Herding Cats: Social Media and SMB [Infographic]

You may not be supernatural, but some business trends can be seen without the help of a crystal ball.

For small to medium companies, the next big thing has always been hard to predict. Rarely is the way SMBs do business affected by one sweeping development.

There are many reasons to justify the vague SMB crystal ball. One is in the numbers—there are millions of startups and enterprises, with each one is a different approach to their particular field.

Saying for sure which way they go (as a group) would be like herding cats—next to impossible. SMBs are simply too unwieldy as an “industry sector.”

Another explanation is available resources. Unlike large corporations, SMBs often do not have the means, systems or support to do the things that could change their business the most.

There is one tool all SMBs can apply to level the playing field with larger competitors. That is social media.

From marketing and advertising to hiring and human resources, those SMBs that ‘get’ online social media make an excellent job of leveraging the platforms for business success.

Again, like with any “hot new trend” not all SMBs have jumped on the bandwagon.

One common theme is in the types of social media that SMBs are most comfortable with.

This infographic from VerticalResponse shows the types of social media where SMBs spend the most time. For now, Twitter and Facebook are the leaders; Google+ and LinkedIn are bringing up the rear.

One thing is clear—as a tool for SMBs, social media is here to stay!

Full infographic after the jump…