Quick Tips For Anyone New To Social Media
As social media specialists we often encounter businesses that have yet to consistently use social media. Their main concerns which often prevent them from making a start arise from the fact they are not sure about how it works and how they could use it.
With this in mind I have put together the following tips from regular questions, objections and misunderstanding that people have regarding social media.
Do you have any social media questions? Which are the most common objections you encounter?
When should a business start to use social media?
Regardless of the age of your business, any time is a good time to start! In fact, social media is a long term investment so sooner rather than later is better.
There are exceptions however. A business may find itself in the privileged position of being flooded by demand. So, if you do not need any new customers, if you do not have any competitors and if the business name does not need to be known by certain people then there is very little need for social media as a marketing and PR tool.
If your business does not fall into the above category we recommend you begin to build your social media presence. If not for the short term, then for five years’ time when social media will be much bigger than it currently is.
Which social media platform should I use first?
Knowing which social media platform to use first is the next big step for any business new to social media. To work this out you need to understand two things:
- Your target audience or market. Which platform they are most likely to use? What time of day will they login? Answering these questions in detail will set your strategy going forward.
- The basics of the platforms that your chosen audience use. Take the time to learn the layout of the platform both on desktop PC and mobile devices. Navigation will be differences on both. Take the time to understand what is possible and what is impractical to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Once you know the layout and the limits you will have the basic understanding needed.
How to start using social media
A great way to begin your social media journey is to connect with users of value. Find people that are relevant or interesting for your business. Click through to their profiles and look at everything they are doing. What time do they post? How do they publish their content? Who are they connected with?
Finally, the biggest step and most rewarding is to reach out and communicate. Send people messages and be honest. Tell them that you are new to social media. It is best to reach out to more than a few in the beginning as some will not reply. That is just how it is. Be persistent and watch your community develop.
We were all new to social media once upon a time so you have that connection with every single user. Be brave, be honest, experiment and reach out. You will not be disappointed and your business will benefit from the effort.
How long have you been using social media? Do you have any advice for someone new to it all?
