social media. These tips present the notion that social mediaʼs biggest offering is the sharing of information among profession-als, customers and potential customers. The key to social media: Think less about the creative and focus instead on the con-versation. Social media is two-way conversation, period. And, if you find yourself talking at people, then you arenʼt being social. The following is information gathered from one of the oldest social media compa-nies in the nation. 1. Do a “listening campaign” to find peers and opportunities. Go to www.google.com/reader after setting up a Gmail account and begin to put searches and really simple syndication (RSS) feeds — found by going to www.search.google.com and perform-ing searches, then pulling the RSS uni-form resource locator (URL) into the reader where it says “add” — into the reader in order to monitor conversa-tions. What should you monitor? Your company name, your industry terms, competitors, etc., and illative things such as “carpet cleaning tips” or “need help restoring XYZ.” Once the feeds are pulled, you can check in daily and see what the real chatter is all about and chime in. Be sure to add a live link to your signature in the comments to drive them back to your website. 2. Establish a core-messaging docu-ment. Now that you know the conver-sations, you need to create a baseline document of agreed upon responses and commentary. 3. Set up a Twitter account and begin to follow those in your industry. There are many of follow tools out there like www.TweetAdder.com, www.WhoShouldIFollow.com and www.search.twitter.com that will help. Remember: Follow those you share interests with inside and outside your industry. People on Twitter like to have conversations about many things and will appreciate banter that isnʼt direct selling. 4. Set up a Facebook personal page and then a Facebook fan page for your business. Remember, do not set up a personal Facebook page with the company name — it violates the terms of use. The account must be connected to a real person. 5. Set up a WordPress blog. Itʼs quick and easy and allows for immediate communication. If you are more zeal-ous, get some hosting and a cool URL so that your blog shines and has its own place to live. Blogs should be updated once per week, and you can preload posts easily into the WordPress templates. Now that you have basic tools, you should begin to talk with people. Remember, people do business with those they know, like and trust. When you engage with someone in a conversation with a shared interest — auto-mobiles, for example — you build interest and trust. Do not sell them — they will learn what you do from your profile and go from there. Think of social media like a networking event or a party. You would never nametag surf — so donʼt be concerned with who is following you — and you wouldnʼt walk up to some-one and go into a sales pitch — “Hi, nice to meet you, buy this” — so donʼt do those things online either. Socialize 60 Minutes Per Day Managing your social media should take about an hour a day. While downloading your e-mail, log into your feed reader and see what conversa-tions you can participate in. When you have a few minutes of down-time, log into your Twitter account and see what people are saying and begin to partic-ipate. Do that two to three times a day and you should be golden. Be sure to pay attention to the “@Username” messages and the direct messages because those are specifically meant for you. Facebook should also be checked a few times a day and updates posted regularly. Super users of social media have tools that make these tasks easier. There are tools like www.HootSuite.com and www.TweetDeck.com that can allow you to pre-load tweets. Just donʼt solely rely on them — remem-ber the two-way nature of social media. You can also tie your Facebook page into your Twitter updates so you only have to post in one place. There are also tools available like www.Commentful.com that track your com-ments so you can see where people chat-ted back at you. And, there are, of course, numerous companies that do this all for you for a pre-mium. When playing in social media, keep these tips in mind: You should talk to everyone with inter-ests you share — much like network-ing, you never know where a lead will come from You should participate in industry blogs, forums, chat rooms and articles in order to showcase your brand and industry knowledge Donʼt ever protect updates in Twitter or secure your Facebook page — it defeats the purpose Remember: Once you say it, itʼs out there If you donʼt use social media to mar-ket your brand, your competitors cer-tainly will — and they will capture market share Social media is highly collaborative — industry professionals share informa-tion openly online and you should as well Social media isnʼt for kids: Twitter skews in the 30s/40s age range because teens/20-somethings text more; Facebook is aging as its core population ages There are more sites out there — niches like www.Grandparents.com, www.Eons.com, www.MiGente.com, and www.CafeMom.com are great locations to find potential clients. Don't get boggled in the technology. Though it may seem overwhelming initially, fret not -it's just a conversation. You converse everyday. Best of luck to you and happy socializing. CM www.cmmonline.com 39
CMM – Archives Feb 2010: 39
