, Web resource for social networking and social networks
services (e.g., aabacosmallbusiness.com) and small organi- 4 Identify the most appropriate technologies to use
5 Start a blog and create a social culture in your business
zations that are in the business of helping other small busi-
6 Build social media profiles for your business on Facebook,
nesses, go online today.
LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
Resources to assist SMEs in going global are also emerg-
7 Make your blog social media friendly
ing as helpful tools for SMEs that want to expand their hori- 8 Build relationships with your target market
zons. For example, the Global Small Business Blog (GSBB) 9 Turn friends and followers into customers
(globalsmallbusinessblog.com) was created in 2004 by Laurel 10 Decide how you will monitor and measure the performance
Delaney to help entrepreneurs and small business owners of your social media initiatives
expand their businesses internationally.
A good source regarding SMEs’ use of e-markets to conduct
international business is emarketservices.com/start/Case- SECTION 12.3 REVIEW QUESTIONS
studies-and-reports/index.html. Also see Goldberg (2016).
1. What are the advantages or benefits of EC for small busi-
nesses?
SMEs and Social Networks 2. What are the disadvantages or risks of EC for small busi-
nesses?
Social commerce is one of the fastest growing EC technolo- 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages for small busi-
gies that is being adopted by SMEs. nesses online?
Small businesses can utilize social network sites to inter- 4. How can social networks help SMEs become more com-
act with peer groups outside their immediate geographical petitive?
area in order to exchange opinions about topics of mutual
interest and help each other solve problems. SMEs can find
websites that are dedicated to small businesses. These sites 12.4 OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS
provide SMEs with opportunities to make contacts, get start- IN E-COMMERCE AND AVOIDING
up information, and receive advice on e-strategies. Not only FAILURE
can sites such as LinkedIn be used to garner advice and make
contacts, they can be used in B2B to develop networks that Now that EC has been around for over 20 years, it is possible to
can connect SMEs with other small businesses or foster rela- observe certain patterns that contribute to the success or failure
tionships with partners. of EC projects. By examining these patterns, one can find indi-
Table 12.2 lists ten steps to success when using social cations of the opportunities that lie ahead and avoid pitfalls
media in SMEs. Note that, social networks facilitate inter- along the way. It is not easy to assure success in e-commerce as
actions and relationship building, which are very impor- shown in the case of Aldi supermarket (Case 12.1).
tant for SMEs. For tips on how to use YouTube to promote
the online content of SMEs, see masternewmedia.org/
online_marketing/youtube-promote-content-viral- CASE 12.1: EC APPLICATION
marketing/youtube- video-marketing-10-ways- ALDI SUPERMARKET TRYING E-COMMERCE
20070503.htm. IN THE UK
SMEs are following the growing popularity of social net-
working sites and using social media to build connected net- The Problem
works, enhance customer relationships, and gather feedback
about their services and products. Aldi Supermarket is a large Germany-based supermarket
For implementation issues of social commerce, see Chess chain which is also active in the UK and Ireland. The grocer is
Media Group (2012). known to be active, inspiring to open 1000 stores in the UK.