Hi guys,

I'm in the process of getting my client hooked on (oops, I mean set up on ) social media. I know the more popular avenues and have researched some not-so popular ones that I've heard of, but I want to make sure that I'm well-rounded without being over the top and not missing anything important or that there's not something better out there than what I plan on using.

Here's what I have so far:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Hootsuite (to monitor and manage most social media accounts if not all - I'll probably use this more than her)
• Threadsy (so she can track her email, Twitter and FB all in one place)

I also went ahead and signed her up for You-Tube (because I would like to create a couple of videos), Digg and StumbledUpon just in case we decide to use it later. So, am I missing anything or do you have any other suggestions?

I researched a few others, but they either seemed like overkill or not right for her (at least not at this point in the game). I'm trying to keep things as easy and streamlined as possible for her because I have a hard time getting her to concentrate on anything other than sitting behind the cash register ... (one of those, she says she knows it's important, but still won't take the time to learn it/use it...lol). I will be setting her up with a blog as well but I want to get her used to some of this stuff first.

Again, TIA

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy:

I think you have made some good choices for someone just starting out. Keep in mind that setting these things up is one thing. Actually doing something with them is another. If your client, or you, does not interact on Twitter or Facebook, having the account is a mute point. Good luck!

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Pam
www.adminetcetera.com

Pam makes a great point.

Sometimes it is best, IMO to set them up with only a few sites and then find the ones that they will spend the time working on. Too many and it can be overwhelming.

Janine

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Stephanie -

The only other thing I'd look at would be to see if there was a social network for her niche. There are a LOT of specialized communities out there, and if you found a social network full of her potential clients, she might be more interested in "playing" with it. Again, overwhelm is always a possibility, so be careful there. Personally, I have accounts with most of the ones you mentioned and I have a hard time keeping up completely! And I know how valuable it is, lol!

Sounds like you are off to a great start though!

~R

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I concur with Janine and Pam - get them to start using one or two of the sites and then see where they naturally put their focus.

I generally always recommend my clients to get a Facebook Fan Page to start and depending on their market look at starting a Linkedin Group.l I don't always recommend Twitter because depending again on their market it might not fit with what they are doing. I'm a believer that I can schedule some of the "promotional" tweets, but my clients need to interact on Twitter to get the full impact and it's not always the best use of their time.

Since the majority of people out there already have a facebook account it's easier to get them to start interacting on Facebook.

Nice thing with Hootsuite, you can use it for Facebook whether or not you use Twitter, be sure to look at the team management feature in Hootsuite. I've started to use it with a few of my clients and makes my management so much easier!

Renee

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The sites you mention are all good ones to use for different reasons and purposes. I would propose that rather than focus on where you want to set up accounts, it would be better to focus on what the strategy is for getting involved in social media. What are the goals and outcomes you or the client would like to achieve? This will drive which sites you want to use and for what. It's more than just creating a Page on Facebook....what are you going to do with it? How will you get people to find and join you on Facebook and what will do to get them engaged or interested in what you have say?

Work on the strategy first and then figure out the implementation.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I agree that you don't want to many. Start with a few and work from there. I feel that one or two to begin is good. Once you are familiar with networking you can add other social media tools. Too many at one time can be overwhelming.

Thanks for the great advice

I've already expressed to her that, if she doesn't use it, it doesn't do a darn bit of good. and I've also expressed to her that we can schedule a few "promotional" items to go out, but the majority of her activity needs to be personal and that it's all about building relationships. I'm having a hard time convincing her that social media marketing is not about pushing her store/products but all about creating a relationship around her passion (i.e. the reason behind the store) She's passionate about organics/health/nature and strongly supports Fair Trade and local artists. I do have a strategy that I think would work well for her, but it's still being born in my brain at the moment...lol So, basically, even though she owns and operates a retail store, there's a passion there that I think she can create a "community" of sorts around (maybe not like in other industries, but I think there's definitely something there for her to work with). You're right, though, Twitter may not be the right tool for her at the moment if ever, especially if she never "gets" it or takes the time to use it. So, I'll try it for a bit and watch closely over the next couple of months to see how she takes to it and then reassess the situation. I want her to have fun with this part of her business and try to regain some of the excitement she had when it was just a twinkle in her eye...lol She's gotten so involved in the day-to-day (even though she has 3 other employees) that she doesn't take the time to enjoy her business or nurture it. She's lost her passion and I'm hoping to help her get it back

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy:

I do a lot of the interacting on social media accounts for my clients. Sounds like you have a good plan in place, but why not do the actual interacting for her also? Not just posting only the promotional items.
Just a thought on how you could help her further

I agree with the other posts, you need to stay active on your social media accounts for them to be of any use. (Which I am bad at for my own accounts. ) For someone just starting out, I think less is better. I would start a client with Facebook and LinkedIn, see how those go and then maybe add Twitter and/or Digg.

Another good application for monitoring all your IM, social network and email accounts is Digsby. Digsby gives you updates/notices at the bottom of your computer screen whenever there is new info on one of your accounts. This app is simple to use and effective. I would be lost without this program. HootSuite is great, but it is really Twitter oriented.

Best Wishes,
Julie

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http://www.vrsioffice.com