Who? What? When? Where? How?
Once you’ve decided to get started, how do you proceed? What’s the plan for using social media in your business?
- Who? Who will be responsible for accessing and maintaining your social media profiles? Will it be one person or a team of many? Ideally, the owner or CEO of a company needs to be involved, and the person or people that interact with the customers should at least have some input.
- What? What will your content be? What topics will your business focus on sharing and promoting? Some areas of focus can include; an upcoming event, sharing information, or a product or service.
- When? When are the best times of the day/week to update your status, how often will you post new content, and how much time will you spend? This requires some knowledge and research of your target market, to determine when your efforts will be most effective.
- Where? Where will you share your message? Some of your choices include; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Pinerest, Digg,and Flickr?
- How? How will you measure your success and return on investment? Some measurable goals include; increased website traffic, user comments, newsletter subscriptions, and increased followers. Although, you may never know the full reach of social media in helping to build your brand and encouraging referrals.
At the end of the day, Social Media Networking is about building relationships, branding, and awareness. Here are a few ways to accomplish this;
- Having conversations – Search for other users that have similar interests or are having meaningful conversations (based on your focus) and join in. Or start a conversation with a status update or posting to a group.
- Answering Questions – Use social media to give advice in your areas of expertise and build your credibility as an expert, but be careful not to self promote too often
- Asking Questions – Use social media to ask for advice, and then respond to the advise that is given, letting others know the outcome
- Meeting People – Online introductions can easily become real face to face interactions. Facebook Maine and Maine TweetUp are two groups that help facilitate this very phenomenon.
For more information about social media and to get help using social media in your business, schedule a complimentary consultation.
