Being able to connect local businesses is harder than you think.

As modern-day business connections and introductions go, it’s being done more and more online with the use of international social media and business-based websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

It can be tough initially for the more similar targeted and localised websites to be taken seriously, such as the likes of ‘Find it in the Black Country’ and even our own ‘Connect WM’.

The fact of the matter is, that people like what they like; and they’re used to what they're used to, sometimes it can be hard for a new business-based website to break the mould quickly against the growing usage of international social media sites.

The reason it's hard is because of people's perceptions, expectations and assumptions as to exactly what the purpose of such a website is. At a glance, perhaps they may think that the websites do the same thing, but in reality, that may not be the case.

The growing trend presently is that LinkedIn is the place for business introductions and high numbers of business people worldwide are registering with on LinkedIn and then trying to fathom out how to use it.

Because LinkedIn is coming more and more to the forefront, some think the site is new. It’s not; it’s been around since 2003 which is when it was launched. This means it’s taken some 8 years and up to January 2011, a total of $103 million of investment had been made to start gaining momentum in its use and recognition.

Currently, LinkedIn has a global membership of 100 million with 4 million being from the UK.

There are some elements to the LinkedIn site which are free and there are those which are paid and this helped LinkedIn reach profitability in 2006, 3 years after its launch – it is recognised to be a good site to source and help identify the right people such as owners, directors, CEO’s in specific companies to connect to.

In 2007 to help local businesses, Sandwell Council created a ‘Find it in Sandwell‘ web-based model, in which its prime aim was to fulfil a local authority obligation which was to connect local businesses to procurement opportunities via the council. During this time the then Labour government was looking into ways to make local procurement opportunities more accessible to local businesses, the requirement of which was highlighted in a report by Anne Glover in 2008.

The Find it in model started to grow in its awareness and soon other local councils were having the same web portal built, their model operations being different as opposed to ‘shares investment’ as they all had been awarded considerable amounts (100’s of thousands of pounds) of European funding to help maintain and promote separately each of the ‘Find it in’ models.

However the recent governmental cuts have seen things change and due to the creation of LEPs (Local Enterprise Partnerships) the Black Country LEP has brought four ‘Find it in’ models (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton) under one ‘Find it in the Black Country’ banner.

Again funding has been pitched in, but the understanding is, this time that the local councils use their funding to help maintain and promote – but there may come a time soon when these types of models will have no alternative but to become monetised in some way, shape or form.

The ‘Find it in’ models do benefit local businesses, but the feeling currently is that only the big boys are being helped and not necessarily the smaller micro-businesses.

If you stop and think you can quite easily see both sides, attention has to be given to the bigger boys as it is they who are bringing investment and employment into the local area, however much attention to the bigger boys whilst it might help small and micro businesses in 12-18 months, it’s the present day which they are more interested in.