Imagine attending a networking event without a specific purpose in mind. You have no idea who will be there, you forget to bring business cards and you don’t have a planned introduction. Once you arrive, you make a mad dash for the coffee and then stand off by yourself watching everyone else. Afterwards, you decide networking doesn’t do a thing for your business.
 
This scenario sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Yet, many people approach social media marketing — virtual networking — in that very way. They jump into social media with no goals and no thought as to whom they want to engage, which social media platforms are most appropriate, what conversations they want to have and how they will get a return on their investment. After a few lukewarm attempts, they declare social media marketing a waste of time.
 
To get results from social media, you must do more than show up. Here are five key areas to help you take the guesswork out of social media and get results:

1. Goals. Before you start a social media campaign, determine what you want to achieve and commit your goals to paper. Otherwise, you have no way to judge your Return on Investment (ROI). Possible goals might include enlarging your prospect base, raising awareness of your products or services, becoming a thought leader or connecting with thought leaders in your industry.
2. Audience. While social media offers you the opportunity to spread your message literally across the country and the world, your target audience may be much more defined. As you build your social community, focus on connecting with current customers as well as prospects with whom you would like to do business. Building a successful online community is not so much about quantity as it is about connecting with specific people with whom you want to build a relationship.
3. Message. The key to quality content is to make it customer centered, that is, relevant and valuable to your audience. If it is not, your social media efforts will never gain traction. An easy way to do this is to answer questions your prospects and customers ask you.
4. Platform. With hundreds of social media platforms to choose from, how do you know where to invest your time? The answer again lies with your target audience. Social media will never impact your bottom line if you are not active where your target audience is engaged. If you are new to social media, begin by establishing yourself on one site. It’s better to be an active participant on one site than to be inactive on several sites. LinkedIn is a great platform for business-to-business contacts while Twitter provides wide exposure on a variety of topics. Facebook is more social and a great platform for retail.
5. Activity. To be successful in social media, you must engage in conversation. Share relevant information in your areas of expertise. Invite feedback by posing a question or offering an opinion. Join in the conversation by commenting on posts relevant to your topic areas. When someone responds to your post, follow up with a comment. 

©2012 Joan B. Marcus Communications LLC