7 Tips for Launching Social Media for Businesses

Social Media Marketing

Good news! It's easy to get started using social media for business. In addition, social media marketing can be fun and may also open up new opportunities... So, here are 7 tips to help you navigate the "social media strategy waters" in a way that is manageable and beneficial.

Social Media for Business & Social Media Strategy

Pick One Social Media Site to Start

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Many small businesses active on social media are present on more than one site. However, trying to do so initially can be overwhelming. So, choose one site to start your social media strategy, and focus your attention there first before moving onto others. Once you've become comfortable with how to use that particular social media for business, then move on to the next...

Create a Social Media Time Constraint

In fact, you can easily spend hours each day getting up to speed with social media marketing and the popular social media sites. However, you probably have neither the time nor the energy or interest in investing so much of your time. Therefore, create a time constraint to limit the time you spend on your social media strategy on a daily or weekly basis. Moreover, this constraint must be compatible with your schedule.

Clarify Objectives and Social Media Goals

Do you know what your goals are? In fact, you need to know how much time you are ready to invest on your social media marketing. What would you want to accomplish with your social media strategy? Are you interested in generating leads? Would you like to find colleagues with whom to collaborate? Are you willing to establish yourself as an expert in your industry? On the whole, those are questions that you need to ask yourself before starting using social media for business.

Clarify your objectives by using SMART goals and plans. Specifically, take time to check on your progress once you get started so you make sure you're moving on the right direction.

Outline Your Approach

There are hundreds of different ways to use social media for business. In particular, one way is not necessarily better than another. In fact, the important thing is to know what your intended approach is before you start. Are you going to be a communicator? Are you going to provide an industry-related news feed with a mix of business and personal information? Outline your intended approach and work it into your goals as you get started.

Update Your Social Media Profiles ... Consistently

Each of your social media accounts will include some kind of profile. Profile fields may include a headshot, website, blog, location and a bio. Make sure to fully fill out your profile on any social media site you use. As it pertains to social media, especially as you begin to explore many different sites, consistency is vital. Not only is it important to have a complete profile, but it's also a good idea to keep your data as consistent as possible across all of your social media sites. This can aid in broader reach, recognition, and ongoing communication using the same contacts on multiple sites.

Observe and Research

Sometimes the best way to get started on a new social media site is by signing up and then watching the pros... or at least the people who have been around for a while. Each social media site has a very unique set of nuances. It may be a good move to spend some time to observe and learn the ins and outs before deciding how you are going to use the social media site to promote your business.

Use a Social Media Dashboard

One of the biggest challenges with social media is time management. Social media dashboards, such as HootSuite, TweetDeck or Social Oomph can help you manage your social media time more effectively.

These tools allow you to set up alerts and notifications, create groups, skim through activity feeds quickly, and schedule updates so you can automate a number of the social media processes. While you won't want to "over-automate", social media dashboards can make the process of using social media for business smooth and efficient.