I see people in businesses everyday wondering what they should be doing with social media. How should they use it? What should they use? Where should they start? How can I make it produce leads, generate new business, create a following, etc. etc.
We’ve all heard of STOP/DROP/ROLL if you catch on fire. Well now to “catch your message on fire” you want to STOP/THINK/GO. The social media marketing tools are just another vehicle to distribute your message in a social (friendly) non-interruptive, interactive, acceptable and real-time venue. (Just a note of caution and maybe sanity . . . you still will use many of your traditional methods. Social media will not take the place of things that still make sense and are productive.)
STOP – THINK – GO:
STOP: Worrying about social media; being paralyzed with fear is not productive. Start to get educated – read and learn. THINK: What is my plan? Take action to put a plan together. Dedicate 30, 60, 90 minutes per week to make your plan a reality. GO: Action kills fear! Start to participate and see what you like.
BLOGS:
Blogs are a great place to begin. Go to www.blogger.com. Read blogs first then start to comment on blogs you like as you feel comfortable and then eventually create your own blog.
Have a plan. There is no one method to make this work. All industries are different and will embrace the social media tools that work for them and direct their message in the most expedient and direct manner to their target audience. Next week we will explore planning.
Social media marketing tools are just additional tools for you to use to distribute your message. At some point they may replace some of the things you do traditionally, but not right away. Many traditional marketing activities (Direct Mail, Networking, Referrals, Tradeshows, Seminars, Cold Calls, etc.) still have value and power. Integrate your traditional venues with social media. Don’t feel you must replace them and/or abandon what has worked for you in the past. Look for innovate methods to enhance your message and improve the consistency of your follow up.
I think blogging is a great way to get started. (I need to do a better job of fitting it into my weekly plan, to keep mine current, but this is part of the learning curve.)
I found David Meerman Scott’s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR extremely informative and helpful. Scott touches on six powerful tools with blogs at the top of the list. In the book he lists “12 Simple Guidelines to Blogging”. If you are interested in a preview, click here to see the 12 guidelines. As you read them you will be introduced to many other terms, such as Technorati – RSS – DIGG – TypePad, that will continue to challenge you and, hopefully, feed your taste to learn more.
Your comments, questions, suggestions, and helpful resources are welcomed, so please let me know what you are doing and how it is working. Let’s all learn together!
