By Allan Maurer

Ben Comer

What are the main reasons a small business may not use social media?

“They face three problems,” says Social Sidekick founder Ben Comer. “It’s time intensive and they don’t have the time. Many just don’t know how to use the technology. And many just forget to post to their accounts, even though they know they should.”

Comer, Elliot Strunk and Steve Salazar founded Social Sidekick in Winston-Salem, NC, in May to launch a web app Comer says “Comes to the rescue.”

The web app “Allows them to update and manage all their social media accounts through email,” he explains.

It sends small business owners reminders to post on a schedule they determine. They can then just type what they want to post in the email and hit reply. The app then automatically posts for them.

The app, which costs $29 a month and is currently in beta, posts to the business’ social Twitter, LinkedIn, Faceook and accounts.

“It’s plug and play. We don’t do direct consulting except on setup. We will have a rep set them up with a Facebook page for free. We’d be happy to do consulting on a contractual basis, but the idea of this is to empower people to do it themselves rather than for us to take ownership of their social media,” Comer says.

Clients can use the app via their email on smartphones or tablets, but the firm plans to do a separate mobile app in the future.

He says the firm already has half a dozen customers but is still experimenting with marketing.

Comer previously worked for a Wake Forest University startup called mySavu, Although it faled, he says he learned a lot.

Although the company is headquartered in Winston-Salem and will stay there, Comer may move to the Research Triangle region soon, he says.