I decided a few weeks ago that I was to become not only The Intern Queen but a social media expert. I’m generally not a huge fan of mainstream social networking sites (e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc). In my experience they are used for personal bragging rights or to “stalk ex-boyfriends,” etc. I did attempt to form a Facebook group for my business and a Myspace page and I saw minimal results in terms of click-throughs and/or increases in traffic. It wasn’t until I started using Twitter that I decided I wanted to be on the brink of social media.
Through this website I was able to connect and network with so many other social media experts and entrepreneurs. I’ve decided I want to be one of the first to discover and participate in whatever the next social media tool will be. Below, you will find a list I put together on tips to become a social media expert. These are things that I’m trying to do on a daily/weekly basis to expand my knowledge of this new world. I think as entrepreneurs we are all responsible for keeping up with the times and learning how to communicate and grow our buisnesses in this new environment.
Tips on How to Grow Your Business Via Social Media
1. Join Twitter ASAP. Twitter is a social media tool where you state what are you are doing in fewer than 140 characters. Since joining Twitter, the traffic on my site, quarterlife.com/intern, has increased by about 800 uniques per day. You meet people on Twitter by “following” them. My goal is always to increase those “following” my account. Many brands (Dunkin Donuts, Expedia, Starbucks, Southwest) are on Twitter, and it’s a great way to connect with them.
I suggest networking with PR professionals, freelancers, columnists and brands to help grow your business and make new connections. I try to reach out to a fixed number of new Twitter users each day. I try to follow at least 100 new “Tweeps” daily. This usually guarantees that I get more followers. A great benefit with Twitter is that you get to put a voice behind a brand. I’m constantly talking about internship opportunities on my site and linking to my website. I’m also speaking about my day-to-day tasks and what I’m involved with. This really takes my brand and makes it come alive a bit more. I’m not just an internship service–I’m actually The Intern Queen with goals, daily struggles, etc. This makes other users feel more comfortable with me and my brand and provides a sense of familiarity.
2. Set your Google feeds. I run an internship company. I get Google feeds for words such as “intern,” “internship,” “young entrepreneur,” “summer internship,” “social media,” “new social media tools,” “how to use social media,” etc. I also subscribe to all the Google feeds that mention my competitors (e.g. MonsterTrac, CareerBuilder). This allows me to see how other businesses are leveraging social media tools. I can see which businesses show up on which networking sites. The most popular site besides Twitter for entrepreneurs seems to be LinkedIn.com, which I suggest everyone join as well. I look and see which freelancers are writing about the topics I’m involved with, then reach out to them on Twitter or on LinkedIn and pitch my company to them. By subscibing to social media feeds, I can keep track of any interesting bloggers I might want to follow and read any new tips and tricks. Bloggers are constantly writing about new ways to enhance your business through social media.
3. Identify social media bloggers. Social media blogger I’ve really enjoyed following are Chris Brogan and Shannon Paul . These two are really at the forefront of all things social media. Play around with your feeds and you will find other social media experts who really appeal to your interests. I’m still looking for great ones, if you have suggestions.
4. Keep up with trends. I’m now subscribed to the RSS feeds for Techcrunch, Techmeme and Mashable. Checking these sites and reading about what’s new and popular in tech really makes me feel much more well-rounded in my tech knowledge.
5. Manage your time. I don’t suggest putting all of your time toward learning the social media route. I could spend hours and hours on Twitter, so I really have to keep a watch on the clock. I let myself communicate with “tweeps” (that means “friends” in Twitter language) on Twitter for about one hour each day. I do update my Twitter often to keep followers engaged. I don’t check my messages multiple times per day. I try to keep it to three times each day. I check them in the morning, lunchtime and evening. Also, I don’t constantly read the articles from my Google feeds or from the bloggers I follow. I try to print out all of the articles every Saturday or Sunday night and take them with me wherever I go. If I’m in line at the grocery store or getting my hair cut, I’ll pull out the articles and go through them. If I make notes on any papers, I’ll save them and go through them the next time I’m working.
6. Explore further. I’m in the midst of trying to find out which social networks are popular overseas. There is a site called asmallworld.net that has a big following in Europe. I also try to follow several international users on Twitter. I’m extremely interested in what international students/companies are using to connect and network with businesses and professionals. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 5:48 pm and is filed under Online Business, Social Networking, Starting a Business, Work, balance your life, entrepreneur, experts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.10 Responses to “How to Use Social Media To Grow Your Business”
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January 9th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I agree, Intern Queen, social media is where it’s at! I love Twitter, and have even set up an account for my employer. I also do all blogging for them so I am also learning how to become a social media expert, if you will. It’s fun and informative, and I love how it keeps me connected to all sorts of people!
January 14th, 2009 at 1:39 am
A great piece.
Although social media tools are, by and large, free it is certainly worth watching your time. This is best done by only getting involved in the social networks that your customers or market have a significant presence on; automating as much as your activity as you can (e.g. using Twitterfeed to automatically “tweet” an RSS feed of blog posts to Twitter); and not trying to take too much on!
It’s good enough to Tweet 2 or 3 times a day and a great way to do it easily in a way your followers value is to Tweet links to industry or news articles you read and found interesting, as you read them.
That way you are not having to think about what you Tweet, which always produces forced content anyway.
Ian Hendry
CEO, WeCanDo.BIZ
http://www.wecando.biz
January 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Uh…the correct term is “Tweets”. Hopefully, using this correct terminology will advance your interest in becoming an expert.
And since I’m the one talking to a made-up character, I really should keep the ‘tude to myself. Duly noted.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Lauren,
Thank you for such an enthusiastic endorsement! You’ve got a lot of great advice here! One thing that really helps me go through so many blog posts is the Google Reader application on my Blackberry. This way I can scroll through blogs in my reader while I’m out and about. I can star entries and even share items of interest directly to my FriendFeed account right from the application.
Cheers — I’ll look forward to future posts and chats on Twitter!
January 14th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Good summary. I would add that these approaches should first be assessed within the context of a social media strategy. Too many companies get hung up on the toys and tools and lose sight of the key element: the people. Answer these questions first:
Who is the audience?
What is the desired behavior?
What timeline is being considered?
What is the commitment?
How are you going to respond to negativity?
Then you can figure what applications will best meet your needs.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
You mentioned that you are not a fan of Facebook, but it is huge overseas, even moreso in the US. Aside from that, the problem is that the landscape is extremely fragmented. My hunch is that the language differences drive much of that fragmentation. I recommend you tweet that one on Twitter to see what your followers have to add. I’ve seen a bunch of tweets that mentioned different sites, but given how many there are and limited time in a day, I haven’t really pursued any of them proactively.
January 18th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
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January 22nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Lauren, your tips on are great. I’m sure they will appreciated by those new to social networking. I agree with you about Facebook and myspace. If you are a serious marketer or entrepreneur Twitter and any new invention that I am sure will be introduced in the very near future.
January 30th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Hiya Lauren,
Great advice! I’ve only started using Twitter for the past week or so and I’ve been blown away by just … how much fun it can be!
Definitely will try your advice out with getting new followers and following interesting Tweeters… now now.. you should’ve added a link to your Twitter account! I’m sure I’ll find it somehow..
March 30th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Good tips Lauren. I especially liked the tip about printing articles and reading while in line or getting your hair did… good stuff:).