7 is all I could come up with for now.
Phase I (Social Media – Yes or No?)
1. First of all, figure out who you are trying to reach. Are you a B2B or a B2C company? Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter work well for B2C companies that are looking to communicate directly with their consumers (i.e. customer inquiries on products).
2. What kind of industry do you work in? (The real question is, does it make sense for your business to be “social”? If your business is global brand, a retail store, or a restaurant, then yes. If your business is a plumbing service, notary, or the post office, then no). It’s really important to make sure that a social media campaign aligns with your target market (i.e. audience and consumers) and the marketing message (i.e. the positioning) of your products/services. And unfortunately, sometimes it just won’t make sense to use social media. Figuring out this first will save you a lot of time and labor in the future.
Phase II (How to get started)
3. Once you’ve decided that your company must jump into the social media landscape, hire an expert to do the work. Trust me, it will cost more hiring an amateur in the long run, than an expert. It will save you lots of headaches.
4. Twitter Rule #1 – ENGAGEMENT – Engage the community you are targeting. Respond to their tweets. Search for questions your customers might be asking, and answer them! Add value to the conversation.
5. DON’T SPAM. Whatever you do, don’t just use social media as a way to “get the word out” to your customers. Just because you put it out there, doesn’t mean people will read it. Give people a reason to look at your content. Make it interesting & make it unique.
Phase III (Maintenance)
6. Tweet regularly. Figure out how often you want to tweet and stick to the schedule. Consistency is key.
7. Keep organized. Create Twitter lists for clients, vendors, customers, bloggers, and so on. This will make it a lot easier to sort through tweets.
Stay tuned for tips on using Facebook for your business.
Gracie's Empty World 