hire a big gun or diy?

BOTH hiring and doing the work have pros and cons with regards to time, money, content ownership and ramp up. And don't be fooled into thinking that doing it yourself will be the least cost path.

How do I make social media an effective tool in supporting my business goals?   

Managing expectations is important. Social media is not the magic wand that will bring in vast numbers of new clients. It won't replace quality service and the power of endorsements. What it can do for you is support and enhance existing relationships which can in turn help promote increased use of services and products, improved communications and opportunities to amp up your referrals.  

 

What the heck is a CMS?

If you decide that you are a technically savvy hands-on kind of person who thrives on doing the work yourself, Content Management Software such as WordPress, has made simply designed, great looking web creation and blogging accessible to non-programmers. And coordinating your outreach to multiple social media sites is simplified using programs such as Hootsuite. 

 

Just Do It 

Regardless of whether you farm out the work or go down the path of DIY (Do It Yourself), there are key elements that should not be shortcutted.

 

1. AUDIENCE

You need to first identify who you want to be in your audience. Next, determine where they are at.

 

2. CONTENT

But no matter how many you reach and how often you reach out, if quality content is absent, you may be doing more harm than good. The same fundamentals of business apply to the web and social media. What will attract and retain audiences is the content you provide. Aligning your web and messaging with who your are - your bio, a well-defined mission, vision and values - provides consistency, power and voice.

 

3. DELIVERY

Maintaining a presence requires staying in the eye of your audience. This can be done with postings and re-postings, a blog, newsletter or emails individually or in combination. And the same material can be delivered in multiple ways to the various platforms in social media be it facebook, LinkedIn, instagram, twitter, pinterest, or YouTube. It is important to have fresh and relevant content but it's creation doesn't have to be tied to the schedule - it can be created in advance. More important is to create a schedule of what works for you and your audience whether it is daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly and sticking to it.

 

4. MEASURE, EVALUATE, ADJUST

Studies have shown that online presence spikes midweek in the middle of the day but interaction and response climbs towards the end of the week. Your particular audience may vary. Much of the software available is fairly inexpensive or even free and provides measurement tools to quantify audience reach:

Surveys are also a good source of data. If you don't want to do the work of a formal survey, asking your clients informally about your blog or website can provide you with meaningful information. Whatever the tools or partners you choose, use them. Review how you are doing and look for the areas that have the best response rates and yielding the results you are seeking.