For businesses, it has become increasingly popular to dabble in online social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the like. Typically admission to these networks and the dearth of functionality they offer is free, so at first glance it seems rather harmless to start commenting, tweeting, and sharing. However, it probably won’t take you long to wonder whether there’s a point to it all. As for the value that social media can bring to small businesses, there are a number of competing perspectives, some positive and others negative and even a few that allude to social networking as a marketing wonderland.
As my late Grandpa use to say, “Son, nothing in life is free and clean up your plate.” Looking around the internet today it appears as though there are a plethora of free tools, however, ‘sign-up for free‘ doesn’t mean there isn’t an associated cost. Leveraging these free tools as part of your business does in fact have a cost which is why you should carefully consider a measured approach to these tools. Something to think about: Developing a strong strategy is about understanding how you are going to be better by being different.
Here are 4 simple steps to begin building a successful social media strategy;
Ask your customers and colleagues – How are your peers socializing and sharing information? Do your customers use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, MySpace or other social networking sites? Typically it is a combination but as a small business it is important to get an understanding where people are hanging out and whether there are relevant conversations occurring in that community. Now ask yourself, “how can I become part of that community…that conversation”?
Social Media 101 – If you’re considering leveraging these tools you need to a have a basic understanding of what they’re about. Spend some time reading up on how these tools are currently being used for small businesses. Online searches, case studies, talking with other business owners, or working with a trusted advisor are all good starts to increasing your social media IQ. Failing to understand the basic concepts, lexicon and etiquette will result in missed opportunity when it comes to successfully leveraging these tools to better your business.
Define a goal – Most small business know exactly what their goals are but leveraging social media to support those goals can seem challenging. Are you trying to connect with more prospects? Increase repeat business? Improve client experience and satisfaction? Perhaps you simply want to meet interesting people in your industry but whatever it is be sure to keep track. Regardless of your goal, having a clearly defined strategy that maps to your business goals can be the difference between success and failure.
Start & Evolve – Too much analysis and planning can also be counterproductive. Having a base line strategy along with a feed-back loop to evaluate your strategy is a great place to start. Developing a great strategy requires a bit of experiential learning with an adaptive mindset, so start small and evolve your approach based on your hits and misses.
Social media is the latest tool to be added to the belt of small businesses. Even though many of the tools are free, taking time to think about your social media strategy will pay dividends in the long run. Keep in mind that these tools and communities are evolving at a phenomenal pace, so it’s important to take an agile approach to social media strategy.
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