It doesn’t matter if you run a concrete mixing business or you are a restaurant owner, there is a place for everyone Online these days. Some businesses may seem a little more social than others, but when it comes down to it every business is run by humans and humans are naturally social. You can’t close a deal without speaking with someone can you? Didn’t think so. Just like you really can’t take an order without engaging and having a conversation with the customers.

Point is, if you have a business… You NEED to begin embracing Social Media.

You might be asking yourself….

What steps do I take to become more social?

First you need to think about your goals – Are you wanting to increase sales, clicks, engagement, or something else?

Think about what you want and then review it to see if it’s realistic. If you think joining Twitter andFacebook is going to generate an extra 1k in business automatically, you’re sorely mistaken. Think goals like; target and connect with 5 local Twitter users, get 10 new Foursquare check-ins this week, or even… Engage with 15 new people on Twitter and Facebook.

Those are realistic short term goals.

Long term goals would be to be generating engaging content 5 days a week, notice people reaching out to you rather than the other way around, increase your foot traffic with Social Media promotions etc…

After you know your goals you will need to build a foundation. This foundation would be compromised of 3-4 Social Media platforms that would best suit your company. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr; find out which ones you think you should start with and focus on building those before you throw anything else into the mix.

When building these platforms you will need to think outside of the box.

Back to the concrete company. You wouldn’t think that concrete would have a place on Pinterest, would you?

You see that box you’re stuck in? Yeah… throw it away!

You can create pinboards focused on streets, things made of concrete, sidewalk art, the best spot in the lot….. You get the picture… Right?

(If not, please let me know because I would love to help you out. kim@kimediastrategies.com)

Once you realize that your company has a place Online using Social Media you’ll start to see things fall into place.

Your business can be social!

It’s been an entire week since we launched our “Be Social” goals download and provided ourfirst Social Media goal to help people just like you create realistic and more importantly, achievable goals when it comes to their Online, social presence.

This weeks goal is to update your LinkedIn profile. Make sure you’re using a picture that is recent. Is all of your work information correct? Have you recently reached out for any recommendations? When was the last time you posted an update?

Other things to update/ Cleanup:

• * Skills
• * Events
• * Website Links
• * Twitter accounts (you can add more than one)
• * Contact info (phone/ email)
• * Your bio/ summary
• * Groups

Having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is extremely important in today’s digital world where most employers and potential clients alike will not only look at what you’ve placed before their eyes, but will also check you out on LinkedIn.

Other fun things to add/ do on LinkedIn:

• * Comment on other peoples updates
• * Answer questions in the “Answers” section
• * Link your blog to your profile
• * Upload some slideshare presentations
• * Comment in groups
• * Company group and page

Other LinkedIn Resources

The Simplest Tweaks Can Make Your LinkedIn Profile More Personal 

Increase Your Visibility On LinkedIn

Be Social Goal (week 2) | Download your free Social Media Goals planner