This blog covers many topics regarding running your business online and we talk about social media quite a bit. However, I don’t think we have really provided you with some basics to get started if you are trying to make sense of all the tools out there. Sure, we have covered Twitter and the Twitterverse and using our blog tools but there are some basic things you should be doing to use social media in your marketing activities.
I was reading an article in Entrepreneur.com and they stated that “Twitter grew 3,000 percent in April. Facebook hosted 61.2 million visitors in March. LinkedIn counts 20 million users worldwide.”
THOSE ARE POWERFUL NUMBERS. BUT HOW DO YOU TAKE ACTION?
We have been piloting classes in Social Media and we have found that there are found basic things you should do if you are going to start leveraging social media tools for your small business.
Way #1 – Google Alerts: Know Who is Talking About You
For those of you who don’t know Google Alerts, you can set up alerts to come to your email or an RSS feed based on keywords you set. You can set them up at http://www.google.com/alerts. You will need to create a Google account to get it running.
Way #2 – Get a LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn provides the opportunity to connect with others who are also looking to create partnerships or to collaborate. LinkedIn has incorporated additional social networking capabilities such as special interest groups and open discussion threads. You can also have people recommend you and recommend them which can be very powerful for people searching for someone with your expertise to hire you or your firm. You can get started by creating a profile allows you to post your online career history, then to connect with your network, many of which probably are on LinkedIn already. You can also set up your company on LinkedIn and get your employees/contractors connected to your company profile. This can also help promote not just you but your firm as a whole.
Way #3- Using Twitter: To Tweet or Not to Tweet
Many people, including me used to advise companies to start with a blog, but now it is probably easier to get on Twitter first. This allows your to engage in conversations faster and better along with building a powerful network that will drive traffic to your web site and blog. This way, when you do things like an announcement of a new product or promotion you can use Twitter to include a link back to the details on your company’s blog or website, all while waiting to get a coffee. Connecting with people on Twitter produces the necessary personal touch so many clients and customers prefer and shows that you are really listening. You can also leverage Twitter to get instant answers to questions, feedback on brand elements and product ideas. Be warned thought, Twitter can be a time sink. Look at using tools like Tweetie, Tweetdeck or Seesmic Desktop to keep up with ongoing conversations.
Way #4 – YouTube: Internet Video is Not Just for Laughing Babies and Sneezing Pandas
Another way to capitalize on the fast pace of social media is by posting videos on YouTube. I know, I know, when you think of YouTube all that seems to come to mind are viral phenomenons like the Star Wars Kid, Laughing Baby and the Sneezing Panda. While alot of the content on YouTube is very juvenile and not very useful for work, many companies are establishing an outpost on YouTube for many reasons. To share interviews, protect their brand, have a channel to rapidly respond to PR crisis issues (e.g. Burget King) and even to demonstrate your knowledge to the world to help establish your company as a thought leader. You can started with very low overhead (I use a Flip video camera which is $100-200) and using your channel to uploading a short clip can be a rapid way to test the market and also demonstrate your knowledge to potential customers.
The irony of online video and sites like YouTube? You reach a wider audience than network or cable TV. That is pretty powerful, don’t you agree?
Way #5- Set up a Blog: How Will People Know You Are an Expert
Having just a web site is very 2005. If you are out there trying to build reputation, especially as a thought leader in a particular area, you must start a a blog now. Blogging takes disseminating information about a company a step beyond formal press releases, ads, marketing brochures and websites. A well-managed blog invites peoples’ perspectives and provides an opening for real relationships to be formed which is a critical aspect of great customer service, and a good user experience.
Blogging doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment, but expect to spend 1-3 hours to research, write and edit a post. You should also do it on a regular basis. If you are going to write daily or weekly, be consistent and pick a day to publish. I find it best to writing during mornings or on weekends to maximize my schedule. The nice thing about blog tools now is the ability to schedule. You can write a post when you have a free block of time and schedule it when every you want it to go out. Granted, some things are time sensitive but if you look to build readership, you must be consistent otherwise people will think your blog is dead and unsubscribe or just stop visiting.
Another side benefit is that search engines love blogs. Blogs that are refreshed regularly get a boost in search engine rankings. When blogs publish a new post, it lets the search engine know that you have new content and they spider your site and reindex you, helping you with increasing authority and relevance in search engine rankings.
The Bottom Line – Mix Social Media with Traditional Media and Find the Mix that Best Suits your Business
Pulling a quote from the article in Entrepreneur.com which is very appropriate – “Traditional advertising and marketing is not dead,” says Olivier Blanchard, business strategist and principal of The Brand Builder Marketing. Blanchard advocates integrating social media into a more traditional marketing and advertising plan, “so you can have a healthy mix, much like a diversified investment portfolio.”
Time is money, so before you dive in you have a solid website, e-mail list and a contact database before venturing into social media.
Remember it is conversation before conversion. No matter what the platform, the true value of social media is found in the conversation. You are not necessarily going to get tons of comments every day, or @tweets/retweeting your every word but you are engaging a potential customers or clients in the way you could not have before and than conversation naturally leads to the point were they become new customers and your investment in social media will come full circle.
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