The Cost of Social Media

The big cost associated with social networking is TIME. Yes…one MORE thing to fit into your day. However, it will be time well spent if you follow a few simple suggestions.

1. Be consistent—strive to devote 10-15 minutes at the beginning and end of your day if you are just starting out. You are far more likely to build your network by simply showing up. You can increase your time as you learn the ropes and discover the tools of automation available for use.

2. Be a good listener—seek first to understand. No further explanation required.

3. Be of value--engage in conversation about which you have knowledge and/or experience. If you are a CPA and can offer some great tips for tax time, then share them! If you've been in real estate for years and have the insider's guide to selling a house, then share it! By sharing you become a trusted source of information. In today's world, trust goes a long way.

4. Be yourself—you don’t have to be a celebrity or a rock star here. In fact, social media has its own rock stars. Who knows…you may be the NEXT BIG THING that goes viral in the social media world. And for once, this virus is something you would WANT to catch.

Let's Get It Started!

Lately, I've met with clients who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of networks available online. So WHERE do you start? My humble suggestion is to start with the following networks to get in the game: Twitter and LinkedIn. Understand that each has its own culture and language but each can be highly effective when used properly.

Twitter is a micro-blogging community. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s an online version of a cocktail party. And truly, it is as conversational as that. You build your network by ‘following’ others and getting others to ‘follow’ you. In the Twitter world, this means that anything you enter will appear on the timeline for your followers to view and vice versa. You can simply begin by setting up a free profile and then LISTEN to what the buzz is all about. To listen, you simply read. Read what, you ask? TWEETS, of course!

A tweet is the slang used for any single message posted at the site. Each tweet is limited to 140 characters, so you must be brief and to the point. You can tweet as little or as much as you like. There are applications that can be managed from your desktop and even your mobile phone device—but we will discuss that another day.

Just have fun and remember, it’s supposed to be less formal than what you’re used to encountering in the work place. That’s the brilliance of it. It allows your clients, colleagues and customers to see behind the curtain, so to speak. Your personality shines through and that is why they will clamor to do business with you!

LinkedIn is considered the “professional’s” social network, although Facebook is beginning to challenge that. LinkedIn allows you to list your educational background, work history and even connect with past colleagues, co-workers and classmates.

It is not for the faint of heart, as the language can often seem as though you’re reading a resume how to guide. Don’t let this deter you, as everyone isn’t impressed by the jargon nor is it required. In fact, the lingo associated with this site had me so paralyzed with fear that I completely ignored this side in my own marketing efforts.

However, through my use of other social media communities, I too realized that there WAS a place for me (the work-at-home-mom-business-owner) on LinkedIn. So, I’ve been busy building MY professional network there. After all, I have to walk the talk!

So you see, you and I are similar..,we ALL need to start somewhere. Each time a new network emerges that adds value to my online presence; I will need to begin anew. It’s ever changing and evolving.

Want to test your skills? Set up a profile on Twitter. Follow me and I will follow you back. Let's also get LinkedIn together!

Tweet you later!