Think Your Business Isn’t a Part of Social Media? Think Again.

Your customers are talking.

About you.

Online.

Are you with them?

Word-of-mouth marketing is not new. It’s something that businesses have always depended on. But the debut and continued rise of social media has changed the game. Now we’re able to capture these conversations. We are the flies on the walls of our customer’s homes and offices. We’ve finally gotten our childhood wish to be invisible—to hear what others are saying about us.

And the talkers? They’re not afraid to tell it like it is—the good, the bad and the ugly.

So be ready for it.

If you’re not engaged in some type of social network, I recommend you start. But before you go running off to set up your business Facebook page or Twitter account, there are a few things you’ll want to sort out first. 

1. Analyze your business goals.

Have a clear understanding of you business goals—your social media goals shouldn’t be any different. Whether your goal is to increase sales, create awareness or build a solid customer base, social media can be one of the (many) tools in the mix to help you succeed. Establish a clear plan that ties to your business goals and a way to measure success. 

2. Be honest about your time.

Prioritize your time and be ready to make a commitment—for the long haul. Think about how much time, realistically, you can commit to social media. You may not be the best person for the job. Certain aspects can be hired out, can be monitored by others in your business or can wait until you have the resources to make a commitment. Do not make the mistake of starting off strong only to become disengaged with your customers online.

3. It’s not about you, it’s about your customers.

Gone are the days where you could push sales into the faces of your customers (and I don’t think anyone was super keen on that tactic anyway). So before you get all excited about being able to push out your message and tell everyone how great you are on social media, step back and think about what your customers want. Listen to what they’re already saying about you in their social networks. Whether you like it or not, they’re already talking about you.

4. Listen.

Wait, I already said that, didn’t I? Yes, and it bears repeating. Listening is part of your planning process and it’s something you should be doing whether or not you will actually participate (by contributing to the conversation) in social media. Set up a listening campaign to research where your customers hang out online and what they’re saying about your brand. Listen to what they want. Better yet? Add in key words linked to your competitors to hear the buzz on their brand online, too. Set up a Google Alerts account, tap into the free Twitter search or do some organic Facebook searching. 

Think about it: 90 percent of consumers trust recommendations from their peers (Nielsen, 2009 Global Online Consumer Survey) and 89 percent of internet users are sharing content through their social networks. So whether you choose to be a part of the conversation or not, your business is a part of social media. Your job is to figure out how you’re going to be a part of it.

So take it slow, start small and do what works for you and your business with a little help from the tips above.

Melissa is principal and creative director at Allée, a strategic communications consulting and design firm. She has been helping small businesses plan new media, marketing and communication strategies for nearly a decade. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter or by email.