1. Why You Need Your Own Blog
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are really what make the Social Web social. Having your own RSS feed to publish to the Social Web allows you the benefit derived from the many RSS feed directories that will spread your feed throughout the Web. A blog is an RSS feed and is the easiest way to have your own without having to be a techie.
While a blog is easy to start, simply having one is not enough. You need to keep it optimized with fresh and engaging content that is integrated with all your other social media tools.
You can get going with a free or nearly free blog through WordPress.com, Blogger, or Typepad. And if you are technically inclined, even a little, you can install one on your own site using the tools at WordPress.org.
2. Getting Your Facebook Presence
Your Facebook “presence” has two components: a Facebook profile and a Facebook page. You can have one or both, but you need to know how each is intended to be used.
The profile is for an individual, not a business entity, so your Facebook profile should be for a key representative of the business and not for the business itself.
Optimize your Facebook profile by completing it thoroughly with content that contains key terms that are relevant to your chosen representative and the business. Import your blog and other social tools into your Facebook feed. Facebook and most social media sites have easy-to-use applications for this purpose.
The Facebook page is for your business, not you as an individual. Even if you are the business, so to speak, as a performer, the Facebook page is for your business persona and not your private self. You can create a page for services or products, a local, regional, national, or international business, or, as mentioned above, for an artist/musician/performer/writer.
Since the Facebook page may be the only chance you get to pull in new customers from the Web, you need to represent your business effectively. Here are some Facebook applications you can add to your page for accomplishing this:
Social RSS: imports your blog entries or other RSS feeds
MyFlickr: imports images from Flickr accounts
YouTube Box: helps add videos to your Facebook page
ShopTab: great for selling products, but has a small monthly fee
Static FBML: place HTML code onto your page
Causes: great way to accept donations for nonprofit businesses
3. Gotta Be LinkedIn
Facebook is all about social networking. LinkedIn is more about professional networking. Therefore, this site is an essential tool for business – especially for B2B entities.
As we’ve mentioned before, first impressions count, so take the time to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Fill in each section of your profile using your most relevant key terms.
Always be sure to add applications that will enhance your profile. The BlogLink application is especially important as it allows you to import your blog entries. It is also beneficial to join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your business.
4. Must Have Twitter Account
Twitter is a micro-blogging site that is a must have tool even if you can only use 140 characters at a time. This powerful social networking tool allows users to interact and have conversations via their “real-time” posts. It’s a terrific way to spread word about events, products, and services, though you still want to use your regular blog as your mainstay. Twitter is a great supplemental tool that should not be used instead of a blog.
Be sure to keep your “tweets” frequent and fresh with tools like TweetDeck or HootSuite that let you post-date your tweets. This allows you to enter many tweets in one session. In addition, HootSuite boasts an option that imports your blog posts as tweets.
Make use of Twitter lists to manage the folks you are following because it can get to be quite a crowd.
5. It’s a Snap with a Flickr Account
The media community Flickr is where you can go to upload and share your photos and other images. This highly underrated tool can get you very good exposure and enhanced search engine placement if you are smart about how to use it.
Just like in your other tools, use key terms in your name, tags, and description. Rename your uploaded files to include key terms relevant to the image and your business. (Never retain a name like Photo 563 or Img 6988.)
Integration is also a key tactic with your Flickr account. Integrate it with all your other social tools and add some Flickr galleries to your Website or blog.
6. Go Viral: YouTube
Viral video is definitely a plus for any business. If your business does videos, get those things on YouTube. But even if you don’t do video, you still can benefit from YouTube’s popularity by creating playlists of existing YouTube videos and by commenting on others’ videos.
Again, as in all these tools, import your YouTube content (video or playlist) into your other social sites or embed a video gallery onto your Website or blog. And it is the same posting strategy as for Flickr: key terms in names, tags, and descriptions.
Hit the link below for a presentation to get you started on a realistic beginning social media strategy for your business:
http://www.slideshare.net/deltina/social-media-and-web-20-fundamentals-webinar
It doesn’t matter whether you start with a couple of these tools or all of them or a different set altogether, remember that the Social Web is about interaction between and among users. Start or join a conversation today. It is just a click away.
And may success be yours in the Social Web!
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