10 Steps for Using Social Media in Business And In Sales

Here are 10 steps to being social:

1. Getting Started: Locate your professional headshot and/or business logo. Create a summary about yourself, work, skills and expertise. Take that information and go sign up and complete your profiles on the following networks:
A. LinkedIn
B. Facebook
C. Google +
D. Twitter
E. Blog
Note: These sites are cataloged by Google, Bing and Yahoo and will not only make it easier for people and brands to find you, it will also BOOST your organic SEO rank and help your websites rank.

2. What Comes Next: Follow the favorites in your industry, join popular groups, and connect with key influencers and referral partners.

3. Friends, Invitations & Connections: Send personalized invitations to connect to your network and suggested friends.

4. Testimonials Written & Received: Request recommendations and favorites politely and return the favor (that's good LinkedIn etiquette). If your LinkedIn profile is completed, you will have skills listed for easy endorsements and your connections can endorse you easily with a click-of-a-mouse.

5. 1 Time Per Day Rule: Update your status 1 time daily. Facebook is a bit tricky and shouldn't be posted on multiple times on a daily basis until you have many fans that are actively engaging with your posts (like, share, comment). If you're not sure about the best way to use Facebook for business, review information on how Facebook rates your activity called "EdgeRank"

6. Interacting: Share and comment on other people’s posts at least once per day.

7. New Connections: Send invitations to connect to new people at least one per day. Just make it a personal invitation, like you are shaking hands or being introduced at a Chamber event.

8. How to Get Noticed: Comment or answer questions in groups 3 times per week.

9. Getting Brands & Businesses to Engage: Cross-promote your other profiles, email newsletter, and website or blog once per week.

10. And What About the Competition? Spy on your competition, research potential clients, and help referral partners.

30 Ways To Use LinkedIn and Get Business

LinkedIn truly is a social media tool that when harnessed correctly will help individuals, brands and businesses succeed. The site isn't a personal favorite of mine - It is however, a tool I strongly suggest using to everyone because I have seen it work time and time again. Once you understand the key principals you can make the network work for you with a minimal time investment.

If you're like many people I speak with that has a LinkedIn account that mostly sits idle (signing in to accept connection requests or review endorsements) you should know that there is much more that you can do and should be doing. LinkedIn is the social tool that will promote you as an individual, grow your business and brand, maximize your relevancy and reel in new leads, clients and testimonials. In short, used LinkedIn for ROI. Here are 30 ways to effectively harness the social network successfully:

1. Start with your profile. It needs to be filled out completely and honestly. (Great SEO opportunity here!)
2. Use widgets to integrate other tools, such as importing your blog entries or Twitter stream into your profile. (Great SEO & branding opportunity here!)
3. Do market research and gain knowledge with Polls.
4. Share survey and poll results with your contacts. This goes into your contacts activity feed and builds your credibility.
5. Answer questions in Questions and Answers: show expertise without a hint of self-promotion.
6. Ask questions in Questions and Answers to get a feel for what customers and prospects want or think.
7. Publish your LinkedIn URL on all your marketing collateral, including business cards, email signature, email newsletters, web sites and brochures, so prospects learn more about you.
8. Grow your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your business.
9. Update your status examples of recent work.
10. Link your status updates with your other social media accounts.
11. Combine your social media approach: when someone asks a question in Twitter, respond in detail on LinkedIn and link to it from Twitter.
12. Use the search feature to find people by company, industry and city.
13. Start and manage a group or fan page for your product, brand or business.
14. Research your prospects before meeting or contacting them.
15. Share useful articles and resources that will be of interest to customers and prospects.
16. Don’t turn off your contacts: avoid hard-sell tactics.
17. Write honest and valuable recommendations for your contacts.
18. Request LinkedIn recommendation from happy customers willing to provide testimonials.
19. Post your presentations on your profile using a presentation application.
20. Check connections’ locations before traveling so you can meet with those in the city where you’re heading.
21. Ask your first-level contacts for introductions to their first-level contacts.
22. Interact with LinkedIn on a regular basis to reach those who may not see you on other social media sites.
23. Set up to receive LinkedIn messages in your inbox so you can respond right away.
24. Link to articles and content posted elsewhere, with a summary of why it’s valuable to add to your credibility.
25. List your newsletter subscription information and archives.
26. Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.
27. Post discounts and package deals.
28. Import vCards and contacts from other applications to find more connections.
29. Export your contacts into other applications.
30. Find vendors and contractors through connections.