Before getting started on social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter, there are a number of issues that you should to address.

Adjust Your Mindset
When you decide to use social media for your business, you will need to address what this means holistically. Embracing social media usually means a shift in your business perspective. You can’t just create a page and walk away. Well, you can, but it won’t be successful. Remember that social media is, in its essence, social. Understanding networking is key to online social media success, just as it is when you send a representative of your company to a conference. Think of your social media site as an employee (or department) of your company. You expect an employee to look good, behave professionally, and represent your company well. Expect the same of your online presence.

You should also get your employees involved. They can be the biggest advocates of your business, so get them following your social media presence. You can get them to contribute as well. Ask them what they think you should share, or run a contest for a marketing campaign. Make it social for them and they will share it with others.

Public Policy
When using social media for your business, you want to make sure your image and message are consistent and that you protect yourself. Begin with a policy that outlines the overall voice and message of your business. It should also outline how you will handle negative feedback, how you will address others, and how you’ll reward faithful followers. Being prepared will make sure you are consistent when facing different situations.

Make It a Job
Maintaining your social media campaign is a job in and of itself. Whether you give the responsibility to one employee or hire a social media expert contractor, you will want to make sure that you establish who creates and approves all content that is published, including text and images. This person or entity should also make sure that your social media presence is consistent with your brick-and-mortar presence.

Setting Aside the Time
It is also important to establish how much time you want to invest in your social media presence. A good presence is not a hit-once-a-day-and-walk-away deal. You need to be engaged with your followers. If you are going to offer them a venue to interact with you, then you need to truly interact with them. It is important to establish how much time you want your representative to spend online, including the break down into how much time is spent tweeting or posting, how much time is spent answering customer questions or complaints, and how much time is spent planning and developing the marketing materials and strategy for your social media campaign.

If you establish how you will use social media before you get started, you will be a lot more successful.

Need help getting a handle on your social media plan? Let Alphabetix help you establish a social media marketing strategy.

Tags: blogging, Facebook, fan page, social media, twitter, Web 2.0

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 9:46 am and is filed under social networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.