Social media is old hat for a lot of web-savvy people. But it is foreign territory for just about everyone else. Getting involved can be confusing and even intimidating for some. There are so many options, so much to learn, and so many ways to come across as a rube.
This is especially the case when it comes to using social networks for business purposes. Even people who are old hands at socializing on Facebook and Twitter can be completely useless at converting all that energy into some kind of business advantage.
Having said that, the fact is that using social media for business is just about the hottest thing going and just about any business you can think of can benefit from some kind of social media involvement. The problem is, where do you start?
Be selective and focus on the most appropriate networks
As you get involved in social media you may find it confusing because there are so many options to choose from. Some of your friends and acquaintances will be involved in Facebook, others in Twitter, still others in Linkedin or Youtube, and a few of the more active ones will be involved in all four of these. Beyond the these four there are literally hundreds of social media sites encouraging you to get involved.
My advice? Don’t. That is, don’t get involved in a bunch of social media sites until you understand how it all works. Start with the basic “Big Three” – Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. In fact I suggest you start with just one of them.
Getting into Facebook is a no-brainer for just about everyone. But it may not be the best choice for you. It depends on your circumstances. If you are an business owner, entrepreneur, executive, manager, or business professional you should probably sign up for a Linkedin account. If you have a lot of acquaintances and contacts who use Twitter, that may be the place to be. If you are a real estate broker or agent you may want to try ActiveRain. If you like taking a lot of photographs Flickr may be useful for networking purposes. And if you rely on video to showcase your products or services, then Youtube is the obvious place to be.
I discuss this at much greater length in the multi-page report called “Making New Friends and Connections in Social Media”. It’s free and you can download it here.
Comments on this entry are closed.