Simple Strategies To Start On Social Media

If you’re new to using social media for your business, it can admittedly be overwhelming. I have friends, long time college veterans of Facebook, who have disabled their Facebook accounts for personal reasons, only to come back later, barraged with all of the changes that Facebook invariably throws at us. If my friends, who I consider to be pretty adept at the Internet, can feel overwhelmed, I can only imagine how people just venturing into social media must feel!

Social media may seem complicated, but don’t let your intimidation hinder you. I cannot stress how important it is to have a social media presence! This past week, I was doing research and trying to look up my client’s manufacturers, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t find at least 75% of them on social media. And even so, those who were using social media had a very lucklustre approach to it. Needless to say, these companies did not make a good impression on me.

Yes, a good Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Youtube channel or LinkedIn profile takes work. But the good news is that you don’t have to start off tackling a 200-page, overbearing strategy plan. Here are some simple strategies to help you successfully start on social media:

Be Patient:

Growth in social media always takes time. You won’t see your numbers shoot up overnight—instead, you’ll see the engagement level correlate with the amount of work you put in across weeks and months. Unless you are buying your fans (which, by the way, you absolutely, positively should never do), the reality is that number is going to fluctuate slowly, and even remain stagnant at times. But always remember that you should not be measuring your success by metrics, but rather by the quality of engagement and interaction you elicit from your audience.

Start off Small:

A common pitfall we see is that people will tackle many social media channels at a time. The ambition wears off quickly, and everything soon gets overwhelming and each channel ends up being neglected or not properly executed. We like to say, “If you don’t use it, lose it.” If you are going to use a lot of channels just for the sake of quantity, don’t do it. Pick one channel and invest your energy into that one.

Do the Little Things:

Set tangible goals—post up content once a day, set time aside to find other people to network with, remember to share other people’s content. They may seem little, but these things will catch other people’s attention too. Simple acts like commenting on someone’s content or favoriting their Tweet will put your business’ name out there and get you noticed. The key is consistency; these strategies will require your dedication and time.