Are large social media platforms overwhelming your small business? Do you feel lost on LinkedIn? Would you like to connect with other small business owners?
Small business entrepreneur understands the struggle of the small business owner. As the global social media platforms became too big, he decided that small businesses needed a networking site of their own. So, he developed Alignable.com – just for small businesses and local markets.
Local Networking Through Alignable
His goal was to give small business a place to connect and find referrals for everything from new customers to employees to products to services. And, it’s all free.
One of the best features of Alignable is that it is organized by the city level. So, you can connect not only with like-businesses around the country but with neighbors you didn’t even know you had.
Don’t Neglect The Traditional Social Media Platforms
Of course, the big boys – LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. – also have value for small business owners, simply because there are so many people and organizations that use them. But, when you need a hyperlocal platform that can give you a network within your business’s five-mile radius, Alignable delivers.
Local Social Media Success
One such user is Jenni in North Carolina who owns a marketing business. With Alignable, she is able to share her knowledge about inbound marketing. Fortunately, people need her knowledge and new customers flock to her in droves to see what she knows. Jenni gets 70% of her clientele from Alignable.
Word-of-mouth Successes
There are several ways that small business owners can use Alignable. One is to simply follow and chat with fellow business owners. The other is to actively share what you want fellow business owners to share. Sharing useful content works, but you have to create it.
While the connections made on Alignable are helpful, none are as helpful as that made word-of-mouth. According to Eric Groves, the CEO, and co-founder of Alignable:
“The best source of customers is word-of-mouth referrals. You have to invest time to get into a word-of-mouth network.”
Groves suggests considering mouths as the network and words as the content. To get the mouths sharing, you have to have something to share. And, the best way to do this is to post content regularly. This will keep your business on the minds of those who read your work. When you colleagues on Alignable share your work, that gives you even more exposure through their word-of-mouth networks. Remember, if someone shares your work, you should reciprocate and share theirs.
