Helping small business owners harness the power of social media.

So maybe not everyone is on Facebook...yet.

That's why, as part of National Small Business Week, Citibank Small Business is hosting an online seminar to help small businesses get online.

A recent Citibank survey revealed that small business owners are not taking full advantage of online tools to help them grow their business. In the survey, 63 percent of small business owners called "word of mouth" the most effective way to market their business and find new customers -- yet 81 percent said they do not use social media.

It is clear that many small businesses do not see the connection between social media and word-of-mouth marketing.

In response to our survey findings and in celebration of National Small Business week, Citibank Small Business will host an online, live-streamed event on May 27: "Drive Sales and Word of Mouth Referrals using Social Media," featuring Brian Solis, a prominent social media thought leader.

This event is designed to help small businesses harness the power of social media to market and expand their business. Solis, co-founder of the Social Media Club and an original member of the Media 2.0 Workgroup, is globally recognized for his views and insights on the convergence of marketing and social media. The session will focus on the importance of social media engagement and will provide practical guidance on using social media to connect with customers.

Please join us on May 27 from 6-7pm for the free streaming event at http://www.CitiLiveStream.com. Those interested in attending "Drive Sales and Word of Mouth Referrals using Social Media" can register at the Citi Events registration page. 

Survey methodology

This Citibank poll was conducted via telephone by Abt SRBI during the period March 10 - March 31, 2010 among a national random sample of 552 small businesses, with revenue over $100,000 and no more than 100 employees. The margin of error is approximately +/- 5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval. Surveys are subject to other error sources as well, including sampling coverage error, recording error and respondent error.