{"id":13324,"date":"2012-06-11T21:06:49","date_gmt":"2012-06-11T21:06:49","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-13T20:43:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T20:43:15","slug":"23-things-for-day-one-of-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=13324","title":{"rendered":"23 Things for Day One of Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

What should you do first? Which sites are the best ones to use? What do you even say once you get there?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

After all, no one wants to waste a lot of time doing things the wrong way for too long. The list in this post is meant to act as a resource for you \u2013 providing you with tips and ideas for getting started with social media for business, as well as social media content writing.<\/p>\n

Something to keep in mind: while many of these tips are based on experience, everyone\u2019s social media experience is a little bit different. Don\u2019t be too hard on yourself when it comes to figuring yours out. Following some category_idelines is one thing, but don\u2019t feel like you could or should get it absolutely right the first day \u2013 or even the first week or month. Social media is constantly evolving and changing.<\/p>\n

Just because you can jump right into social media doesn\u2019t mean that you should. Do a little bit of planning and researching in advance. You\u2019d be surprised about how it can end up making all the difference in leading your accounts to success in the social sphere. Try out some of these ideas as you prepare to begin your social media journey. <\/p>\n

By Renee DeCoskey<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Be absolutely certain of what your brand stands for.<\/strong> It\u2019s really difficult to represent yourself on any social media platform if you don\u2019t have a firm idea of what you\u2019re representing. This is something that I wish I would have known when starting out. I jumped right into Twitter with no real idea of what my personal brand was or how I was going to use it. As a result, it was a really slow start for me.<\/p>\n

2. Figure out your brand voice.<\/strong> You want this to be consistent everywhere from your social media platforms to your blog and your website. For example, is your brand voice fun and laid back, or is it more formal and straight-laced? Will you show a sense of humor or leave the jokes at home? Know these things going in so that you\u2019re consistent from the start.<\/p>\n

3. Make sure you know your audience.<\/strong> Know how they talk, what they do, what they like, what they don\u2019t like, their interests, and so forth. Most importantly, know where they are on social media. How are they using it already, and how can you align your social media objectives with that?<\/p>\n

4. Investigate different social media platforms.<\/strong> Do this so that you know which ones will be best for your needs. Twitter and Facebook are probably going to be givens because those are the staples of social media right now. But maybe you\u2019re interested in networking with other professionals or businesses, so you check out LinkedIn. Perhaps you\u2019re interested in spreading your authority, so you check out LinkedIn Answers or Quora.<\/p>\n

This is an important step that is often not taken seriously enough. There are countless social media sites out there. When I first started, I made the mistake of joining a bunch of them with no real plan or idea of how I\u2019d use them. What ultimately happened was that I ended up abandoning a lot of those efforts because I wasn\u2019t finding a good use for them. Had I done my research appropriately, this might not have been the case.<\/p>\n

Will this take some work? Sure. But take it from me: it\u2019s worth it to do the work now so that you don\u2019t waste time on dead-ends later.<\/p>\n

5. Decide on your social media goals.<\/strong> In other words, don\u2019t just create a social media presence because you\u2019ve been told that you should. Take the advice, but also have an idea of what you hope to accomplish with your accounts. For example, are you looking for brand awareness? More followers? Social media-based conversions? Know what you\u2019re looking for ahead of time so that you can tailor your content once you get started.<\/p>\n

6. Research other accounts to follow.<\/strong> For me, it helped to consider social media \u2013 regardless of what I was doing with it \u2013 as a networking activity. I looked for accounts that belonged to the bloggers I loved reading and the businesses I thought were doing great things. What accounts will provide you with useful information? What accounts might be good for eventual collaboration? Who is sharing the best content? Who will interact with you?<\/p>\n

Remember: there are a lot of \u201cbig names\u201d and self-professed gurus and experts out there. When you first start, a lot of people will recommend those accounts to you numerous times. While many of them are fantastic people to follow, don\u2019t be afraid to venture off the beaten path. Find some accounts on your own. I promise, when you find the good ones, it\u2019s like having a secret no one else knows.<\/p>\n

7. Decide what kind of social media content you will create and share.<\/strong> How do you plan to craft your messages? This will be a lot easier to determine once you know what your brand voice sounds like. However, there are still things to consider.<\/p>\n

For example, people strategize when it comes to link placement in Twitter updates. They strategize about how long to make those posts so that they can be easily re-tweeted with comments. They choose hashtags carefully. They tag specific followers or other accounts on Facebook. How will all of this factor into how you create your content? Social media content writing isn\u2019t easy, but when done well, the effort and planning pay off through social media-based conversions.<\/p>\n

8. Decide how frequently to post.<\/strong> There\u2019s a really delicate balance on social media, and it varies by site. You can post 10 times a day to Twitter and it\u2019s absolutely fine. But if you post 10 times in a single day to Facebook, you\u2019re going to start annoying people.<\/p>\n

Choose a posting schedule that works for you, but understand that you might need to tweak it as you get into it. For me, I\u2019ve found that two or three Facebook posts a day are the max. This still elicits a response. If I start posting more than that, I just become noise.<\/p>\n

Twitter is something else. You can post there pretty much as often as you like, but make sure you\u2019re contributing something. If all of your posts are pointless updates, no one is going to care.<\/p>\n

Something to consider with all of this is when your audience is most likely to be online. Once you know them, you\u2019ll start to figure out when they\u2019re spending the most time on the Web. You can then schedule your posts to suit.<\/p>\n

9. Read through the terms of service agreements.<\/strong> I get it \u2013 no one really likes to do this. But if you\u2019re going to be regularly using a site, you should really know how it works and what\u2019s expected of you. The last thing you want to do is inadvertently violate the terms of service and have your accounts suspended. That just looks bad for business.<\/p>\n

10. Plan for the balance in content.<\/strong> One thing people definitely don\u2019t appreciate in social media is someone who just shares his or her own content repeatedly. Make sure you\u2019re sharing other items of interest, as well.
\nConsider this: if you post to Facebook three times a day, maybe two of those posts are outside content and one of them is your own. If you research accounts to follow before you start, you\u2019ll already know who is sharing the best content that you can share with your followers (but always make sure you read it first).<\/p>\n

Section 2: As You Get Started<\/h2>\n

You need to understand a thing or two about the art of social media content writing, which is something you\u2019ll get better at as you go. Don\u2019t worry if you feel a little bit like you\u2019re flailing through this first day (or the several after that). Most people feel the same way! Here are some ideas you can use as you go through your first day using social media platforms.<\/p>\n

11. Choose personalized account names wherever possible.<\/strong> Keep them uniform from platform to platform (and this includes your website).<\/p>\n

Continue reading below:<\/strong>
\n
\nwww.jklbrand.com
\n www.facebook.com\/jklbrand
\n www.twitter.com\/jklbrand (@jklbrand)<\/p>\n

If you have a longer name, figure out how you can shorten it in a way that still makes sense to people. Another role that I have is that of managing editor for Business 2 Community. That\u2019s a pretty long name and sometimes it needs to be shortened to fit a character limit, but it\u2019s done in a way that you can still tell who we are:<\/p>\n

www.business2community.com
\n www.facebook.com\/business2community
\n www.twitter.com\/b2community<\/p>\n

The point is to go with the whole name when possible, but when you must shorten, do it in a way that makes sense, and keep that shortened version the same across platforms.<\/p>\n

12. Choose an appropriate default image.<\/strong> If you\u2019re a business, you\u2019ll probably want to use a logo or some other kind of branded image. If you\u2019re an individual, you want a headshot. Ideally, this should be a professional headshot, but I realize that\u2019s not always a possibility. If it\u2019s not, make sure the image is just of you.<\/p>\n

Yes, that picture of you and your best friend at the beach might be really nice. If you can crop it so that it\u2019s just you, go for it. But if there\u2019s going to be a random hand, arm, side-of-the-face, or any other indication of another person in that picture, don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

13. Make your cover photo count.<\/strong> Facebook Timeline gives you the chance to add a cover photo \u2013 a large header image \u2013 to your profile. This image shouldn\u2019t be text-based, nor should it include your contact info, URLs, or any kind of promotional activity (in other words, no saying, \u201c\u2019Like\u2019 us on Facebook to enter our free sweepstakes to win!\u2019\u201d).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fine to have some text \u2013 you\u2019re probably going to want to have your company name on there somewhere, after all. But you don\u2019t want to use that space to write a paragraph or go in for the hard sell.
\nNeed some ideas? Here are a few to consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A picture of your team
\n An expanded version of your logo (be careful doing this if your logo is also your default image, as that is set into the cover photo)
\n A photo of something created using your product, a la Kraft Foods
\n Your company slogan set over an image
\n A collage of brand images, a la Coca Cola<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that Facebook cover photos are 851\u00d7315 pixels. You can choose an image that you already have in an album somewhere, or you can create one to upload. Please keep in mind that if you choose an image that isn\u2019t properly sized, enlarging it to 851\u00d7315 is going to make it look super pixelated and\u2026 bad. Consider adjusting the sizing and enhancing the photos in a photo editing program first.<\/p>\n

14. Start adding people.<\/strong> Particularly with Twitter, it\u2019s very easy to go on an adding frenzy. When you look up, you suddenly realize you\u2019re following 1000 accounts.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re first starting out, be realistic about how many people you want to follow at first. Target potential accounts ahead of time so that you know you\u2019re going to be seeing quality information in your feeds. On my first day of Twitter, it suggested a bunch of celebrities to me. I followed a lot of them, and soon found myself scrolling through all of their updates to get to something substantial. Eventually I deleted them all.<\/p>\n

Save yourself the time and add quality accounts at the start. See who those accounts are following and use that as a way to discover more great content.<\/p>\n

15. Start interacting.<\/strong> When you see something interesting come through your feed, comment on it. Look for compelling conversations that are based around hashtags (these are often specific Twitter chats) and jump in.<\/p>\n

Be aware, however, that you might not see an incredible amount of interaction when you first start. There are countless stories out there about people who gave up on social media because they felt like they were talking to themselves all the time. It\u2019s very slow-moving at first and it takes a while to build a following. It took me about five months to break 100 followers, but within a month of that, I had 200, and it kept growing from there.<\/p>\n

So be patient and don\u2019t give up. For every story out there about someone who quit because they felt like no one was listening, there is another one about someone who waited it out and saw a breakthrough. Keep at it. Keep trying to engage others in conversation (to a point. If you try several times and don\u2019t hear as much as a peep from them, move on to someone else). Eventually, with time and consistency, you will see that breakthrough.<\/p>\n

16. Use tools to help make sharing content as easy as possible.<\/strong> Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, and BufferApp are all great places to start. Hootsuite and Tweetdeck allow you to manage several accounts in one place, as well as to schedule posts ahead of time. BufferApp allows you to create a queue of posts to go out at pre-set times so that you\u2019re never without content to share. You can also install a bookmarklet to make it easy to add content to your queue from anywhere on the Web.<\/p>\n

17. Start sharing content.<\/strong> Pace yourself, though. We already talked about finding the kinds of content you want to share and the balance between your own and others\u2019, but also remember to pace yourself. If you\u2019re posting all of your content at one time in the morning, you\u2019re alienating followers that live in other time zones and may not be at their computers when you post. And the sad truth is that not many people scroll back very far in their Twitter streams to see what they\u2019ve missed \u2013 especially if they\u2019re following hundreds or thousands of people.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to repeat posts throughout the day to accommodate those in other time zones or those who may have missed the post the first time. Make sure, however, that you\u2019re mixing your posts up. If someone checks out your account as a potential one to follow, they\u2019re probably not going to want to see that you tweeted the exact same thing out four times in a row, back-to-back, over a span of twelve hours.<\/p>\n

One more thing:<\/strong> when you\u2019re sharing someone else\u2019s work, make sure you give them credit, as well as credit to the site where you found the material, if possible. For example, if you share this post on Twitter, you might write something like this:<\/p>\n

\u201c23 Things for Day One of Social Media by @writingrenee via @content_money.\u201d<\/p>\n

18. Be present to follow up.<\/strong> This is one of the worst mistakes social media users make. They spend a ton of time crafting content, creating posts, and taking time to schedule them. Then, when someone comments, they\u2019re nowhere to be found in order to respond. They were presented with the perfect opportunity for interaction and engagement and didn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n

This is especially important to remember if you\u2019re using automated tools, such as the ones I mentioned above. While those are helpful in managing the content that you wish to share, they won\u2019t take the place of actual interaction with your followers. Make sure you check in at least a few times a day and write back.<\/p>\n

19. Thank people who share your content.<\/strong> There are a few different philosophies on how you should do this. Some people think it\u2019s acceptable to tweet to each person individually. This could take all day if you have a lot of re-tweets. Others say it\u2019s fine to send a tweet to a few people at a time and thank them. And then there are those who say you shouldn\u2019t make your gratitude public, lest you appear to be showing off. Those people say you should send private messages. The problem there is that not everyone who shares your content is following you, so that\u2019s not always possible.<\/p>\n

Sharing their content is also a great way to say thank you. Whatever you decide to do, stick with it.<\/p>\n

Section 3: As You Go \u2013 Preparing for Day 2 and Beyond<\/h2>\n

I know, I know. This post is about Day 1. But what better time to consider Day 2 and beyond? Remember: all of this gets easier and smoother over time. The more organized you are in your efforts, the simpler it will be.<\/p>\n

20. Add some personality to your accounts.<\/strong> We talked about establishing your brand voice already, but know that you will continue to develop this and figure it out as you go. Don\u2019t feel like every post you share has to include a link. Ask your followers a question. Comment on an event that has nothing to do with your business. Show that you\u2019re a real person with other interests, too. Even as a company, how will you respond to the world around you?<\/p>\n

21. Finding time.<\/strong> We all get swamped with work and find it difficult to find time to sleep, much less maintain an active presence on social media sites. If that sounds like you, build the time into your schedule. Take a few minutes in the morning, a few over lunch, and in the evening to catch up and reply to any comments or messages. \u201cA few minutes\u201d can be as long as you like; it will still make a difference.<\/p>\n

22. Investigate other social media platforms.<\/strong> I mentioned that Facebook and Twitter are your staples. As you become comfortable with them, you will likely want to build a social media presence elsewhere, too. Investigate sites like LinkedIn and Google+ \u2013 two other very popular sites. Look into SlideShare or Storify. Learn how to create a channel on YouTube for your brand purposes. Read up on social media so that you have an idea of what will be the most useful channels for your purposes.<\/p>\n

23. Remember your life outside of social media.<\/strong> We\u2019re quickly becoming a culture that, because so many of us work online, has a difficult time putting work away and quitting for the night. There\u2019s always something else to do, something else to read, another post or email to write or respond to. If you want to be effective with social media, you have to allow yourself some time away from it. Otherwise, you\u2019ll get burned out in this fast-paced world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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