In my most recent Daily Fix post I made the boast that social media works for small business and that I had proof. Delivering on my promise to provide such evidence, here's the first of a series.


If there is one small business owner I could point to as a model for others, it is J.D. Iles, owner of a four-person custom sign shop in Lincoln, New Hampshire.
J.D. started his blog Signs Never Sleep in 2004 because he needed an easy way to update his otherwise static Web site and blogs fit the bill.
In the beginning, J.D. confessed he didn't know what he was doing. He posted about his work, but mixed in posts about both his family and the local area. (Not a bad idea in my opinion if done in moderation.)
One of the strategies he began to use that proved to be highly effective was showing photos of signs in the process of being made. Not only did it demonstrate his artistry and craftsmanship, but served as good PR for his clients as well. Seeing a sign being made, there was no question that J.D. completely understood his craft.
He later experimented with the use of video, but quickly returned to a combination of photos and text. "While I could shoot the video in a few minutes, editing proved to be a time-consuming process. I determined it wasn't the best possible use of my time," he said. "I backed away from video pretty quickly."
When asked what part his blog played in his overall marketing plan, his response was straightforward and concise: "The blog has been my only form of marketing. I even pulled my yellow page ads!"
Based on his extensive experience, J.D. sees a number of benefits to using a blog, search engine optimization being chief among them. He has found the medium as a way to generate leads and close sales. "People will call me who have seen the blog and say 'You're doing our sign, no questions asked.'"
When asked what advice he would give to small business owners considering the use of a blog, J.D. says it's certainly worth a try. "Many industries are not using blogs at all and being in a first mover position will give you great advantage. Not only that, many of those who are using them aren't doing so effectively," he states.
One caution he gives is to be patient and understand that it will take time, but that blogging will pay off. "If you blog for a year, no one will be able to catch up with you on Google," he says.
J.D. has become a mentor to others in his industry and has turned his blog into something of an online community for custom sign-making. "It is another step in my blogging evolution," he says. However, J.D.'s influence extends far beyond his industry. His story has been written up not only in my book, The Digital Handshake, but in a number of others dating as far back as 2005.
Because of his experience and success using blogs, J.D. serves as a model for any small business and is proof positive that social media can and does work.