By the Bootstraps

I’m friends with or follow many small businesses in Chicago. Most of them tend to be boutiques (that’s just where my interests lay) but many area businesses have followed the advice of Bankrate.com’s recent article on advertising through social media. Here’s a list of great area businesses and where you can find them:

• Hejfina: This high-end boutique in Chicago’s Wicker Park carries Alexander Wang, A.P.C. and other big-ticket items for men and women. Targetting such a selective customer base, hejfina lets its Facebook followers know about in-store parties and sales.
• Volo Wine Bar: A wine bar in Roscoe Village, Volo promotes its many food and drink specials on Facebook and Twitter. They also post videos on YouTube of their chefs cooking.
• Sweet Boutique: Who doesn’t love a good sale? Sweet Boutique sells its women’s clothing online and twitters discount codes to its followers on a regular basis.
• Chicago Food Tours: The city of big shoulders and meat and potatoes has transformed into a foodie paradise in recent years. Chicago Food Tours offers tasting tours in the North Side and make followers aware of ticket sales and other events on Twitter.

When I spoke with Mindi McCreless, membership director of the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce, she said a lot of businesses were turning to social media during the recession. On top of having an informational website, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter attract or maintain customers.  Bankrate.com posted five social media tips for small business. A lot of these tips seem pretty intuitive, but are very important when trying to build up a loyal customer base: read more »