So you've heard that social media and blogging can help your business. Your friends are doing it, your co-workers are doing it, and your competition is doing it. You decided that it was time to start building a descent web presence, but you have no idea where to begin. What you don't know is if you're reading this, you have already begun, so let's get started.
Social Media And Blogging - The Game Plan...
Starting a social media campaign is a lot like starting a new business. You need to come up with a game plan, set long term goals, and continue your education. If you just jump in, you may hit a wall, and feel like it's not worth it, which could lead to the end of your social media experience. If you follow these steps, you will have a better chance at succeeding faster, and getting more out of your experience.
Education - In order to start something new it's a good idea to educate yourself. Building from successes of others is one of the fundamental aspects of learning. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to be successful with social media and blogging. All you have to do is learn from what others are doing, and put your own spin on it. If you start out by modeling your social media campaign like others have before you, I think you will find it so simple, it will be almost like cheating.
First step to educating yourself is to subscribe to other peoples blogs. You have two options to subscribe. You can subscribe by email, or you can use a reader. (What is a reader?) Once you start reading other peoples blogs it's a good idea to leave a comment and add to the conversation. It's that easy.
If you comment on blogs you read and you leave truly thought provoking comments, people will want to know who you are. Of course, if you just leave the "thanks for sharing" bland comments every where, you are going to have a hard time connecting.
How do you find blogs to subscribe to?
It's simple, Google what you're looking for. I also have a list you can start with. Here are some of the best blogs I have found that will teach you how to blog:
Determine Your Goals - What can you get out of social media? It depends on what you put in. If your goal is to make money out of social media, that's a great goal, but I would reconsider. If your focus becomes making money, I think you are missing the point.
Instead, consider using social media to be the best you can be, to grow your business, and to create something useful for your clients. If you provide value, create something remarkable, and expect nothing more then to just be the best you can be. You are going to be rewarded with plenty.
If you strive to be the best you can be, truly add value to your readers experience, and engage in thoughtful conversation, everything else will take care of itself. Focus on the big picture, build an online brand that you can be proud of, and people will talk about you.
My Goals
I told you to learn from others, so here's what I have done. I started blogging and interacting on social media sites in January of 2009 which is only 10 months.
My short to medium term goals were to learn from others, create an online presence for my real estate business, engage my clients, generate new clients, and connect with other agents across the country in hope of referrals.
Long Term - Dominate my market online, grow my business, increase my brand awareness, develop long term friendships, and enjoy the ride.
Whatever your goals are, I can't stress enough how important it is to be your best, add value to others, and think for the long term.
The Fear
Ultimately, success in social media comes down to commitment, engaging the people in your market, and getting over your fear. The first step to getting over your fear, is to understand why you the fear exists.
I know a lot of business owners are scared to get into social media because they are scared of what people will say about them. That's the wrong attitude and if you are afraid of what people will say about you, I think you need to re-access your business practices.
Besides, people are already talking, why not create a place where you have a chance to respond?
If your scared that people won't like you, then you need to do some self evaluation. What are people saying about you and your business offline? Do you have happy customers?
If you believe the conversation is positive, there shouldn't be a reason your online conversation can't be the same. And you know what? Some people won't like you or what you're saying, but that's just how life is. Who cares? Some people will like you and some people don't. Your job is to engage the people that like you, and forget about the ones that don't, you can't please everyone.
Do It - Now it's time for you to just get started, learn as you go, experience what works for you, and create a lasting impression with your followers. You won't have success overnight, but if you work hard and stick it out, social media can do wonders for your business. You might also gain some friends, and create lasting relationships.
What's My Return On Investment?
You need to acknowledge that conversion my take a while to see, but your opportunity to connect with your market can become priceless. Determining a return on your investment through social media can be hard. It's not the same as old media but here are a few things to look at as you go along:
How many people are exposed to your ideas, how many people are reading your blogs, and what are they saying?
Where do you appear in Google search results?
What are your new clients from your internet presence saying about you?
How many people contact you about your conversations?
Why are you still here? Get blogging already and start a conversation!
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