This week we interviewed Assaf Gal from the YCA Solar Light Store.  He has some great insights into how social media can help small business marketing, as well as providing some really cool solar lighting products too!

What service/product(s) does your company provide?

YCA Solar Light Store is a provider of solar powered lights and solar lighting accessories.  This has both B2C applications as well as B2B.

When did you launch your business/how long have you been in business?

We’ve been in business since August 2007.  About six months ago, though, we revamped our website and changed shopping cart software.  Initially we were using Yahoo Stores (designed by SolidCactus), now we’re using Volusion and we’re much, much happier.

What is your elevator pitch?

We’re your neighborhood store, but on the internet.  You can trust us while finding the solar light you need.

What marketing tool(s) does your company currently use?

Google AdWords is just brilliant.  In addition to that we have one of our partners work daily on SEO.  He makes sure our pages are structured properly, we’re optimized for the right keywords, and he’s always adding articles to the directories.  I’ve also opened a twitter account and blog but it’s been a bit tricky nailing down what to write/tweet about.  Those two dropped off our list of top priorities.

What has been your greatest marketing tool?

To date, Google AdWords has been our best tool.  Lately, though, organic traffic has been increasing and it’s without a doubt a direct result of the SEO efforts.

What are the biggest challenges your company faces in marketing its product and what are you doing to overcome those challenges?

We sell solar garden lights.  The biggest challange we see is answering people’s questions with our copy, pictures, and supporting information.  Is it bright enough?  We can’t just tell someone how many LED’s (light emitting diodes) the light has, we have to bring that to human terms.

A lot of companies are shifting their marketing efforts to online tools and free social media marketing. Has your company made this kind of shift, and if so in what ways are you marketing online?

Social media is not just a short term trend, it’s a shift in how we use the internet.  Top down publishing is gone, and user generated content, cherry picked/relevant information, and up to the minute information are replacing it.  We haven’t settled exactly on how we’ll be using the social tools, but there’s no doubt they’ll play a major role in how we interact with consumers.

How are your company’s sales tactics or way of doing business being affected by this recession and do you have any advice to other small business owners?

The recession has had an impact, there’s no doubt.  Two things we’ve noticed are this:1 - It’s not the downturn that’s scary, it’s the uncertainty.  When the Dow jumps 700 points in one day to be followed by a 700 point drop, no one buys anything.  But when things are down but stable, sales keep coming.

2 - If people need a product, they’re going to buy it.  Most of the lights we sell are functional, not just decorative.  Need to light your flag?  Can’t do it with electricity?  Then you’re going to buy one of our solar lights to solve your problem.

Any cost saving tips?

Just pay for what has to get paid for, and nothing else.  That doesn’t mean slash your marketing budget.  You need to market to get your product in front of people.  You don’t need to pay $15,000 for a trade show booth.  Just go as a guest.

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