It is easy for a small company to be overwhelmed by social media.  Common points of paralysis are where to start, or how can I engage my customers without spending all my time online?

The answer is to start simple.  The first step is to make a serious commitment to getting to know your customer base.  Then begin developing a marketing strategy that starts with your site and logically expands into two or three major venues in social media.

The key to this approach is making your blog or website the center of your online presence.  By doing this, you funnel all of the traffic to a platform where your business has 100% control over its content and advertising.  As the traffic to your site increases, so, too, do the opportunities to sell product and services – be they yours or someone else’s.

With a focus on the center of your online presence, it is now easier to develop a marketing strategy for each of the major social media venues.  The top sites that I currently prefer to target are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  I state “currently prefer” because the landscape of social media is constantly evolving, and it is important to evolve with your customers as the landscape changes.

A solid strategy for social media includes a regular schedule for engaging your target audience and weekly goals to measure success.  Goals should include objectives like personally connecting with 5 current customers and reaching out to 10 potential customers.  A great way to check the pulse of your customer base is to poll them to learn their opinions.  If you really want to step up response rates, try running a contest and offer some prizes or a discount the next time they purchase something from you.  If you start here, your customers will hear your message and begin to respond – just be sure to listen to what they have to say!

I would love to hear your thoughts on social media, so please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

In this evolving market, it is vital to connect with like-minded business owners that are interested in a common goal – building new and exciting strategies to connect and engage with their customers.  One of my main goals is to create an environment where our community can have thoughtful discussions about how social media can create these connections to customers.

Another goal is to cover hot topics and events in social media so we can stay current, identify market shifts, and adapt new strategies as the fabric of social media changes with the times.

I would also like say how much I appreciate the opportunity to have discussions with you through my blog, the Social Paint fan page on Facebook and tweets on Twitter.

Sincerely,

Brett Brashear

http://SocialPaint.com
http://www.facebook.com/socialpaint
http://www.twitter.com/BrettBrashear