The list of social media platforms available to us is getting longer and longer by the day, just look at this list on Wikipedia.

Be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, as a user you’re required to put time and resources to build and maintain your profile constantly to stay up to date and relevant.

As a small business, we’re aware of the benefits that the social media brings, for example raising brand awareness, marketing our content, connecting with other industry professionals and sharing expertise.

Here’re the 6 basic steps that helped us identify our social media strategy.

1. What’s your objective?

Social media can help with the following (and possibly more, please feel free to comment below about your reasons for using it):

1. to increase traffic to website
2. to improve SEO
3. to raise brand awareness
4. to interact, communicate and build relationships with your audience
5. to share expertise
6. to increase sales

2. How will you build a community?

Find out where your prospects and target audience hang out. Is it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Pinterest? Listen to what they’re saying and what problems they’re experiencing and begin to reach out to them.

3. What are you going to say?

Offer valuable content that your audience finds interesting and helpful. Variety of content (images, photos, videos, infographics, etc.) will keep your profile fresh and appealing.

Also note that your persona is as crucial as your content. A positive and helpful approach will evoke positive emotions in your audience.

4. How will you choose the right platform?

Depending on what has been identified in the first three steps and the type of business you’re in (online business, location business, selling products or services, etc.) you then need to decide on the right platform.

5. Who’s going to manage it??

Will your employees individually or a designated person/department be responsible for posting content and answering questions?

6. How will you measure return on investment?

Agree on the success metrics in advance (e.g. increase in the number of e-newsletter subscribers) and review them regularly to decide whether it’s working.