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How to Manage Your Business’ Social Media Accounts

Guest post by: Lily Faden

Article Overview: Learn three major tips for how to manage the social media accounts that represent your business.

How to Manage Your Business’ Social Media Accounts

Owners and employees of small businesses have heard the advice over and over again: you need to be using social media to promote your company, engage with your customers, and spread the word about your product. However, this comes as a burden to many business owners who can't find enough time to use traditional marketing methods or balance the other responsibilities they face on a daily basis. Many businesses resort to hiring what has come to be known as a "Social Media Manager" - someone who can take responsibility for managing the business' social networking accounts and keeping engaged with followers. If your business has hired someone for this position or is considering the best possible way to maintain these accounts for a minimal cost, consider the following tips:

1. You don't need to be a "ninja" or a "guru" to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites.

One only need browse the classified section in their local community to see that a plethora of businesses are seeking to hire what they call "social media gurus" - a name which presumably arose from the idea that social media is something need be mastered by people with a honed skill or very specific knowledge. However, this couldn't be further from the truth: social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used by people of all ages and only take a little bit of time to get used to. Even business owners who claim that they are "too old for Facebook" or "don't understand it" or "prefer to interact with people in person" can get the hang of the site very quickly. Facebook in particular is equipped with a very interactive tutorial made for people - and more specifically, business owners - who have no idea how to use the site. Therefore, before making the decision to hire someone to manage these accounts, ask yourself whether your business could save money by having existing staff do the job.

2. Even if they grew up frequently using social media, not all young people are apt to manage business accounts on these sites.

Being young and computer-savvy is not always enough to be a successful social media manager. If you intend to hire someone to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more, you need to first ask them questions about how they envision that their management of these sites will increase profits for your business. If they can't answer this question, they are most likely not ready to take on a role as a social media manager. Even if someone spends all their time on their personal social media accounts, they might not necessarily think like a business person. And if you are spending money on online marketing, you need to make sure that the end result is money for your business.

3. Be consistent.

Unfortunately, signing up for these websites is not enough; you need to be visiting them on a frequent basis to reach their full potential. This means blogging at least a couple times a week, always attempting to grow your "friends" or "followers," or brainstorming ideas for how to keep users engaged with your business' online presence. It cannot be said whether the trends in social media marketing will persist, but it is no myth that they are currently one of the most effective trends in marketing and it is important to make the most of it to increase profits for your business.

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Article Tags: facebook, google, internet marketing, online marketing, SEO, social media, social media marketing, twitter



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":gvtxsu7g]Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff[/quote:gvtxsu7g] Hi Jeff, Thanks for the suggestion. Why don't you start a new post (with a poll) to see if there's enough interest in your idea for a social media section?
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts - Hi Shri, Thanks for posting this. I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Re: Social Media Marketing Ignorance - [quote="vbn411":7qciluxl]Social Media is space that you have to be in to succeed in our current climate. People are going to be discussing your brand / product whether you like it or not, so you might as well join the conversation and add value. [/quote:7qciluxl] I think that's probably one of the most realistic way to think about it. There's no real textbook way of understanding Social Media, it's the networks of people and their interactions that will exist with or without your input. As for Jennifer, You can always have 2 Facebook pages. Many people do. There is also LinkedIn, which is like a professional networking version of Facebook. The only way to know is to try it.


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