This is the continued guide to Getting started in Social Media. In the previous post, you learned how to attract attention in Social Media.

This time, we’re moving on to some more details in Social Media Marketing. The question is, can you use Social Media for business purposes or is it just does it fit best just for personal use?  

Getting on the bandwagon

As you probably know, lots of companies have blogs on their websites today. Most communicate the CEO’s view on the business and the industry it’s in. So for the rest of us, is it just for our personal pleasure or private venture we can use Social Media Marketing? Or can we make it part of our marketing efforts?

The answer lies in between the two – you can work strategically with Social Media Marketing, but it should not be tucked away in the marketing department of your company.

Social Media Mix

Once you get comfortable with Social Media and use it regularly (probably daily), you may want to think of a strategy for Social Media. A strategy would include whether you use one blog for business and personal use, which focus areas to include and not include, traffic generation, reputation management, and other aspects.

If your personal blog is relevant for your company, that’s not to say that you should merge it into the company blog. If you have built a personal reputation in your field through your blog, your company will benefit through having you as a high profile co-worker on staff. You can opt to have both a business blog and a personal one – but if your personal blog is well-known (or your strategy is to make it well-known), I would suggest you function as a guest author, and let your company make a big deal out of it. Don’t forget to mention your company post on your personal blog.

Reputation Objectives

Managing your reputation is essential to Social Media Marketing. As I’ve mentioned, things can get out of hand if you develop a bad reputation. Here are a few options for a reputation strategy.

• High-profile influencer. A hard goal to achieve, but not impossible. If you are trying to be (or are) one of the most influential in your niche, you need to combine your social media marketing with offline engagements, writing books and networking on a high level.
• Beat your competitor. Better reputation (or more well known) than you competitor. Depending on your niche, it may be easy to hard to do, in the Social Media sphere. Find out what your competitors are doing and devise tactics to stay ahead of them.
• Serving a niche better than anyone. Coming up with remarkable content and brilliant contributions for the interest group you focus on and creating the place-to-go for your niche.
• A learning experience. This may be the one for you, if you have just started out at Social Media. Start small, create a blog and build as you go. Once you have earned a reputation online, change your strategy to one that fits you better at that time.

Consider how you would like to be perceived. There are other strategies that may fit you better, but by having one, you ensure that you keep focus in Social Media Marketing.

Communities for Business

You may be tempted to create your own community website for people to contribute to your focus area. Not just a blog, but a competitor to Facebook or MySpace. If you run a brick and mortar business, my advice to you is: don’t. Your organization is most likely not ready for it. However, add social features, one at a time, to build customer satisfaction (and manage your reputation as the good guy). Social features are a great way to listen to your customers.

The point is; you don’t need to build it yourself. Create a group on Linkedin if you target business people. American Express has an Open Business Group you can look at for ideas – or make a video and post it on YouTube. There are lots of opportunities that don’t require a big budget – just time, commitment and sincerity.

So – Business or Pleasure?

You’ve guessed it. Social Media is a lot of fun, once you’re engaged in it. Do it for business, but keep your strategy in mind. Check out my earlier posts on where to get started or just delve in. You’ll enjoy it.

Next in this series, I’ll conclude this series with how to create your Personal Social Media Strategy.

Filed under: Social Media Marketing
Tags:Networking, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Strategy