Which social media network do I start with and how do I get started? On an ongoing basis, that is the most consistently asked question I receive as a social media consultant. This question is best answered by being broken down into two segments; which platform do I choose and what are the steps needed to begin using social media for business?
To get started on any social media platform, the first thing needed to do is set your social media goals for the platform you choose. Each platform has different sets of pros and cons. Choosing which platform best suits your needs is based on comparing the pros and cons with your sets of goals. Twitter is used to relay information and drive traffic to your website. It is excels at disseminating the articles you share pertinent to your company and industry. Linkedin is positioned to serve as the platform to use as an extension of your networking strategies. Facebook centers on creating conversations and discussions around your shared status updates including articles, videos, and images. Many find it easier to digest if you begin with a single social media platform and formulate a social marketing strategy that grows with time.
After choosing which platform works best for your goals, the next step is to create the habit of using social media. We all have our daily schedule in which we visit the same websites and spend time surfing the web. This also answers the important question about time, as most say there is not enough time to fit social media marketing into their schedule. Using social media to aggregate your daily website visits to your news feed will allow you to save time and develop the habit of visiting social sites to get your news. Creating a habit is not the only thing you need to get started. You also must locate the influencers in your industry on the network you chose and see how they are using the networks to their advantage.
As with marketing campaigns, the most important thing to remember is to have a specific goal to attain before you get started in marketing your products or services.
Eric Wilson is the director of social media at NEREJ, Norwell, Mass.