HEY SOCIAL MEDIA!!!
Now what? So what?

I can’t begin to tell you how old it gets reading bios only to realize that EVERYONE today is a social media expert, master or guru.

How can we have so many experts when the medium and the tools are still so new to most people and especially to businesses?

Well the answer is there are very few REAL social media experts and I am most certainly not one of them. However, I do know networking and marketing, and I do have a working knowledge of how to use tools in general to make your tasks easier and more efficient.

In my effort to explain these tools in a way that gets you past the initial intimidation they can create I might over simplify in some places, but it’s my goal in this conversation to explain these options in terms anyone can understand and benefit from.

So let’s start with creating the FRAME WORK.

In other words, what’s your purpose?

Why do you want to add more work to your already busy day?

Why bother learning new tools?

What is the goal of creating profiles and sending invitations to people to join your network and/or follow you?

ANALOGY:
The classic analogy for prioritzing your life works in building your social funnel as well!

You are given rocks, pebbles, sand and water and you must fit them all in a glass jar.

The only way you can accomplish this goal is to start with the big pieces and work your way down.

You place the rocks in first and then the pebbles which fall in place between the rocks.

You then add the sand, which settles down from the bottom all the way up until the glass is full, even between the pebbles.

The last step is pouring in the water, which the sand will absorb.

This is the best analogy I can give you for how to prioritize and create a proper funnel of information and an online presence in the current social media landscape.

SCENARIO:
Let’s assume your purpose is business and not personal, finding friends, dating, etc.

We will also assume this is for a small to medium size business.

In the world of business you can receive great value through job hunting, coaching, consulting, resource management, and of course marketing.

Let’s focus on marketing since that’s been the interest of the majority of my clients.

How do I use these social media tools to create a brand, increase brand awareness, identify new markets, or even generate new sales?

As a consultant, I work with my clients and we map this out in great detail. But for the general purpose of this blog, let’s look at it this way:

There are hubs and there are spokes. There are cogs and gears and they all work at different speeds and are in different sizes. We are building a machine. Nothing new… just different materials.

Remember our analogy above? Good.

So lets start with the ROCKS!

Here are the BASICS you need:

1. Website and/or blog

Many business want to just setup their Facebook account or LinkedIn account but remember we are creating a funnel for information and user experience. Always ask yourself

“Where am I leading these connections and to what goal?”

Depending on your business and expertise, you might decide to have a brochure or topical website with a simple description of mission, services (features & benefits) and call to action.

In most cases, these are what I call passive sites.

Someone finds your site, reads the information presented there, and either takes action or does not.

End of encounter, end of potential and end of story.

Now if you utilize a blog, which you can create and maintain for free, then you are creating conversations.

SO if you already have a site, update it and then put your time and energy into creating a blog!

Again, this conversation is not about the tools as much as it is the methods and strategies. We will get to the how to’s soon enough. If youcant wait then contact me and I will help where I can.

Invariably you will experience the curse of the flashing cursor!

Why do you think they call it a cursor?

We will get to content, but needless to say you are providing a great service to your clients, and at the same time creating a much more conducive environment for relationships even if all you do is re-post relevant content from others sites, blogs, etc. Just make sure you always give credit to the original authors!

2. Social Media Sites
LinkedIn
Facebook
Myspace

These are all sites that can serve multiple purposes for your company.

You can network, ask questions from experts, track what your competition is doing, generate new leads, market research and so much more.

And the best part is… Myspace and Facebook are free! LinkedIn is free as well but there are upgrades that are reasonably priced.

So where do you start and which of these do you develop?

There are many strategies involved in making this decision.

Each of these Social Media sites have pros and cons.

Because of this, most business people utilizing social media have more than one account with these type of sites.

I would generically advise the following:

If you have a website and/or a blog and your purpose in using these Social Media sites is marketing your business then start with LinkedIn and then choose either Facebook or Myspace.

Your decision should be based on what audience you are trying to reach and what your call to action will be. More on that later.

LinkedIn is an amazing resource if you utilize it properly. Like any other tool it must have a goal and objective. I can’t create the sculpture I mentioned in my last blog if all I use is a hammer!

Start with LinkedIn and COMPLETE your profile. Yes! Complete the ENTIRE profile.

Upload all of your emails and invite your entire database to join your LinkedIn account.

Once you have these two basic steps completed, the fun really begins.

You want to immediately begin to send invitations for your contacts to “recommend” you on LinkedIn.

This single action will distinguish you from the average Joe peddling around on the social network.

There are entire courses and books dedicated to utilizing LinkedIn properly.

If you are interested in finding the best of these resources, let me know and I will send them to you. But for now, go play!

Don’t be afraid to search or post a question. Get involved!

Remember this is about relationships: if you’re going to the dance, you can’t stand by the walls the whole time!

As for Facebook or Myspace… that’s another conversation all together.

Some basic research will reveal which site has access to which demographics. Again, if you want further direction on this point, I am happy to share the resources.

3. Twitter
Twitter

Yeah I know… what the hell is Twitter?

Well, I promise you this much… over the next two years, you will become much more familiar with Twitter than with any other existing social media tool.

Simply put, Twitter is a real time update program that is offered for free.

By real time I mean that instead of waiting to receive a notification from Myspace or Facebook that someone has contacted you or commented on your page, Twitter instantly posts this same kind of information so you see it come in on either your computer or your smart phone as it happens.

The nice thing is you can manage your Twitter account from your computer or smart phone, too. And while you can only enter up to 140 characters in any one posting, that’s okay. The idea is to get connected and stay connected.

For now, just look at it this way:

We are creating a funnel.

Think of Twitter as a convenient “aggregator” for your other social activities.

If you post a new blog, you tell the world via Twitter.

If you launch a new product, the news is released through Twitter first!

Okay, this is a good stopping point.

Now we need discussion, so weigh in. Ask questions, make suggestions, or correct me where you think I am wrong.

But above all… let’s continue to help each other grow and learn!

Next… the pebbles! oooohhhhhhhhhh

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