It seems like there's an over-abundance of social sites nowadays. For a newbie, it can be quite intimidating when first joining a network or two and building a community. A handful of questions may run through your head:

• Which networks to join?
• How to participate?
• What's enough, or too much?
• How will it help my business?

Say you run a small business, maybe you own a restaurant, a clothing boutique, a PR firm or a chiropractic firm... What is in it for you?

Take a look at your customers or clients when they're in your office or store. Are they on their iPhone or Blackberry checking email? Did they mention finding you online? Did they hear about you from a friend? If you can answer "yes" to any of those questions, then you're missing out on connecting with your customers and should probably put on a pot of coffee, cause you're going to be here for a while.

1. Social media is a chance to be at your market's finger tips when they look at their phone or get online in a friendly and non-obtrusive way.
2. You can quickly address customer service issues by communicating directly with the customer.
3. Prospect new clients.
4. Learn about trends in your industry, stay up-to-date with competition and network with power players in your industry.
5. Provide existing customers incentives, coupons or interesting information to keep them tuned in to your brand. 

Many people will pay thousands of dollars trying to get these things with traditional techniques. Social media is free... despite, of course, any operating costs like time and possibly design fees to add a professional touch. You need to be on here... Do a Google News search for "small business social media". BusinessWeek, LA Times, NY Times will be some of the publications insisting you buck up and make it happen.

How to Participate Effectively In Social Networks:

Do not start a social media campaign if your intention is free advertising. No one will listen and you will waste your time. Period. Take a minute and figure out what you want to get out of being involved in social networks. Research how other businesses have been successful. Make a plan. Mashable is a great place to learn about social media.

Twitter is a great place to find people in your area, geographically or by industry, and interact with them. Start a conversation, always give if you ever want to receive and don't constantly advertise. No one likes spam... so don't spam your followers with pleas to go to your website or go into business with you. Provide your followers a coupon or discount if you're hoping for business from them... Keep them up-to-date on any changes to your menu or services... Share fun pictures from happy customers... Follow-up with an unhappy customer or use your competition's bad customer service as a great way to introduce you into their lives. Just remember to keep it real, be you, because every one wants to know that there's a human behind your username.

Facebook is generally most successful for companies with a large following or customer base. But that doesn't mean you should skip it... create a personal profile so you can network with friends and family. By being there, you can instantly share things about your business with people who already like you and will probably listen more than the average stranger. By keeping your brand in their mind, they'll be more likely to spread the word and pass you along to their friends, and so on. Word of mouth, my friends...

LinkedIn is a must for anyone in business. Very straightforward here, like a virtual resume on steroids. It's always good to network with past and present colleagues and continue to build relationships, because you don't know when you may need them or vice versa.

Keep your brand consistent among all of the networks you decide to join. Monitor your brand using tracking tools. And remember to Collaborate, Communicate, and Participate.

Labels: marketing, websites