Does it scare you?
What does it mean?
How do I start?
How do you manage it?
How do I keep up?
How much time do I spend on it?
How does it help me?
How will it help my business?
I haven't been keeping up....how in the world will I ever get up to speed?
Before we go into the how, let's answer the question what is Social Media?
From what I have learned during my journey studying social media it is simply an interactive form of communication. Unlike regular media you have the ability to instantly communicate with the authors, other readers, and participants on the web. Almost every website you come across is a form of social media.
So there you have it. In simple terms Social Media is Interaction.
Here is a breakdown of the different types of social media platforms:
Networking: Probably the most popular form of social media, and probably what you think of first when you hear the term. This is where you interact with friends, commenting on profiles and posts, joining groups and having discussions. (Facebook, Hi5, Last.FM)
Business Networking: These sites are where you post things that are more business related, link articles to your websites or blogs, join groups where you can discuss specific business topics, and share business ideas. (LinkedIn, Xing, Ryze)
Blogging/Microblogging: These are sites where you can post photos, stories, and just about anything you would like. People who follow you can comment on what you are posting. (Blogger, Blogspot, Wordpress, some consider Twitter a form of Microblogging even though the interaction is limited)
Photo and Video Sharing: By sharing photos and/or video and commenting on other users submissions. (YouTube, Flickr, Pintrest, Instagram to name a few.)
Bookmarking: No. This is not when you bookmark a page to your own computer. These are sites that interact by tagging websites and searching websites that have been bookmarked by other people. (Simpy, Blinklist, Del.icio.us)
News: These are sites where you can interact by voting on articles and commenting on them. (Propeller, Digg, Reddit)
Wikis: This was a new term to me. These are websites where you interact by adding articles and editing existing articles. (Wikipedia and Wikia)
Now you are overwhelmed again, right? Well, I was a few months ago when I started my own business. I thought I had to be on every social media platform, commenting on everyone’s posts, liking everyone’s pages, and connecting to as many people as I could. I spent many, many hours doing this before I realized one day that I had spent so much time interacting with people online that I didn't get much of anything else done. That's when I knew I had to study and learn more about social media and how it affected me and how it would help, or hinder, my business.
After much deliberation, study, and thought I came to the following conclusions:
1) I don't have to be on all social media platforms all the time.
2) I could be on only one, two, or three platforms and accomplish what I need to accomplish and make the connections I need to make.
3) Hiring someone to help with my social media is a good idea. It will save me time and therefore money.
4) If I spend too much time on social media it will cost my business money, not gain new clients.
5) Having a social media calendar is imperative regardless of whether I have someone helping me or not.
So, did I get started?
• First I came to realize that not all social media is something I enjoy doing. I was on several of the sites and realized I didn't enjoy the type of interactions on the site, so I just don't use them. I knew that I needed to enjoy the social media I was going to dedicate myself to or it wouldn't work because I wouldn't want to spend any time on it.
• Who is it that I need to be interacting with? This was the next thing I studied. I knew I wanted to be able to contact real estate agents, small businesses owners, and other virtual assistants; all for obvious and different reasons.
• I knew that I wanted to be a part of groups where I could interact with as many people as possible; on a business level as well as on a personal level.
• I sat down and created goals for myself and my company, contacted a social media manager, and created a plan through the end of the year. Now, I feel I am managing my social media much better. I have a handle on it because I don't spend all day on it, I don't worry if I miss a day, post, or comment. I don't worry because I have a plan, and most importantly I don't worry because I have a social media calendar.
The social media I use are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Blogging. Those are the only ones that I feel I need at this time in my business and all I can manage. Will I add others later? Maybe... Probably. But for now, that is all I can handle and so that is enough.
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