Businesses are increasingly adding social media as a marketing tool to gain exposure for their services and products. But the big question remains… “where do I start?” Establishing an effective social media presence for your business can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Consider these tips for getting started.

• Set Goals:  It is important to consider why social media will help your business. Before you spend time or resources on expanding into any new marketing venture, you need to make sure that you have clearly defined goals and expectations. Take the time to clearly define social media marketing goals.
• Define the Audience:  Who do you want to build your visibility with and which platforms do they use? Based on your audience, select one social media outlet to start with– some choices include Twitter, Linked In, Google Plus and Facebook.
• Create a Plan: Now that you have the goals and an audience defined, you need the roadmap for achieving the goals. It is best to start using one social networking site at a time until you are comfortable.  You can then add new outlets one at a time very easily.  Linked In is a great starting point for professionals– it is easy to set up a profile and begin building connections. You can link your Twitter account to Linked In so that you post once, but gain exposure twice.
• Work your Plan:  Posting status can feel scary at first, but it gets more comfortable with practice. Just jump in and try it…schedule time to post daily. Consider starting the easy way– use the ‘share’ features on business websites or blogs to comment on useful articles. Just be sure that you always post things that are useful and avoid negative comments. Remember that once you post something, you can’t take it back.
• Have fun!  Most importantly….social networking is a fun way to support your brand and establish visibility.