1. Businesses have limited resources, so I focused on getting the “biggest bang for the buck”
2. These are intended as a starting point.
3. These are general suggestions.

With that said, let’s get into it:

Start with a Website:

The cornerstone of any successful online marketing program is a well-optimized website. While businesses can participate in social media without an online presence, the return on their investment will be significantly reduced.

Register for a Google Account:

Google offers a suite of free services that businesses can find invaluable. They include:

Google Reader – RSS Reader to Automatically Subscribe to Blogs
Google Alerts – Online Reputation Management
Google Analytics – Website Analytics

Here’s a quick video tutorial: How to Sign Up for a Google Account:

Start by Listening:

Many businesses are excited about the potential of social media and jump in before determining whether it can be productive. A little research can save business managers a lot of time. A great place to start is to find and read several blogs related to the business’ industry, geographic region and competitors using Google Reader.

Here is a quick video tutorial: How to Subscribe to a Blog Using Google Reader:

Monitor What’s Being Said About the Company:

Many companies fail to realize that their customers, prospects and competitors may already be talking about them. Some of those conversations may be in praise of the company while others may not. Businesses should create a series of Google Alerts that will notify them whenever the company is mentioned online. Also, Google Alerts can also be created for the names of company managers, industry related terms, geographies and even competitors (hint, hint).

Here is a quick video tutorial: How to Create a Google Alert:

Register & Promote Reviews on Free Local Business Directories:

There are a variety of free local business directories whose social media components can have a dramatically positive effect for business. First, businesses must register with some of these directories. Here’s a starter set:

Google Local
Yahoo Local
Bing (Via InfoUSA)
YellowPages.com
Yellow Book
Yelp

After registering with each directory, businesses should then ask customers to rate their performance on these sites. Businesses will receive a business listing that will often appear above the search results and rank more highly when it has more reviews than its competitors. Here’s an example:

Create and Grow a Customer List:

Social media is all about communicating with other people. Existing customers are already interested in your business and creating a customer list allows businesses to:

• Connect with them through social media
• Determine which social media platforms they use
• Market to customers using email, if appropriate

Claim a Social Media User Name:

Consistency is important in all forms of marketing and this applies to social media marketing too. Using a consistent name across multiple services and platforms helps businesses get found more easily. Regardless of whether a business intends to actively participate in social media, it’s still a good idea to register their preferred User Name to prevent others from taking it. Businesses can use namechk.com to determine whether their preferred User Name is available on 72 different social networks. But before you run out to open 72 accounts, we suggest sticking with these to start:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Flickr
Delicious

Experiment to Find the Right Fit:

Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for business, but it’s not for everyone. Business managers should critically evaluate social media types and platforms to find those that may be productive. While a complete review is beyond the scope of this list, an explanation of social media types and platforms can be found here: Wikipedia’s Social Media entry. One approach that many have found useful is to identify competitors in like industries and evaluate their use of social media.

Establish and Track Goals:

Businesses must determine whether their social media participation is productive for the company, therefore goals must be established and tracked. It’s important that social media marketing goals be consistent with getting prospects to move closer to making a purchase, such as visiting the website, signing up for an email list, or requesting a quote. Unfortunately, too many businesses focus on non-productive goals like amassing followers, fans or online mentions.

Promote Your Social Media Presence Offline:

Once a business is familiar and comfortable with using social media, it should promote its presence to its customers, prospects and surrounding community both online and offline. Several ideas include:

• Include a Reference to Social Media Accounts in Traditional Advertising
• Include a Mention of Social Media in Individual Email Signatures
• Invite Website Visitors to Connect Via Social Media Services

This list is designed to get businesses pointed in the right direction. It is designed to be a starting point and is general in nature To reiterate, this list is designed to be a starting point and is general in nature. Some suggestions may not be the best fit for an individual business

Using Social Media to Promote Your Business

Please contact me should you have any questions.

Bill Rowland