Social Media for Small Biz

Oakland Digital’s (ODALC) first annual “Social Media for Small Business: Online Marketing Symposium” held at Oakland City Hall, Council Chambers was an overwhelming success. The event was open to the public with a purpose of displaying how to use social media tools effectively to help increase their Return on Investment (ROI), reach untapped and potential customers, how to stay connected with customers and boost their online brand presence.

Nearly 200 attendees were present as Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, gave an opening speech about her vision for the City of Oakland and the importance of digital media. “Digital media has changed our lives… and the way social movements organize,” says Mayor Quan. The attendees ranged from small businesses and entrepreneurs to individuals learning how to effectively use social media as a tool to increase their business marketing efforts.

“The audience covered a lot of professions, including local mom-and-pop shopkeepers, alternative medical practitioners, and door-to-door salesmen (…) who are just now really starting to focus on how they can use social media to grow their business. It was exceptionally well run by Shaun Tai, Executive Director of Oakland Digital,” says event keynote speaker, Thor Muller.

The partners of Oakland Digital: Kelly Flint of Constant Contact, Stephen Perez and Billie Korting of YP.com, Patrick Hurley of InOak, Eric Gilbert of Yahoo! Small Business, Thor Muller of GetSatisfaction and Andreas Weigend of Social Data Revolution, provided insightful social media tips, resources, and real-life examples of how social media works. The event was sponsored by Western Digital and co-sponsored by the City of Oakland.

“Oakland Digital sees Social Media for Small Business as an educational platform for local small businesses to get introduced to new technology and most importantly, provide hope that they can and will succeed,” says Linda Poeng, Treasurer of Oakland Digital.

(“Oakland Digital: Strengthening the Small Business Community using Social Media” by Vernita Naylor, Jabez Enterprise Group (JEGroup), Oakland, Calif. – April 12, 2011)

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