Tips for Social Media Beginners

Social Media can be scary for people who are new to the idea of having a public profile on the web.  Rome was not built in a day, and just like Rome, Social Media profile exposure takes time and effort before the popularity will come.  There are many myths associated with social media, but here are some tips for people who are new to the Online Social Web and want to start off on the right foot.

Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

The key to managing social media is to make sure that you only manage as much social media as your time can allow.  It is better to manage a few accounts well rather than give many accounts not enough attention.  One successful twitter account will accumulate more followers and be worth more than 100 neglected accounts.  My personal recommendations are to start with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.  After that, if you find you still have time, there are more options.  See the Social Media section of Driving Traffic to Your Website or Blog for Free for more popular social media options.

Don’t Agonize Over Follower Counts

The quality of your followers is more important than the number.  There are a lot pieces and software that promise to “double your followers”.  If you think about it, do you really want to buy your friends or customers?  The truth is: if you stay genuine and stick to your guns the followers will come in time.

Social Media Integration

Integrate your social media accounts into your blog or website.  This will allow users to share your content with others and grow your following.  For WordPress users check out the article Top 5 Essential Plug-ins for WordPress for links to the best social media plug-ins for your blog.

Watch the Professionals at Work

See what the professionals do on their social media accounts and emulate their tactics.  Why re-invent the wheel?  Big companies pay consultants & social media managers a lot of money to manage & monitor their social media profiles.  Figuring out and following the professionals’ strategies will only help you.  If you don’t have the time to do so, perhaps hiring a professional might be the path to take.

Be Transparent, but Don’t Say Everything

Companies that live up to a standard, tend to attract a standard of clients.  This can be said as well for followers.  Be open and honest with your followers, but don’t say too much.  Just like I state in Basic Rules for Successful Bloggers, make sure to “Keep it Clean & Professional”.   Refrain from using vulgarity, hateful or prejudice remarks, pornography or violent material.  These types of unprofessional mistakes will decrease the value and authority of your social media profile extremely fast.  It takes years to build a highly reputable profile, but only a single post to destroy it.

Following these tips will help you get on your way to Social Media Success!  Remember to engage your audience and stay humble, and you will hopefully be trending in no time.