Many bloggers have been using social media for a long time.
Because of that, it can be all to easy to take for granted what it's like to just start dabbling in each social media platform.
On top of that, social media requirements and processes change so it's possible to get behind if you don't keep up.
Whether you're a blogger wanting to extend your reach through social media or an organization that is just starting out, below are tips to get you off to a solid start.
How to Get Started in Social Media and Extend Your Reach
Before diving into each network, and risk spreading efforts to thin, choose one social network and get comfortable, then move on to the next.
Facebook
Generally photos and videos will get the most attention. Asking a thought-provoking question will help to stimulate conversation. Make it personal. Post at least once daily.
Twitter
Keep it short (use a link shortener such as bit.ly) to leave room for others to retweet and stay under the 140 character limit. Reposting others' posts is fine, but make sure to mix in your own ideas. Stay consistent with the focus of your Twitter bio. Post several times daily.
LinkedIn
More professional & career focused. Good place to attract future co-workers. Post a few times / week.
Google+
Has a more technical audience. Like Facebook, visuals also work well. But unless you know your audience is actively using this network, probably best to focus on other sites first.
Whatever network you choose, be sure to analyze which posts and types of content your audience is responding to. There are free tools such as Facebook Insights and recently released Twitter Analytics that can help with this process.
Final Advice on Creating Content for Social
Now that we've introduced several primary social media platforms for you to choose from, it's time to create the content you will share. Don't wait until the last minute to think about what you should post and prepare those posts. You can use an editorial calendar to plan what content you will post on various networks, and when. This will help ensure you have fresh and integrated content on all your social sites.
Pro Tip: You can re-share your blog content on different days and at different times by just changing the wording a bit. This is a great way to reach more people and get more use from the content you worked so hard to produce. Use tools such as HootSuite and Buffer to schedule your posts at times they're most likely to reach your audience.
Remember that it's OK to focus on one or two social sites than to try to be everywhere. Find out where your audience is already spending their time (e.g. through surveys and reviewing your website analytics) and meet them there. You can always tweak as you go.
What are your pro tips for those just starting to use social media? Share them in the comments below …
Today's post is a part of our Wednesday guest post series. Each Wednesday we host a guest blog post on marketing, social media, blogging, branding, and more! Have an idea for a post? Simply email Kate to get the conversation started.
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