I’m not a high tech guru.  I haven’t unconditionally accepted social media as the future of marketing or selling.  I only got an I-phone because it was an extra and now I am trying to relax and not get too stressed about not using it to its fullest potential (or more then 10% of its potential).

I continue to absorb social media and watch it evolve.  There is value in social media.  The opportunity to get your message out to potential and current clients at a low cost is tremendous.  The information available to you can be overwhelming at times, but if you learn how to sift through it efficiently, you can find informative articles and key points that have benefit to your organization.

Should you fear social media?  No.  Should you be intimidated?  No.  Social media can be whatever you want it to be.  It’s different for everyone, so don’t feel like you have to spend 5 hours a day combing Twitter for valuable people to follow or blogging about every significant or insignificant happening in your community or business.

Start slowly and be patient.  Evaluate the time spent vs. the perceived benefits.  Each social media avenue is different and should be viewed as such.

Facebook – Create a page for your company or business.  Create incentives for people to follow (either by becoming a fan or “liking” your page) your postings on Facebook.  You can post events at your community, notify people of events in their area that you may be sponsoring or post promotions or specials.  Hopefully, people can help your following base grow organically.

Twitter – Have respected voices in the industry that you want to keep up with?  Know of organizations that post through twitter?  Seek them out and follow their postings.  You can also post relevant nuggets from your business or community.

LinkedIn – A great way to build a network of professionals and exchange ideas and information.   It’s pretty simple to join, then seek out groups in your industry and join.   You don’t have to contribute, you can just receive updates and articles from them.   If there is a topic you want to weigh in on, just comment.  This gives you an opportunity you relay your expertise in an area, possibly leading to referrals.  It’s also a great place to find service providers you may need or fill a position.

Blogging – Got something to say?  Want to create an information portal for your community or business, maybe a blog is the way to go.  Do you have to post every day?  No, just be consistent, so people know when to expect your posts.  Start with once a week, same day and go from there.  Give people the opportunity to comment on your posts.   Blogs also are great for search engine rankings.

Are some of these redundant?   Maybe a bit, but they also allow different avenues to disseminating information.  Oh, there are also others to look at, but you’ll run into those!  Your clients and potential clients may come from any of the four, or all of the four.  Do you need to use all four or more that we didn’t cover?  No, you should use what works for you and your community or business.  The main thing is to get out there and get your feet wet.  You won’t drown, unless you swim past the buoys or didn’t wait 30 minutes after you ate.   Cheers, df