How to get started with social media marketing is one of the questions most often asked by small business owners. With so many options it’s hard to know where to begin and many people are held back by a lack of confidence. So here is some simple, non-nonsense advice that will have you on the way to being a social media maven in no time.

Set some broad social media objectives

Having a clear social media strategy from the outset is vital if you want to get the most out of social media. Having a clear focal point is especially important. For example, is your main aim to generate leads or establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche? Are you going to use social media as a way of establishing connections with other thought leaders and key influencers or as an additional customer service channel? Or do you just want to keep your finger on the pulse and stay abreast of what’s going on in your industry? Thinking about what you’re trying to achieve before you get started will save you lots of time and frustration in the long run.

Do your homework

Find out where your ideal customers and high profile bloggers in your niche like to hang out online. This will almost certainly include Facebook, Twitter and forums so go check them out. Follow some people who look interesting and see how they’re using social media. Check out the communities on the social networking sites where you’ve decided you need a presence. LinkedIn and Facebook both have lots of specialist groups which are great places for connecting with people who are likely to be interested in what you offer so join some and listen in on the conversations that are taking place. Make a careful note of the sort of content and the topics that generate the most response as these will give you lots of ideas for engaging content you could create. Make a note also of behaviour and posts that attract a negative response. Every community has its own, often unwritten code of conduct and etiquette, so it pays to be aware of them.

Set up your social media profiles

It’s never a good idea to mix personal and business when it comes to social networking so if you already have a personal Twitter account or Facebook profile set up another one strictly for business. Try and keep your branding consistent by using the same social media username on all your accounts – you can check if your business name is already taken at namecheck.com.  Add a brief description of your business and your website URL to all your profiles and be sure to fill out all the information and upload some photos. Generally speaking it’s best to use a head and shoulders photo of you as people like to see a real person behind the company but this is not strictly necessary. Just make sure the photo is of good quality and appropriate in a business setting (no blurry holiday snaps of you in a swimsuit at Disney World!).

Dive in!

Once you’ve got the measure of the groups dive in and join the conversation. Don’t forget the 10 golden rules of social media engagement: keep it light, informal and friendly (in other words no hard selling), try to be helpful and above all, be consistent. You won’t see overnight results but stick with it and your business will benefit from having an active social media presence.

So there you have it:  how to get started with social media in 4 simple steps. Go on then, what are you waiting for?

If you need help deciding the right social media strategy for your small business or think you could benefit from one to one social media coaching on how to get started and build your confidence email or call us on 0208 252 0557.

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