3 Steps to getting started and staying active with Social Media

I'm going to cut right to the chase: if you're not using social media for your small business or company, a competitor is. You're missing out on a crucial aspect of connecting with your customers and potential customers.

Getting started with social media could seem like wading into the Amazon rainforest without a machete, so let me give you some pointers and tools to get you started. Below is a three step list to getting started and staying active with social media.


1. Dedicate your time to a few services. Don't spread yourself too thin, especially at the beginning. A Facebook page and a Twitter account are great places to start. Don't feel like you need to bog yourself down with a tumblr, Pinterest, WordPress, and Google+ account. Start simple and dedicate all of your time to those services. Focus is key.

2. Create a solid base of real people. Ask your Facebook friends to "Like" your new businesses page, but don't proselytize like some sort of door-to-door salesman. Tell them that, as a friend, you would appreciate it if they supported your business. You know those people that you're friends with who have 2,000+ Facebook friends? Get them on your side. Also, Follow people on Twitter who are in your area and start to communicate with them on a daily basis. Everything happens in the context of real, authentic relationships.

3. Post relevant material, at least once a day. Have a real estate company? Post relevant news stories and other material about the housing market that your followers and friends might find interesting. Own a bakery? Post a picture of your new menu, or even one of happy customers giving thumbs up! Don't feel like you have to make it all about your own company; the key here is to engage people in discussing, and sharing your material. If you were a customer or potential customer, what would be interesting for you to read? What would you ignore? Post accordingly.

Leave questions in the comments! Have a great day.

Colin

Q & A from the Austin Hill Show: Small businesses on Facebook?

Yesterday I was on the Austin Hill Show. Austin and I had a great discussion about the role of social media in small businesses. He asked me three key questions. Below you'll find his questions, followed by my responses.

Q) Why should a small business owner or even a self-employed person be marketing themselves on social media websites?  What are they missing if they don't?

A) Social Media services are, first and foremost, a way to connect with people. If you are looking to connect with your customers, provide an easy way to get information to your consumer base, or even get feedback from people who use your service or company, social media is the way to do it online.

 Q) What is better for our businesses - Twitter or Facebook?  How do these two things work in conjunction with one-another?

A) Facebook is, overall, better for businesses. As far as sheer numbers go, Facebook’s user base is far larger than Twitter’s. That being said, they are two different tools.

Facebook is an ideal tool for creating events for your business, sharing videos and professional photos, as well as being a hub for connectivity with your customer base.
Twitter is ideal for sharing short updates, uploading pictures on-the-go, and personally connecting with individual customers.

Q) On Facebook, specifically, what "type" of page does a business need? Facebook offers personal pages, "fan" pages, "group" pages,...when we go to Facebook.com, where do we navigate from there to begin marketing our business?

A) To create a page, go to Facebook.com on your internet browser. If you do not have a Facebook account, creating one only takes a few mintues. From there, on the left of your facebook home screen there is a “pages” sub-header. Click the word “pages.” This will bring you to a list of all the pages you have created. On the top right there is a large button that reads “create a page.” Click that to get started.

Facebook separates their types of pages into six categories: local business or place, company organization or institution, brand or product, artist band or public figure, entertainment, and cause or community.

Local businesses will want to  choose the “local business or place” category. Facebook will then ask what kind of business you have, what its name is, where it is located, and a phone number where your business can be contacted. After filling in this information, you will be prompted to upload an image to represent your business, and to invite Facebook friends to “Like” your page.
 


Colin

Social Media

What exactly is social media? To begin, I think a video from The Common Craft Show, Social Media in plain English, is a good place to start.



As you can see, the implications of Social Media are huge, and they continue to grow. The ability to share reviews, comments, and suggestions with friends about various forms of media is a powerful tool indeed.

Whether you're just getting started with social media or you've had experience with it, there are always new sites to explore and new websites to go to in order to share and comment on news, entertainment, pictures, and videos. Here are a few common and uncommon social media sites that I use on a regular basis.

• IMDB.com, or the Internet Movie Database, is a great place to check out old, new, or upcoming movies. I've found the discussion boards there to be both entertaining and a great resource for casual movie-goers and film critics alike.
• Instagram [iTunes link here] is a picture-sharing iPhone app for the photographer in all of us. It can be used to share your own pictures, or simply to view your friend's masterpieces. While you need the app to use Instagram proper, Listagram is an online client that doesn't require the use of an app.
• On the topic of pictures, Flickr is a great place to store and view photos. Widely used by professionals and amateurs alike, Flickr is the perfect place to upload the pictures of your family vacation to share with others later.
• YouTube is probably one of the most popular uses of social media. The ability to upload and share personal videos is powerful, not to mention the wealth of information that other users have uploaded in video form. You can do anything from viewing the new music video of your favorite band to learning the guitar on YouTube. Perhaps Bo Burnham explains it best in his "Welcome to YouTube" video.
• Blogs are an extremely useful form of social media. Blogs may even be considered the foundation of social media, the element in its purest form so to speak. If you're new to blogs, or don't know what they are exactly, this video is extremely helpful. If you want to start your own blog, WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr are great places to start.
• I would be remiss in my duties if I failed to mention Facebook as one of the most powerful uses of social media to date. Facebook is a social networking site with a vast base of users. On Facebook you can create a profile, add pictures, and post status updates. The power of Facebook comes as you begin adding friends and expand the reach of your posts. Whether you're looking to promote a business or just find old friends from middle school Facebook is an extremely powerful tool.

Are there social media sites you've found helpful that I didn't mention here? Drop a note in the comments and let me know!

Colin

Welcome to the Conversation!

Hey there, and welcome to Real. Simple. Social Media. I'm Colin Mansfield, and this is where a new discussion starts. The topic? All things having to do with networking through social media. With web 2.0 well on it's way to version 2.1, this discussion will undoubtedly continually evolve and expand. This site will track those expansions and evolutions, and provide a hub to help you make sense of it all.

Why care about social media? Well, actually, a lot of people don't. But that's the thing - social media is an extremely untapped resource by the average person. Perhaps it's a fear of the unknown. Or maybe all of this RSS RT BRB G2G TTFN #TCOT nonsense has just become too darn muddled to bother with.

I don't believe that everyone needs to be converted into some kind of Facebook or Twitter "power user." Some people find great value in casually using social networking services. Nor is it my goal to inhibit those people that would like to learn the intricacies of networking through social media.

My goal is simple. I want to help inform and instruct the average person on the uses, etiquette, and potential of social media. And I mean that in the broadest sense. Breaking down the components of services that have networking value so that you - the businessman or women, the student, the employee, the film producer, the radio personality, the politician, the comedian, the grandparent, the small business owner - so that you can get your message out and use the tools available to you in the best way.

Who am I to offer this kind of advice? My curiosity on all things social media-esque started early on when I started my first website in middle school. Since then I've gone on to run a personal blog, coffee blog, podcast, and multiple twitter accounts. My first big step into the professional side of social media happened last year when I ran the social networking side of Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador's primary race. Outmaneuvering his opponent on the digital front, Congressman Labrador was able to pull ahead on a near defeat. Two videos having to do with the campaign went viral, one of which I posted. Since that time I've been working on several undisclosed projects in the political world and film industry. In addition, I've been a guest on the Austin Hill Show at 580KIDO to talk about various aspects of social media.

Thank you for sharing interest in this untapped resource that is networking through social media. Let's keep it simple folks. Real simple. Will you join the conversation?

Colin