Josh Morton poses with a bottle of his Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur at his production facility in Brooklyn. His marketer landed a client thanks to her efforts on Twitter. MARK LENNIHAN/Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Small business owner Sean Hilty is getting more customers - and more sleep - now that he's ditched his pen for a keyboard.
The owner of auto repair shop HBH MotorWerks used to stay up past 2 a.m. writing his customers' invoices by hand. "I'm a chicken pecker when it comes to typing," says Hilty, 39, about his two-finger typing. "I thought it would take longer to type than it does to write down."
After some pushing from his kids, Hilty started using a web-based service to type invoices on a computer after writing them by hand for years.
"They're more tech savvy than me," says Hilty, who currently runs his business from his Bartlett, Tenn., home. "They said, 'Dad, you're taking way too long to do that.' "
Whether it's a web-based tool like the invoice system that Hilty uses, a software program, social media sites or mobile payment systems that allow them to take payments using a smartphone, small business owners are often slow to invest in, and use, technology.
The vast majority - 86 percent - say they rely on word of mouth and customer referrals to drum up business, according to a recent Bank of America survey. Just 41 percent cited social media as an effective marketing tactic. According to a separate survey released earlier this year by American Express, as many as 52 percent of small businesses don't use social media.
Small business owners usually say they don't have enough time to look for ways to use technology to attract business or save time. But finding the right technology can be as simple as doing an Internet search, or asking others for advice, says Deb Lee, the founder of Soho Tech Training.
"Many are slow to just take a step forward," says Lee. "When you stall, you become less productive."
Social media networks can give small businesses a boost, too. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter or review-site Yelp, customers expect to find small businesses on the social media networks like they do for big companies and brands.
Josh Morton quickly learned the power of social media: It landed him a paying customer. Morton launched Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur, a ginger-flavored alcohol, earlier this year.
"I had never really used Twitter," says Morton.
So he hired Christine Kennedy, a social media marketer for alcohol brands, to manage the Barrow's Intense Twitter account. Since Barrow's Intense is made in Brooklyn, N.Y., Kennedy started following restaurants and bars in New York that serve locally made products. One of them was Cookshop, a New York restaurant that serves dishes made with seasonal ingredients from nearby farms.
A day later, Cookshop responded on Twitter: "Thanks for the follow. Can you have someone stop by with a sample and pricing info? We support local liquor."
Morton went to Cookshop last month with samples, and Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur was added to the menu.
Last week, Barrow's Intense got another tweet from Cookshop: "Can you send me another 2 cases?
