New media is evolving at the speed of light. Small business owners want to embrace it and all of the advantages it offers, but are often afraid to break away from the norm and use new media technologies in new and innovative ways. Many business owners believe that establishing a branded online presence across social media platforms and optimizing the business Web site to show up in search results is highly technical and complicated. Although learning about these affordable and interactive Web 2.0 technologies and how to use them effectively requires a bit of time investment, the outcomes of effectively promoting products and services to a targeted audience will pay off tremendously. Get started with these five innovative, multi-channel (audio, video, events, and mobile) new media technologies and strategies.

1. Build your credibility with podcasting – create podcasts on iTunes or have your own radio show on www.BlogTalkRadio.com while interviewing experts in the field and establishing your credibility. Customers can download the podcasts into their MP3 player and hear your message on-the go, while driving to work or running on a treadmill.
2. Foster customer-relationships with video – Create your own channel on a live streaming video channel such as Ustream and invite your Facebook fans, Twitter followers, blog readers, or email subscribers to meet you there. You can use video capture tools such as theflip.com, logitech.com, or jingproject.com to create video product demonstrations, Webinars, how-tos, and allow your audience to ask you questions, while you learn about their needs and challenges. This is also a great way to get instant real-time feedback on any new products and/or services.
3. Increase natural search traffic to your Web site with offline activations - host an event and invite bloggers, where they will write about it and shoot YouTube videos, helping you spread word about your business. Leverage offline meetup.com and/or tweetup groups in order to generate online buzz about your events to people who may have common interests. Meeting with people offline is the best way to develop meaningful relationships.
4. Drive sales and repeat business with mobile SMS - leverage text messaging to announce store events and on-the-go discount coupons. The use of text messaging allows the business owner to instantly communicate information of value to those you wish to engage, and learn more about your customers. It also builds up the business’s CRM database, allowing for lead generation and repeat business. People love discounts, and in turn, businesses must offer them an incentive to give up their information. A free service like www.Jott.com allows business owners to create and send text messages via a voice message, which the Web site will then translate into text and send out on their behalf.
5. Transform customer service with iPhone apps – Square iPhone application allows any merchant, from store retailer to a concert ticket seller, to accept credit/debit card payment using the Signature Swiper. Developed by the creator of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, the Square iPhone app costs only $1 and includes the card swiper. The person paying for the transaction can then sign for the items right on the iPhone screen, and choose whether or not to receive the receipt via email or SMS message. When you receive the receipt, it will show you the GPS location of where the transaction is made. This is very helpful for fraud prevention.

Do you have success story examples of small businesses that drove sales, increase brand awareness and loyalty with new media technologies? We want to hear from you!