Entrepreneur Corner

Searching for help in determining how to incorporate social media into your business can be a frustrating process. A Google search for ‘social media consultant’ returns over 20 million results – and most of them offer very similar, one-size-fits-all suggestions based around the adoption of popular (and often faddish) tools and services.

Successful social marketing isn’t as simple as installing a set of apps and regular Facebook updates. There is no magic bullet. Determining the right mix of services for your business often comes down to determining the social sites your current and prospective customers and business partners use (along with those popular among the media who cover your space).

You need to start with a clear understanding of your goals, then learn which tools and services can help you achieve those through sustained participation and utilization.

Keep in mind that regardless of your efforts on social media sites, your company website should be a core business tool. Your site should build trust, clearly define what you do and have a call to specific action.

Using external services, though, has its benefits. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, a blog or some other device, these offer you an alternate means of communication with customers. This is especially helpful if your website becomes unavailable or want to launch a different kind of marketing campaign.

It’s critical to know your own limitations as you explore social marketing. How much time do you have to use these services and keep them updated? A basic tool, used regularly and well, offers far more value than a sophisticated application that isn’t updated.

This is part of the reason Twitter has proven so popular. It’s fast and easy to update – and doesn’t require the time commitment or technical know-how of, say, making video presentations.

It’s also smart to do a deep search on your competitors. Discover what’s working for them and join those communities. This type of search may also reveal niche-focused online social communities, which may ultimately become more valuable resources than larger, more popular sites.

Don’t underestimate the power of viral marketing, either. Give your customers something to talk about. Community conversations are a hallmark of the modern Web user. Today’s users also like to link to and embed elements from other sites. A video demonstration of your service in action is far more effective than detailed explanations or technical specifications.

While it’s popular these days to add a “social layer” to your company, it’s not always a smart move. (Member forums and Facebook group/fan pages that are barren don’t reflect well on a business.) Let your customers tell you if there’s sufficient demand.

A flip side of social marketing is you need to keep an eye on the chatter about your company to gauge your larger reputation. Services such as GetSatisfaction.com and Yelp.com can be good starting points, as you can see whether people are happy with your products, have unanswered questions or want to know more. (Heavy traffic on external sites is also a good barometer on whether your company should consider that aforementioned social layer.)

It’s easy to get swept up in trends as you look to expand your company’s social media presence, but it’s much more important to focus on the right mix of tools that will help you move your business forward.

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Tags: Facebook, social-networking, Twitter