All the doom & gloom of the economic situation in Ireland can be overwhelming for new or small/medium businesses & service providers but for those that have a product or service, social media may open a new channel to you.

If you're an SME owner reading this blog then there's a good chance that you're already thinking of how to use the buzz tools of Twitter and Facebook and so on. First of all, remember that they're just tools so like any tool only use those social networks that you think will benefit your business.

If you're a producer of Irish handmade chocolate (tips hat to the excellent Skelligs Chocolate) then the more corporate focused LinkedIn may not be for you - or maybe it is exactly what you need. An opportunity may lie in place for a supplier of Irish crafted chocolates to be supplied to Irish-American  run companies that are eager to connect their brand with the "old country".

And here's the other thing, your average plumber in Dublin may not think that a social network like Twitter or a platform like Wordpress has anything to do with him/her but if he/she takes at least an hour a day to produce a useful piece of content on stuff like "how to avoid being ripped off when servicing your boiler" or "how to stop a dripping tap" then he/she is already adding value and increasing their branding on a local basis.

Tradespeople on a social network may seem far fetched to some in the construction industry. But those people who work out that sticking an ad in the classifieds is much more ineffective now compared to even a year ago are the ones who will have the potential to build up a decent client base. After all, everyone needs a handyman to call on now and again and in Ireland at least, Google has well and truly replaced the Golden Pages as the first port of call when seeking any type of service.