To borrow a completely random time line from the mainstream media covering politics these days, the hosts of The Bella Buzz podcast Desiree and Joe discuss ways to counsel new clients on their first 100 days using Social Media tools.
It is sometimes hard for us to remember what it was like when we first started using these amazing communication tools which are now a common element in our everyday lives. We didn't adopt them overnight, there was a gradual incorporation of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the myriad of other networks into our activities. We work with our clients in helping them understand the process of adopting these elements into their online marketing strategy.
For a business owner who is hearing the social media buzz in the press and trying to determine how they will incorporate all of them into their business, it can be a very daunting challenge. Joe put the question to Desiree, "How would you go about assisting someone who has come to you looking to start participating in the world of social media?"
Her immediate response is that you need to have a solid foundation to work from and that foundation would be a great website. In her words, "a fast loading, easy to view web site that represents your brand"...."the web site is the more formal voice, while social media is the more informal voice" .. From there the next place is to start writing a blog. By crafting a blog about your business or area of expertise, the very thing that you are passionate about, it will provide a comfort level for communicating your ideas in a concise manner. It will also provide you some content that you can multi-purpose by integrating it into the social networks.
Working with clients, the push back against the development of a blog or adopting social media comes in various forms; time constraints, concerns about writing skills and fear of putting too much information out there in a competitive environment are the most common. In each case there are counter-arguments to be made justifying the efforts in the long term. The competitive issue we will save for another podcast, but while we're on the topic, a podcast is a great way to overcome the writing and or time concerns because it takes a simple conversation and turns your authentic voice into content for the blog.
The next tactic is to determine one social network where you will participate and focus by creating a profile. Attempting to jump in and participate in too many of them at once might lead to burnout and dissillusionment so our recommendation for the first 100 days is to choose one and become involved.
Something to keep in mind is that 100 days is just an arbitrary timeline and using these tools for that time period will not provide you with the full scope of the experience. You will only scratch the surface of what you can discover. It is a place to start and provides a milepost to measure your progress and comfort level of using social media.
Once you have had a chance to sample the networks, you may find that differences in the way that each community interacts will be more or less suited to your own personality. Jamie Turner, The 60-Second Marketer, once told Desiree that Facebook is like a pub where there are established friends sitting in comfortable places. Twitter is more like a cocktail party where there are different conversations about different topics happening all around you, and LinkedIn is more like a formal business networking event. Find the one that is most comfortable and start participating.
How have you handled your first 100 days participating in social media? What would you have done differently? And how would you help out a friend who is looking into participating in the conversations?
Let us know, we'd love your feedback in the comments or via Twitter.
