About a month ago, Seth Godin posted a piece on his blog about the value in creating a local newspaper. The idea being that if you had a local company with a targeted outreach, like that of a “down on your luck” real estate agency, that great local content would be an ideal way to “face” the community. His point was: “Own your Zip Code.” The 
question I took away is along the lines of scalability. How does this goal apply to both the Mail Hub plus Books in Brecksville, Ohio and Samsung Group in Seoul, South Korea? (If you engage your audience with information that is pertinent, the brand becomes ingrained and relied on in everyday life?). Positive engagement, in the eyes and minds of marketers, leads to conversions or sales (theoretically).
Three weeks ago Chris Brogan wrote a piece in his blog raising the question of how to stimulate business at a local eatery (possibly utilizing social media). The comments on the blog (96 in all) seemed to be split between the pros and cons of reaching out into a small, localized community. Would having a presence (maybe even a large presence, relatively) really drive sales to keep the business viable?
This is where we see the potential and gradual scalability of social media. Big brands (and I use the term “big” loosely) are so focused on perfecting the medium that they sometimes forgo the risk of actually participating (many brands still prohibit their employees in engaging in “social media” while acting as stewards of the company, for better or worse).
Who better to pick up the slack than local businesses like the Blues City Deli in the Benton Park neighborhood of Saint Louis? (Vinnie, the owner of Blues City Deli had originally only featured a MySpace Page to promote the local Blues shop, but adopted a Facebook group after a few loyalists created the page). Vinnie once mentioned in passing that he didn’t really have an interest in getting involved with Facebook after having the MySpace page established. Upon finding several of his patrons advocating the eatery on Facebook, he decided to jump in and join in on the conversation. Vinnie prompted a conversation on MySpace and then proceeded to listen (probably via a completely free, untargeted Google Search) for mention of the deli online. Will affiliations with these networks really sell more Po’ Boys? Do the 98-odd “fans” of Blues City Deli on Facebook really eat there more often than the average patron?
This is why we will see a majority of measurable, social media case studies initially on the local/individual business unit level. They have their self-interest closest to heart; they want to know what people are saying and participate in the evolution of their brand.
***This is where I call myself out for the conclusion I just set to reach…Lest we forget the grassroots organization of a winning presidential campaign and the online industry-laden “self help” organizations (HARO and Dell’s Direct2Dell or Digital Nomads fall in line here). These campaigns were both well thought-out and executed. That being said, I believe the true practitioners of this medium, the ones who can see the biggest return, the quickest, are the businesses located right next door.
How about checking out BCD next time your in the mood for one hell of a sandwich and some funky tunes?
Have another great local business utilizing social media on a local level? Feel free to post in the comments below.
Peace.
mjb
