What’s the point of blogging, or Facebooking, or Twittering?

For some, it is merely a way to get something off their chest, it is an outlet designed for people to vent, share, announce, or comment on something funny in life.

For others, it is a way to connect with people around the world, to join in conversation, to share information, to announce a new event/product/idea…in fact, it’s very much the same for everyone.

Social media makes it possible to connect with people all around the world.  What can that do for your business? If you don’t participate, it won’t do anything.

If you DO participate, and stay active, and get involved in “virtual conversations” you will begin developing relationships with people you have never met in person in your life.

And what is business, especially small business, if not relationship business? People want to do biz with folks they “know”.  This doesn’t mean they have to meet you in person, it means that they have to begin the process of knowing you, liking you, and eventually trusting  you.

So, when you decide to add Social Media to your business marketing ideas here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t use your Personal Profile as your main hub on Facebook.
• Do create Pages linked to your Personal Profile on Facebook.
• The same goes for Twitter.  You don’t want to alienate your friends and family by bombarding them with posts and tweets that they really may not be interested in.  They probably love you, but not THAT much!
• Your blog for your business should be about business.
• Can you add some personal interest stories in your business blog?  Absolutely! Especially if that story works somehow as an analogy or metaphor for something going on in your business, much like my post The Best Boss Ever! just the other day. It was a personal story, but it most definitely related to business, didn’t it?
• With social media, stay connected on a regular basis. Obviously, the more often you post, the better, but it is better to get on a regular posting schedule so that your followers know when to expect something new and exciting from you.

Is that it for Social Media?  Absolutely not!  But this is a good place to get started.  We will be covering more detailed information about Facebook, Twitter, and blogs in future posts.

For now, consider your biz, your brand, what you want people to think about when they hear about you.