I still remember my first time like it was yesterday. I cringed in horror at the thought, let alone the act, in which I was about to partake. It repulsed me to think I would be joining the youth culture in what would surely be their demise. And what would my parents think? But they were young once too, they must’ve experimented. So I sat back, reached out my hand and let the journey begin.

It started slowly at first; once a week, then twice, but before I knew it I was doing it daily, even multiple times a day, spiraling completely out of control. I’m talking, of course, about social media.

The more invested I became, the more useful I began to find these tools, each of their own accord. And now, as a self-proclaimed junkie, here are my reasons:

Why I Like LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is by far and away my favorite tool. It’s a working resume that allows you to connect with companies as well as individuals. You can add events, a reading list, even link your Twitter account. If you do ONE thing in social media, this (in my opinion) is the way to go.

Why I Like Twitter:

I will be the first to admit, Twitter used to overwhelm and annoy me. I was the person like, “Who wants to know what I had for lunch today?!” I completely did not understand its purpose. But the more I immerse myself in it, the more I love it. The list function is perfect for following specific individuals or topics. And it’s a great way to get current events without having to visit a bunch of websites. Finally, if you write a blog, Twitter is an absolute must.

Why I Like Quora:

Again, Quora used to overwhelm me. I’m still scared to ask a question, but it’s a phenomenal resource for getting answers. Quora is my go-to resource for answering my own questions.

Why I Like Google+

So far, the only reason I like Google + is because of how much I dislike Facebook. I haven’t really used it much, aside from sharing a few pictures, but I see its potential.

Not all tools are for everyone or every business.  Get to know your audience, engage them and watch your business grow!

With literally thousands of social media tools at your disposal, it is not only important to know WHO your audience is but also WHERE they are. So much of the focus lies on, what I like to call, the Fab 4: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. But a true social media strategy is developed by working backward INTO the tools, rather than starting with them.

First, define your objectives. Once they have been delineated, start researching!! Who is your target market? Where do they hang out online? And what is the best campaign to reach out to them? Remember, establishing an online presence isn’t about YOU it’s about THEM!! And it’s not short-term… In the late 90’s Yahoo had the lion’s share of the search engine market while Google was nowhere to be found… Just because Facebook is the biggest thing today doesn’t mean it will be in 5 or 10 years.

Finally, engage your audience. The beauty of social media, when properly integrated into a campaign, is the ability to listen to what your customers want; even if the feedback is negative, this is the perfect opportunity to improve your offering. Ironically, we often become so engrossed in what is good for our business, we forget to focus on what is good for our customers… So define them, find them and LISTEN to them. Your business and your customers will thank you;-)

Popularized by the Oscar-winning movie, social networking is fast becoming the standard of networking today.  LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter allow you to forge business relationships from the comfort of your home or office, and suddenly your world is opened up exponentially!  Although that’s not news, the IRL (in real life) component of social networking is new to me and, as I’ve pleasantly discovered, it’s the critical piece of the puzzle!

Taking your social network offline and into real life is like pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz.  What you will discover is the person behind the avatar… And – as real people in real life – you will gain invaluable insight into your followers/friends that social networking just can’t provide.  This doesn’t mean you need to schedule meet-ups with all 2,000 of your connections but what it does mean is once your online conversations start piling up, make time outside of Twitter to sit down and network in-person.  Although the breadth online is vast, the depth of traditional networking is key to building lasting business relationships.

Just remember, not every follower needs to be a friend and not every friend needs to be a follower.  Also, if you don’t have time to meet on an individual basis, tweetups or workshops are great ways to connect with a group of people at once.

Are you socializing IRL?

***A big thanks to my new Tweeps IRL @alexjvasquez, @edwardlawrence, @oakleyOC, @lorennason, @HealthOC and @thebigdebowski (for teaching me the acronym;-)

LinkedIn is one of the most relevant social media tools for business and, in my personal opinion, one of the most fun!!

LinkedIn is like a working resume; you catalog your work history/specialties, get recommendations from coworkers, and connect with those you already do business with as well as prospects you’d like to meet. You can link your blog, twitter account, even read and recommend books. In short, this is Facebook for professionals (minus the pictures of you from high school you never thought you’d have to see again;-)

This article by Marketo (which I found on LinkedIn;-) addresses the 5 Reasons to Leverage LinkedIn To Increase Your B2B Prospects but I’ve listed a few highlights for getting started:

1. Profile – Make sure your profile is 100% complete, add a picture, list job experience and get recommendations from colleagues.
2. Participate – Like all social media, your page requires effort on your part. Actively participate by accepting invitations from those you know (see #4) recommending books, joining groups, etc.
3. Blog – If you write a blog, add it to your page.  If your connections write blogs, follow them.
4. Invitations – Be discretionary with your invitations. You should have actually had face to face interactions with the people you connect with, whether you’ve done business with them or not, you should be able to recommend them for a job with confidence.
5. Search – Companies, people, prospects and leverage the connections you have with those you desire. That’s really what it’s all about…

Are you LinkedIn?

If you’ve been thinking about making the leap into social media, here are the first four things you need to do for each of the social networking tools we recommend:

Twitter

• Create a custom twitter background that matches your website
• Determine the types of followers that you want to find
• Create a strong profile, biography and use a quality picture
• Monitor company name, key terms for the business, sales words for the company

Facebook

• Create a personal page and a fan page
• Add Facebook fan link in email signature, on the blog, and on linkedin. Give people an easy way to connect with you.
• Invite members from the Orange County networking groups to join as fans, this can be done through twitter
• Connect it to the blog so your posts automatically update on your fan page and your personal page

LinkedIn

• Create a personal profile
• Create a company profile
• Connect your blog posts to both the status and the profile
• Put together an online acceptable plan for all new employees – how they participate, what they say about their job etc so if people ask them questions about what they do, etc

Blogging

• Set up wordpress on your site (including the design)
• Determine categories/tags, and the topics you want covered on the site
• Organize a monthly posting calendar w/ 3-5 posts per week
• Promote it out to your social networks

Twitter, Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn…It’s all a bit much isn’t it? At first, it may be, but as with anything, creating a strong social media presence takes time, effort and a plan. Without a strategy behind social media, it is just a time suck that no one can afford. Done right, using these 4 tools can shape a strong marketing strategy with an even stronger ROI.

So, how do you manage them correctly? For each business, it will be slightly different, but here are 5 steps for each tool that we use in our strategy:

Twitter

1. Find 5 new people to add to our followers list every day. Also, look at the people that have followed us and determine whether or not to follow back. There are auto tools that can do this, but we find a personal approach is better in the long run for building a strong network.
2. Reply to at least 5 questions/comments with actual answers, something that adds value to the conversation.
3. Send out 5 interesting links that can benefit our community as a whole. Add my thoughts with the link so that my followers know why I am sharing. Read at least 3 links that are sent out by my followers that are pertinent to my business.
4. Spend a total of 1 hour on chit chat throughout the day to make sure to keep the connections strong
5. Tweet 5 times from my own personal/business thoughts to start conversation

Blogs

1. Write. Jot down ideas and create drafts to work on later. I strive for 3-5 posts per week.
2. Read through your current comments and respond to anyone who has made a strong point or asked a question
3. Comment on 3 other blogs that you read, with genuine thoughts, not just “good post”.
4. Stumble/Digg/Share at least 1 interesting post from another blog author
5. Look for 1 new blog to subscribe to. Remember, it is okay to subscribe to some blogs just for fun.

Facebook

1. Check if any of your friends are having birthdays. I recommend sending a tweet or email, it shows you took a little extra effort
2. Update your business page with any new information or changes
3. Respond to any new wall posts – make sure that it is a quality response.
4. Send a message to at least one connection whom deserves special notice
5. Comment on at least 5 status updates

LinkedIn

1. Comment on at least 1 status update
2. Answer at least 2 questions that are pertinent to you. Pose 1 question per week.
3. Look through recommended connections and add anyone who is interesting
4. Check on the forums in your group and respond to any inquiries
5. Update your own status.

If this list seems like a lot of work – it is. Nothing worth doing is easy, and it is definitely worth doing right. Remember, just doing it for the sake of doing it doesn’t benefit anyone. It needs to be done right, participated in correctly, and planned accordingly. It is as easy to ruin a brand in social media as it is to improve it, especially with the number of people watching. But, the work is worth it when it pays of with a strong community network that not only respects you, but can turn into prospective clients.

What strategy do you use to manage your social media – or are you still missing that piece?

LinkedIn is a TOOL, it is something created to help you to monitor your brand and promote your business. It is a means of connection and when used properly, can be extremely powerful. It is not meant to be an end-all solution, but combined with a strong social media strategy, it can definitely help.

So, what is it about LinkedIn that is so special? Why do you need to have a strategy?

Here are 10 simple, but important, reasons why you (and your business) should have been on LinkedIn yesterday.

1. Social networking isn’t going anywhere. While the tools may change, the idea is going to stay. Learning to use these tools to your advantage keeps you one step ahead of the game.
2. LinkedIn is like facebook for business. It is a way for people to get to know you better, but on a business level. Reconnect with old colleagues, find interesting people in the same field, get recommendations and join groups that will add to your knowledge base. LinkedIn was designed for business connections, are you making them?
3. People do research before they meet with a company. Which is why it is imperative to make sure that everyone in the company is on the same page. If someone is researching your business but no one has a similar description of the company, the picture of your brand gets blurry. Creating a uniformed way to talk about your brand will make sure it stays sharp.
4. It’s one more location your brand can make a presence. The more times that someone sees a brand in a positive light, the better the brand gets. Because you can control the way that they see your brand on LinkedIn, you can make sure that it is in the right way and with the right words.
5. Unfortunately, it is also one more place that your brand can fall apart. Proper management is key – just ‘being there’ isn’t going to work. But, if you can make sure that your brand stays connected, it can become more powerful.
6. SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Social networks are ranked extremely high in the search engines, which means the more social networking pages you can create properly, the more results will show up when people search for your company.
7. Asking questions. Looking for a consumer opinion on a product? LinkedIn’s question and answer section provides businesses a built in study group, with participation from some of the best minds in the business.
8. Make sure to answer a few questions as well. Providing quality answers can not only get you out there, but it can help brand you as an expert in a category. It gives you a chance to share your knowledge and possibly introduce your product, all without sounding precocious (of course, only if it’s done right).
9. Blog integration and promotion – You can tie your blog to your LinkedIn page, which means that the connections you have there will see it and hopefully visit. It is just one more way to promote your message and get people to listen.
10. If you’re not monitoring your brand, your name, your employees and managing your company page, who will? It’s just that simple.

Still not convinced? Ask us questions, get involved, send us an email…let’s chat about LinkedIn.

Already on LinkedIn? Connect with the Motor team – Kirsten Wright, Peter Quill and Greg von Urff.