11?

As I was reading an article entitled "A Social Media Strategy for Start ups in 11 Steps", I thought to myself really, ONLY 11 steps?  The article was a great read on what small businesses should be doing to enter the technologically advanced 21st century, but I am only going to focus on the 5 that I found most important ad appealing.   

     1. Start with research and be informed.        
         Too many businesses are just jumping straight into social media without conducting the proper research beforehand.  Twitter and Facebook are pretty easy to jump into, but consider your other options as well.  Use other companies in your industry to guide where you want to take your social media presence.  Look and see what what was successful for others and use that knowledge when you apply it to your own business. 

     2.  Be active, but watch what you say.
           It's important to keep your audience engaged and coming back from more.  Don't always tell, it's more important to ask and put out content that your customers want.  It's incredibly annoying when businesses just push out information (or products), and they don't listen to their consumer.  Make sure you are posting frequently enough to keep your audience coming back, but don't overdo it.  If you have nothing to say or share, then don't.  The more success you have as a company the more you will have to say, so find a good balance.

     3.  Have the right attitude. 
          Communicate with your followers like you would a new friend.  There's nothing much else to say. Be nice, but don't sound desperate. 

     4. Build a community brick by brick.
          It's all about relationships.  No matter what industry you are in, the first step to anything is building that trust and relationship.  Don't just add people to add people.  In my opinion, it is the most desperate and pathetic attempt at building your network.  Make your social media worth the time of the follower and that is how you will gain a following.  It is very impressive when a business can connect one on one with a customer.  If someone asks a question on a social media platform, answer it.  Be personable!

     5. Never give up.
         Social media can be a stress for many, especially as a start up.  It's just one more thing to add to your full-time schedule.  However, make time for your social media presence.  It is better to sit down once a week for an hour and focus on your social media, than take 10 minutes here and there throughout the week.  Don't stress out about what to say.  Share your company's culture, talk about interesting events going on in the community, etc.  Remember to be human, it makes everything easier :)



Here is the article in it's entirety -- http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/09/07/social-media-strategy-for-startups-in-11-steps/


That's all I have for today!