Free Social Media Tool Launched for Small Businesses

NEW YORK -- How do entrepreneurs know what consumers are saying about their businesses on social media and review sites such as Facebook and Foursquare? The reality is most don't.

American Express OPEN is looking to change that with its launch of YourBuzz, a free tool meant to help small businesses manage their online presence, learn what is being said about them, and connect with customers in the places where they are most vocal -- on social media.

YourBuzz aggregates conversations across highly influential review sites such as Yelp and CitySearch, and social networks such as Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter, to ensure listings are accurate, build customer relationships and mitigate the damage that can be done from poor reviews, according to the company. The product is available to all small business owners; it is not limited to American Express cardholders only.

With YourBuzz, small businesses get a consolidated view of what customers have to say about them across popular websites, and they can quickly respond when necessary. Users also are able to improve their direct marketing by aggregating customer contact information from the Internet and managing it from YourBuzz, thus increasing their communication and targeting efforts.

Additionally, YourBuzz allows small business owners to:
• View existing business listings.
• Claim and edit business listings.
• Create new business listings.
• See how they stack up against their competition.
• View an aggregation of customer reviews and online mentions.
• Respond, re-tweet, take actions or create a new conversation on major sites.
• Get recommendations on different actions to take.
• Import customer profiles and contact information to segment direct-marketing efforts.
• Highlight influencers in their Social Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
• Market to these contacts directly based on available public information.

"With more consumers moving online to research products and make purchases, business owners are increasingly tapping digital marketing to reach them," Jay Lee, vice president of Business Apps for American Express OPEN, said in a company announcement.

According to research from eMarketer, social media usage by U.S. small businesses has doubled in the past year, going from 12 percent to 24 percent. Many are engaging in multiple social media tactics, from using Twitter as a customer service channel (16 percent), to creating a company profile on social networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn (75 percent).

To sign up for YourBuzz, click here.

American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for U.S. small businesses.