“Social media is just another facet of marketing and customer service. Say it with me. Repeat it until you know it by heart. Bind it as a sign upon your hands and upon thy gates. Social media, by itself, will not help you.”

I agree with so much that Shankman says in this article, but I understand why many people, especially small businesses and nonprofits, feel the need to hire “social media experts.”

In fact, I believe that small businesses and nonprofits can benefit greatly by hiring an individual or a company with social media expertise. They just have to be careful to hire the right one.

Reasons Why People Hire Social Media “Experts”

One: Lack of Time

If you’re already overwhelmed by the sheer number of things you have to do on a daily business just to keep your business afloat or you’re focused on working with the population your nonprofit is serving, how can you possibly find time to tweet or post on Facebook?

Two: Lack of Expertise

It’s easy for those of us who understand and enjoy using social media to lose sight of how complicated and overwhelming that world can appear to others. What a relief it is to find an “expert” who can solve your problems, magically creating a Facebook page and placing a pretty icon on your website that invites everyone to “Like Us! Please!”

The Trouble

The trouble is that many social media “experts” aren’t in business to help their customers, they’re in business only to make money. So they set up your accounts, give you a few pointers, and quickly move on to the next customer. Or they charge you an expensive retainer promising to gain you a large number of fans and followers, and maybe they do, but those fans have simply “liked” your page and forgotten about it. Because either they’re people who aren’t genuinely interested in your work or they are interested in what you have to offer, but there is no compelling, ongoing conversation taking place on your social media accounts to keep those followers engaged.

And there you are staring at Foursquare, Twitter, and Facebook with no idea how to use them (lack of expertise). And you’re too busy to deal with them (lack of time). Think of all those Facebook pages you’ve seen that just sit there gathering dust, occasionally updated by spammers, with ten fans who all happen to be relatives and friends of the business owner.

The Other Trouble

The other trouble is that many business owners don’t have — or are unwilling to invest — the time, commitment, and money needed to make social media work. Like all facets of marketing and customer service, a social media campaign takes work, sometimes hard work.

So What’s the Solution?

For some businesses, it’s as simple as deciding to manage social media on their own. If you want to go this route, I’d suggest that you start by looking over some of the resources listed on my site and then wade in slowly — perhaps with a Facebook page. It doesn’t have to be “fancy” with a lot of photos and features — at least not at first. What’s most important is that you tend to it on a regular basis and that you offer good content. (If your only reason for choosing to do it yourself is to save money, remember that your time is worth money, so the cost is still there.)

For others, it comes down to finding the “right expert”— a knowledgeable, helpful, reliable individual (or company) who not only has expertise in setting up social media, but who is also committed to helping their clients make the most of all that social media has to offer.

You Might Also Like:

• Not every business needs a social media campaign. Here are some things to consider before you create that Facebook page.
• “Small Businesses That Understand Social Media”
• Also from the wise Mr. Shankman: “Is Your Social Media Expert Really An Expert?”

Photo Credit

Don’t. Help is here.

I’ve updated my Resources page with links that can help you in mastering social media. My favorites for those who are just wading into using Facebook and Twitter are the Mashable guides. If you’re more interested in LinkedIn, subscribe to their blog. And if you use Facebook for your business, be sure to check out the two Facebook-centric sites I’ve listed.

Am I missing one of your favorite resources? If so, let me know by leaving a comment below.

Photo: )ota

But social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook aren’t for everyone or every business. (If you’re wondering, yes, I have a Twitter account, but, no, my business doesn’t have a Facebook page — yet).

How can you determine if it’s time for you to sign up for Twitter or Facebook? And if it is time, how do you start?

Two articles at Mashable, “The Social Media Guide,” offer excellent guidance on how — and whether — your business should begin using sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Among their suggestions:

• Consider your audience: who are they, what social media tools are they using, how can you reach them?
• Take it slowly, and set goals. What do you hope to gain from using social media? Do you want to promote your services/products or build relationships?
• Don’t give up. “Don’t expect a case of build it and they will come.” Once you’ve created a presence on Facebook or Twitter, you’re going to have to put time into it to promote your business.

The notion of getting into social media might seem overwhelming for any small business. Spending time upfront before launch to create a plan with goals that includes how to translate that social media presence into dollars will go a long way toward achieving success. — Leah Betancourt, Mashable

• 5 Ways Businesses Can Avoid Social Media Panic
• 4 Myths About Social Media and Business

What About LinkedIn?

In my opinion, if you have a business, are employed by one, or are looking for work, you should have a LinkedIn profile. Even if you do not actively use LinkedIn, think of your profile as an online resume and a way to build contacts with others in your field. It can be much more than that if you’d like, but as with all social networking sites, you’ll need to devote time and work to reap benefits.

You might also be interested in reading my other posts on using social media.

Do you have a question about using social media? Post a comment below, and I’ll answer.

Photo: Lululemon Althetica

Over the past few months, I’ve waded — very slowly — into the Twitter pool, and I’ve discovered that it’s a valuable place to gather information or to connect with people who have interests similar to mine. I’m hoping that using Twitter will help me to promote my business, but I’m not focused too much on that. Because who will listen to what I tweet if all I’m talking about is “Me! Me! Me!”?

So to those of you who are reluctant to join Twitter, here are three ways that I’ve been using it successfully:

• Ask a Question — need information and don’t want to get lost in voice mail purgatory or wait for an email answer? Use Twitter to ask your question. Chances are the company/organization you’re trying to reach is on Twitter. Chances also are that they’ll answer quickly because they’re there to promote and protect their brand. They want to keep you happy.
• Ask a Question, Part II — Visiting a new city and don’t know where to stay/eat/go? Thinking of buying a new cellphone and wondering which one to get? Post your question on Twitter, and you’ll get answers from fellow Twitter users who are happy to help.
• Connect — looking to “meet” people who share your personal or professional interests? Use Twitter’s search function, and find people to follow on Twitter. Contrary to what you think, you’re not the only one interested in [insert interest here].
• Connect, Part II — attending a conference or symposium? Again, search Twitter and connect with other attendees. The event itself may have a Twitter account. You can make plans to meet pre-conference or trade information about events associated with the conference. Use a hashtag to narrow your search.
• Complain — Did your favorite company really screw up? Are they ignoring your emails or have you been waiting on hold forever? Let them know via Twitter that you’re unhappy. Don’t be nasty; simply state your case and ask for help. Tweets are public. People can see your complaints. The company you’re trying to reach knows this. They want to solve your problem.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to join the conversation. Sign up for a Twitter account today.

You can find me on Twitter here.

Do you have questions about this post or about using Twitter? Let me know in a comment, and I’ll answer promptly.

What if you didn’t find anything? Or your name was buried on page 12 of the search results?

Well, then … if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to join social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter and create your online “brand.” Because as noted in a recent NY Times article, “Not being online today is akin to not existing.” While it may be hard to think of yourself as a brand, it’s necessary. As stated in the same article: “If you don’t brand yourself, Google will brand you.”

Another reason to use these sites is that they allow you to monitor what is being said about you and your business. One expert quoted in the Dallas Business Journal advises that “Communications are taking place right now on Twitter, Facebook, and all the other social networking services behind your back … It’s going on, whether you ignore it or not. The wisest course of action is to be informed about what’s being said about you in public forums.” Domino’s Pizza learned this lesson just this week.

Although there are many social networking sites, three of the most popular are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Here’s a brief overview of each:

• LinkedIn: If you’re new to social networking, I would advise you to start with LinkedIn, a professional networking site. You can create a profile (see mine here) and use it to network with other professionals in your field, get the word out about your expertise, look for work, or reconnect with colleagues.

• Facebook: You may think of Facebook as a site for high school and college students only, but that perception is wrong. In fact, Facebook has seen more growth lately in “older” users — people using it to stay in touch with family and reconnect with old colleagues and school friends. Businesses can have Facebook pages, too. So if you’d like to have a personal page that is restricted to friends and family and another page for your business — one visible to the world at large — you can do that.

• Twitter: Here’s how they explain it on the Twitter home page — “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

You use Twitter to send short messages (140 characters or less) to people who are “following” you (meaning they have signed up to receive your updates) — your clients, family members, friends. Yes, many of the messages (called “tweets”) are mundane. And it’s possible that you can’t imagine what you could possibly tweet about that would be of any interest to your clients. If so, don’t start tweeting — yet.  But set up the account, then search for colleagues and/or competitors — or for companies whose business models you admire — and watch what they do with Twitter. If you have a blog or a website, you can link it to your tweets so that visitors to your site can see what you’re doing. And the next time you’re at a conference or a meeting and something happens that you want to instantly inform your clients/customers about, you can tweet about it. Because if it’s interesting, others will be tweeting about it, too.

So … what are you waiting for? Jump in! If you’d like help getting your feet wet, contact me. I am currently working with a client to create profiles for her on these sites (as well as several others) so that she has a consistent and updated brand — one that is tied into her blog and website.  I can do the same for you.