Once a business owner understands the basics of social media, the next challenge is implementation. The challenge here is making, then learning to manage, the commitment to consistent engagement.

First, you must understand three basic points for successfully implementing social media:

1. Social media does not operate in a vacuum in and of itself.
2. Social media was not initially intended for commercial use and contains inherent etiquette protocols that must be followed.
3. If you’re a business person serious about using social media for business, you must first prepare.

OK, to elaborate on these points:

1. “Social media does not work in a vacuum… ”
This means you can’t just create your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, abandon them and expect this to help your business. Social media involves “socializing” with people.

Social media accounts help you communicate and engage in conversations with your prospects and customers. Once you begin talking with people, to walk away is rude. This applies to social media just like in the physical world. Thus, you can’t simply establish the (social media) accounts. You must engage in them, WITH your followers and friends. Consistently.

YOUR CHALLENGE
This certainly can be a challenge for busy, business people. How are we supposed to fool with that stuff everyday while trying to run our businesses?

It’s a challenge that business owners typically either foresee and decide to avoid by not involving themselves in social media at all, or don’t foresee and become overwhelmed because they don’t know how to manage it once they get started.

The thing is to realize that social media is the new marketing ingredient that can’t be ignored. It can make your marketing efforts much more economical and effective once you understand and embrace it.

YOUR SOLUTION
The solution is to PREPARE, PLAN and SCHEDULE your business time with social media. That preparation includes creating profiles and content in advance and selecting options that “automate” the process for you. An obvious, highly effective and increasingly popular option with “in-the-know,” savvy business owners, is outsourcing. Dedicate staff or hire social media consultants to get the job done for you or a social media coach to work with you.

In any case, at this point, if you’re in business, your business must be involved in social media or your business will be left behind.

POINT NUMBER 2: “Social media was NOT initially intended for commercial use… ”
OK, since social media was all about the “socializing” online and building of like-minded communities where people could congregate, share and have a good time online, nobody wanted to see commercials or anybody trying to sell them something in those spaces. They still don’t. But information and creativity are highly sought after.

All these people in all these online social “communities” are still human, they still live in the physical world and they are all, still consumers. So, while it’s rude to push sales in social networks, it is understood that people do want and, subsequently, buy things. The trick is to “inform,” serve and provide. THIS is how you engage in business using social media. You have to BE there with your prospects and customers.