This is Post No. 16 in How to Start a Business Series.
Today I will keep this short.
Let us be clear. Social Media is not needed for every business.
For a consumer focused business – Facebook can help to some extent.
Twitter can be a good tool to find customer pain point and connect with influencers.
LinkedIn is good for hiring, and also getting new business if you work as a consultant. So fine tune your LinkedIn profile. These days it does not work for business development so well because there is a lot of noise now. But it is not a total waste of time. Good if we use it efficiently. This is a good path to follow. Make first contact on Twitter -> LinkedIn -> Email -> Phone/Skype.
If you run an online business of any form – social media should be part of your growth strategy. Put some effort into building your Google+ presence. It will matter a lot in coming months.
If you run an eCommerce business use Facebook ads to drive emails newsletter signups (low friction) so that you can make sales later on. This is a smart strategy.
That said social media should not be end all and be all of your business. Do not spend most of your energy on social media. Go out, hustle and make you dreams come true.
Action for the day: Identify one social media channel that you think is relevant for you and make a plan to build your presence there.