Small businesses in western Sydney learn to harness social media

SMALL business owners learnt about the power of social media tools to target customers in their local area, at a Fair Go for the West breakfast at Parramatta this morning.

Young people and workshop leaders at Youth Leadership Forum at UWS.

SMALL business owners learnt about the power of social media tools to target customers in their local area, at a Fair Go for the West breakfast at Parramatta this morning.

CEO of social media marketing company Tiger Pistol, Steve Hibbard, said Facebook continues to be the most powerful tool in the social media sphere for reaching a specific target market.

“The biggest opportunity with Facebook is targeting,” he told the attendees at the business breakfast sponsored by National Australia Bank and hosted at the University of Western Sydney’s Parramatta campus.

“It allows you to think about your customers in ways you never have before. You can understand more about their behaviour, who they are, what they do, where they live, what magazines they read and what TV they watch.”

Mr Hibbard said Facebook continues to grow rapidly and build its user base and increased revenue from $1.45 to $2.58 billion in the 12 months to March 2014.

“It is about increasing relevance [in marketing],” he said. “There is a greater likelihood of your ad being seen by someone who is relevant.”

Small business owners also heard about a NSW Government backed initiative to help small businesses plan and grow.

Small Business Connect is an advisory service run out of UWS which offers high quality advice on business planning and practical tips for free.

Senior business adviser, Inu Ranu, said the service advised more than 420 small businesses last year alone, most of them based in Western Sydney.

“The difference in the service we offer is that we are backed by high quality data analysis, industry specific research and statistics and powerful diagnostic tools,” she said.

NAB small business banking experts networked with SME owners at the event alongside local MPs.

Peter Vickery, NAB Business Banking Executive, said the event was about bringing together Western Sydney business owners with a wide range of experts and specialists to help their businesses continue to thrive.

“Business growth in Western Sydney is almost three times the state average, and we’re committed to ensuring businesses in the region continue to get the support and backing they need to succeed,” Mr Vickery said.

Attendees also heard about how some clever smartphone apps such as Uber and Airbnb were disrupting whole industries.