By Alexandra Popovic

Are you one of those business owners who is quick to pass off social media as just another online fad? It might be time for you to reconsider your thinking. Because the truth is, if you invest in learning how to leverage it properly, the opportunities on social media are endless.

So the choice you must now make is either embrace it, or risk being left behind. Rather than focusing on the hottest tools, I believe it is essential to firstly emphasis one’s approach to this new medium, and the importance of creating valuable online conversations whilst developing worthwhile communities.

This is central to your success, so here are ten do’s and don’ts to consider before entering the socialmediasphere:

1. Don’t jump on the social media bandwagon just because it’s trendy. You’ll only wind up wasting your time and money if you don’t commit properly, or believe in its value. Take the time to educate yourself first, find worthwhile bloggers to subscribe to who also use social media, and develop your strategy, or seek advice from someone who can help you. You must however, be clear on the outcomes you want to achieve through your Social Media strategy.
 
2. Many delude themselves thinking their "brand” will impress the masses, but that’s just superficial packaging. The person behind the brand is now the focus. You’ll receive credibility and respect only if, and when, it’s earned. Do this by supporting and adding value to your online community, speak with them and not to them.

3. Forget about using Social Media as just another way to broadcast your marketing "message” en masse. If you do, you’ll only wind up being ignored and popular with “me, myself, and I”. It’s about engagement of your audience, so listening and engaging in conversation is key. In fact, why not create your own community via some free tools that make it easier and more manageable? Check out: Seesmic and Tweetdeck.

4. Don’t put emphasis on being popular, obsessing over statistics and analytics of how many likes/followers/connections you have. Focus on what makes you so ‘younique’; showcase your character, values, personality, knowledge and experience. Remember it’s quality over quantity, as the number of followers bares no relation to the number of possible opportunities.

5. What worked for you and your business 5 or 10 years ago is now irrelevant in this new arena. This new age form of customer service is all about people to people, so remember to invest in learning techniques on how best to present yourself to ensure you make a positive and lasting impression.

6. Don’t construct what you think is a compelling personality to attract your "target market”. Those that succeed in social media are authentic and transparent about who they really are, and understand the true value of their services/products. They know that building Social Media relationships, like any worthwhile relationship, takes time and they are willing to work at this for the long haul.

7. Strategy is definitely not “one size fits all”, so what might work for someone else, may not for you. Research other business case studies for inspiring examples, but bare in mind that the needs of your business should be assessed, and a practical, productive strategy customised exactly to these needs.

8. Don’t sit behind your Social Media accounts and rely solely on it for all your business networking. Yes, use it as a quick icebreaker, a learning tool,  and to start conversations, but meeting prospective clients and partners face-to-face can never be replaced. You can use Tweetups (Twitter meetups), and meet others in your local area. If you are traveling, tweetups are being held all over the world nowadays, so do a search for one happening in the place you are traveling to in advance and connect online with other attendees. In fact, why not take the initiative and create one of your own?!

9. Don’t use Social Media in place of your marketing strategy, it is only a piece of the marketing pie. Plan realistically what your business, marketing objectives, and goals are, and integrate your social media objective into your overall plan. Remember to measure your progress, so you can change your strategy if and when necessary.

10. First impressions really count, and you have less than 5 seconds! Put your best profiles forward, be consistent with your business branding and make sure your information is always informative and up to date.

Visit Alex at VIP Virtual Solutions to take advantage of her FREE social media evaluation – this is available to the first ten Biz Booster readers who contact her. Or check out her other services in relation to social media management and training.
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I was reading a report last week that said that only 10% of small businesses in America take the time to properly develop a marketing strategy. It made me think that if this was happening in the US, I’m sure the figures would be similar regardless of where you are in the world. Why is it that you may start a business, but decide not to put a plan into place of how to grow your livehood? If you were heading out on a road trip to a new destination, my guess is that you would have some type of map, whether it be a GPS, a list of directions or a good old-fashioned map. It just makes sense to know where you’re going!

Often when I begin working with my mentor clients, and we begin to speak about their marketing strategy, they overcomplicate the process and aren't quite sure what this needs to look like or be for them. And, I need to let you know that in some cases, these are woman and man who have been in business for five or more years. Now, I'm not saying this to make them wrong, but I wanted to highlight the fact that it's not just a challenge for those who are new to business. As you will know, I’m a big believer in using the “KISS” principle. Keep it simple (stupid) and make it practical, so that you firstly, develop the strategy, and secondly, make sure you implement the strategy.

Having a marketing strategy in place is good business sense, and as I mentioned if you need something simple, than please make it simple. My request is that you take the time to develop this strategy, so that it helps you grow your business, helps you increase your sales funnel, boost your client list, pay your bills and most importantly bring you back to the reason you are doing what you are doing.

Let’s take a look at two simple steps you can put in place to begin developing your marketing strategy for 2011. (Yes, I do mean 2011, because it is coming fast!)

Step 1 :

Develop your strategy .

a) Be very clear on who your ideal clients are. I’m going to presume that since you have been reading my newsletters you are clear on who these people are. If you’re not sure, then take time to re-read this article. If you haven’t done so already, take the time to work through my latest report on “How you can identify your ideal clients.”. If it has been over 2 months since you subscribed, then you may want this updated report to work through .

b) Look at what you can do to take your solutions from ordinary to extraordinary. As there are so many small businesses out there, you may not be getting noticed, because you seem just like everyone else. Take a moment, ask yourself and be really honest here with your answer; “What do I need to do to make my service extraordinary?” If you’re not sure, ask those people around you that you trust, ask some of your most valuable clients – find out and listen to what people are saying to you. The answers you receive may require you to re-think your current business strategy. But don’t despair, because I know this will be worth it; especially if you can offer a product or service in a way that nobody else can, your competition can become redundant. And I heard this saying recently and want to share it with you: When it comes to your prospects, don't be a choice - be the choice.

Step 2:

Develop your plan

a) Block out some time, and begin to develop your 12-month plan that fits in precisely with your strategy. To achieve your goals for the next 12 months - what are the strategies you need to put in place each month and how are you going to track them? Here are a few ideas to begin thinking about: email campaigns; advertising campaigns; public relations campaigns; your live events; keynote speaking; training webinars; etc .

b) Once you have developed your 12-month plan, and broken it down into monthly targets, break it down further into what you will need to do weekly to meet your overall goal. Then each week, block out some time to evaluate what happened the week before; what you will be focusing on this week and what is coming up the following week. It’s like your road trip, you know where you are going but if something comes up unexpectedly, you are prepared to meet this current challenge or issue.

Let me know how you go with this. If you’re still not sure what you need to do here to begin, then you won’t want to miss out on October’s Business Building Blocks webinar – this is exactly what we will be working on. So get the jump on your competitors and join our call.

And one last thought - activity breeds activity Tweet

Who are your ideal clients?  Do you think knowing who your ideal clients are - is important to your business success?

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