I write about Social Media a lot because I think its vital to building trust. However, combined with the rest of the noise in the online space on this topic, its easy to go-go-go and even feel rushed in doing so. As so, many initiate social media campaigns without proper planning.
Today, I read a post that provided great information about how to PLAN to use social media. It starts with this visual:
At the very center is the key-point:
THE CONVERSATION - THE ART OF LISTENING, LEARNING, AND SHARING.
If you think of Social Media as a conversation, it can positively affect your entire approach to using many of these new and free tools. Like in a real-life conversation, before you start speaking, its best to listen and understand. Then, in order to be seen as a reliable resource, you must add value to the conversation to become a trusted member of the group.
These steps, inspired by Kim Beasley, can help:
- Search for and find social media sites and online groups that support similar causes and have a similar target audience.
- Follow these groups and existing leaders in the space and LISTEN to the conversations already in progress.
- Setup your own fan page and online group so that when you start sharing information, people can learn more about you, and follow you.
- Share valuable information to individuals and groups to add value to the existing conversations.
- Engage with others to build trust and serve as a resource to your online networks. Sharing valuable information and connecting people together is a great way to do this!
