How to get started in social media

[KristineS]

I write a bi-monthly column for an industry magazine and the topic for the September/October issue was how to get started in social media. I wanted to share this column here because I wanted to see what you guys thought about my advice. I think the biggest thing I wanted to mention was the first tip I gave, make sure that your customers are using social media before you spend time on it. A lot of times people start accounts without knowing if their target market even uses social media and then find they've wasted a lot of time as a result.

What is the number one tip you would give someone who was just starting out in social media?

[vangogh]

Good article. The advice is sound. I especially like the last bit where you tell people social media isn't an instant panacea. I agree completely with your first tip. It doesn't matter how popular a social site is if your customers aren't there. You need to be where they are, not just in social media, but in any place you want to reach people.

I think my #1 tip (after choosing the appropriate social sites) would be to spend some time listening before posting. All social communities have a set of unwritten rules and it's a good idea to learn those rules and get a sense of the community. I'm not talking about spending months listening, but follow a few people who you respect and watch how they post and what seems to work for them. Once you've spent a few days understanding the site you'll have a better chance of being successful.

[greenoak]

we are new at it and have 1800 fans with no contests or asking for likes... ....i would say for us the top tip is pictures and humor.....that fits our targets like a glove..... they love the stuff...and we are partly about fun and entertainment....and we talked it up inthe store a lot...and put it on every piece of paper they took home...
we started w ith 2 aces,mainly we had an internet connection w ith our customers already,,,we have an email database of over 2000....it was easy from there to push facebook....the other ace was my daughter and daughter in law...both had lots of facebook friends, and they probably kind of took a look at us.....
i love to read real stories in an article, , how about 5 casebooks from places w ith over 500 fans? that kind of gets you past the theory place...
i think figuring out if the customers/targets are even interested in facebook is a good step before you get started.... .
...also think being quite different is good....there is a lot out there......i gladly learn from other stores on facebook....but i want to stand out and be different.... soi wouldnt try too hard to fit in to their mold....i want it too look like us..
most of the pages i sign up for are for info...like, grandma mary, the news places, and some nostalgia places about music and culture .
our goal is totally to get them to take that drive and come see us....

[KristineS]

Good article. The advice is sound. I especially like the last bit where you tell people social media isn't an instant panacea. I agree completely with your first tip. It doesn't matter how popular a social site is if your customers aren't there. You need to be where they are, not just in social media, but in any place you want to reach people.

I think my #1 tip (after choosing the appropriate social sites) would be to spend some time listening before posting. All social communities have a set of unwritten rules and it's a good idea to learn those rules and get a sense of the community. I'm not talking about spending months listening, but follow a few people who you respect and watch how they post and what seems to work for them. Once you've spent a few days understanding the site you'll have a better chance of being successful.

I like your #1 tip Vangogh. I guess that was something that was so automatic to me I didn't even think about pointing it out. Getting a feel for the place and the atmosphere is important.

[KristineS]

we are new at it and have 1800 fans with no contests or asking for likes... ....i would say for us the top tip is pictures and humor.....that fits our targets like a glove..... they love the stuff...and we are partly about fun and entertainment....and we talked it up inthe store a lot...and put it on every piece of paper they took home...
we started w ith 2 aces,mainly we had an internet connection w ith our customers already,,,we have an email database of over 2000....it was easy from there to push facebook....the other ace was my daughter and daughter in law...both had lots of facebook friends, and they probably kind of took a look at us.....
i love to read real stories in an article, , how about 5 casebooks from places w ith over 500 fans? that kind of gets you past the theory place...
i think figuring out if the customers/targets are even interested in facebook is a good step before you get started.... .
...also think being quite different is good....there is a lot out there......i gladly learn from other stores on facebook....but i want to stand out and be different.... soi wouldnt try too hard to fit in to their mold....i want it too look like us..
most of the pages i sign up for are for info...like, grandma mary, the news places, and some nostalgia places about music and culture .
our goal is totally to get them to take that drive and come see us....

Actually you made a really good point here Ann, know your target market. As you said you already had a relationship with these people, but you also paid attention to what worked for them and incorporated that into your page. A lot of people forget that step and then wonder why social media doesn't work for them.

[vangogh]

I think people sometimes jump into social communities without taking the time to understand the community. It's like the people who's first post her is a link back to their site. Sometimes the people who do that are real and genuine people who mean well, but the first impression the leave ends up being something less than they'd like.

With Facebook or Twitter or whatever spend a few days just following others you know and respect and see what they do. It's a good way to start.

i think figuring out if the customers/targets are even interested in facebook is a good step before you get started

Absolutely. Another thing I think people do is jump into every network because someone says it's popular. Like you said you first have to determine if your customers are there. You might still join if they aren't. Maybe you thinking they'll eventually be there, but it doesn't make sense to put in a lot of time and effort marketing on Twitter if your customers are all on Facebook.

i want to stand out and be different

I agree with you here too. Standing out will help you get attention. You probably still want to do some of the same things others are doing. Some of those things will be expected by your customers, but you should always be looking for ways to differentiate yourself from your competition.