One of the areas most small business owners ask me about is Social Media. Everybody wants to know if social media is worth it? How much time does it take a week? How quickly will they see the results (paying customers)?

The truth is that social media is a multi-headed beast. Not all platforms will be useful for every business. Most businesses will see a benefit from utilising wisely 2 or 3 platforms. Though, in rare cases some business will see little to no benefit from using Social Media if for example the customers are all Octogenarians.

Before making the leap into the world of social media it is important to know ‘why’ you are getting online. Being trendy and innovative is not a reason to invest your time and brand into social media (unless they are some of your core values- in which case you have already missed the boat). Think like a business person, are you there to communicate with existing clients, to share testimonials, to build relationships and strategic allegiances, to take complaints, to make your customer service easier for clients, to create an online catalogue?

Social Media can do more harm than good is used poorly. For example creating a Facebook page for your business will do more harm than good if there is nothing on it or it is not regularly updated. Instead of coming across accessible and professional you look sloppy, unprofessional and dated.

So before you leap, take some time to think about what you want to achieve online. When you have distilled down your goals then look at the various platforms and select 2 or 3 that will help you achieve your goals. Create the pages, or hire someone to brand them for you  (I know a guy that can help you out there). Set yourself a limit of 20 minutes, or an hour a business day to invest in social media and stick to that limit. Social Media is surprisingly addictive.

With all social media remember you are there to build relationships not sell to customers. So don’t be discouraged if there aren’t people beating down your door straight away. Instead measure your strategy’s effectiveness against your goals.