Social Local Media: Postling Simplifies Social for SMBs
The “getting social” challenges for local businesses are simple to understand, yet hard to address: taxed time, strained resources, lack of platform awareness, tactical needs, fuzzy measurement tools and more. Postling doesn’t propose to solve all of them, but it does take an important step toward local-social efficiency.
Unlike social marketing agencies that build presence for their clients or developers that create customized promotions (Wildfire, Votigo), Postling builds a consolidated dashboard on top of existing social channels, allowing SMBs to manage social actions and track customer interactions in one central hub. Networks include Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Citysearch pages, WordPress blogs, YouTube channels, and any other reviews sites with RSS feeds (Tripadvisor, for example).
These aren’t fancy tools, mind you, and that’s by design. VP of Business Development Josh Scherman told BIA/Kelsey that Postling understands the “realistic needs” of its base. Thus, its tools aren’t built for power users.
A business owner, or marketing manager, logs into the dashboard and can push out social media messages across all, or designated, channels. Replying to social mentions is also a single-step process. Postling’s most important innovation to date has a time-capsule feel to it: a standard e-mail “daily digest” that updates the merchant on where the business is being mentioned and if/how the proprietor has responded. Call it your daily social to-do list. Instant e-mail alerts of social mentions are also available. “The reality is that small businesses don’t get 1,000 mentions a day,” Scherman said. “So there’s no reason to miss mentions.”
Customers groups and pricing structure both span several tiers. While grassroots SMBs are participating, the dashboard is ideally suited to accommodate a business with multiple locations and brands (often with several social channels connected to each). Scherman has also seen a wave of local-focused agencies partake.
The model is freemium, with a sampler that includes “one of everything” (brands, social accounts) and limited e-mail benefits. Reasonably priced pay tiers featuring differing brand and account availability levels then kick in, with specially crafted packages for larger, needier clients. In fact, Postling’s business model is very “fluid” to make sure that it captures enough value from clients.
Considering the pressures most SMBs feel to “get social,” combined with their demand for simplicity with any marketing offer, the Postling concept seems obvious. And indeed others are competing, including Sprout Social and Single Platform, which is restaurant-focused. Scherman is quick to clarify who they are not competing with, though — the Hootsuites of the social ecosystem that provide more advanced tools to heavier users.
Though Postling already boasts some 10,000 registered businesses without the aid of a sales team, Scherman acknowledges that finding channel partners to introduce the platform to more SMBs could be an evolutionary step. Right now, Postling makes most of its hay by working with local business associations and holding educational events on social media, primarily in its New York City base.
