Small businesses can be tricky for a number of reasons. The biggest challenge is that they are generally run by 1 or 2 people who are aged 40 - 60 years old, and these folks aren't online all that much as they busily running their companies. Add to that the fact that they may be distrustful of the Internet and things they find there.
Before you go crazy on channels online it might be a good idea to think through why they go online and what their intent is when they are there. Maybe its to socialize with friends/kids/family on Facebook, but more likely it is to do research or read the news.
Research = Search will probably play a huge role in your business getting discovered
News = PR is the way they're going to discover you without doing an explicit search
I would also go where the small business owners are - FORUMS! Find out where they are talking and get yourself and your company into the conversation. These forums and communities are usually segmented by industry: real estate, hospitality, restaurants, beauty, retail, etc. and then sometimes even sub-categories within that
My gut says you will probably have to combine online self-service sales with some amount of more direct sales to make this work. If you have something free that they can play with and give you their email for, then a followup email or phone call within 24 hours could go a long way toward winning them over (and you'll come to understand them better in the process)
Before you go crazy on channels online it might be a good idea to think through why they go online and what their intent is when they are there. Maybe its to socialize with friends/kids/family on Facebook, but more likely it is to do research or read the news.
Research = Search will probably play a huge role in your business getting discovered
News = PR is the way they're going to discover you without doing an explicit search
I would also go where the small business owners are - FORUMS! Find out where they are talking and get yourself and your company into the conversation. These forums and communities are usually segmented by industry: real estate, hospitality, restaurants, beauty, retail, etc. and then sometimes even sub-categories within that
My gut says you will probably have to combine online self-service sales with some amount of more direct sales to make this work. If you have something free that they can play with and give you their email for, then a followup email or phone call within 24 hours could go a long way toward winning them over (and you'll come to understand them better in the process)