So, you’ve decided that your company needs to be involved with social media.But you keep asking yourself the same questions: how do I get started, and do I have the time. Here are eight tips to help you on your way to becoming a social media maven.

Tip 1: Have a Plan

I can’t stress this point enough. Many companies and freelancers dive right in to social media without a goal. Before you start, ask yourself “what do I want to achieve with social media?”

Social media can be used to:

• Build buzz around a brand or product
• Increase traffic to a website or blog
• Brand yourself an expert in your field
• Network with business professionals and/or consumers
• Communicate with customers

Tip 2: Listen to your audience:

Remember when your parent told you to do something and you ignored him/her. What would they say? “You’re not listening.” Well, your customers are constantly telling you what they want. Be sure to target your message to them. I like to use Google Alerts and TweetLater as my “listening” tools. I also read many blogs that pertain to my industry and area of interests.

When you listen, pay attention to:

• How does your target market communicate/interact on the social web?
• What are they discussing? What is important to them?
• What types of social networks are they using?

Tip 3: Brand yourself with your profiles

Social networking sites are sort of like going to a networking event or a party, only virtually. Your profile on these sites are your online billboard and should be used to emphasize your strengths. Think of your profile as a 60 second elevator pitch. Write in conversational style, keep it interesting, use keywords so you can be found, and voila!, your profile is born.

Tip 4: Get your feet wet

Start participating on social media sites by sharing content and knowledge.You can participate by:

• Link to helpful articles or blog posts in your status updates on Twitter
• Answer questions on LinkedIn
• Join a group and join in discussions on Facebook
• Give recommendations on LinkedIn to former co-workers or employees

Tip 5: Connect with those you know first

Your email inbox is a great wealth of information… use it. Use the tools in LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find contacts you know on these platforms. Write personalized notes when you wish to make a connection. Especially if you’re connecting with a former colleague or boss. A personal note will help jog their memory of who you are and make you stand out from the crowd.

LinkedIn is a super helpful tool to start connecting with people you know. Once connected, ask for recommendations from former co-workers or employers.

Tip 6: Engage your customers

Notify your current customers that you have a profile on LinkedIn, you’re on Twitter, and have a fan page on Facebook. Encourage customers to follow you – or connect with you on these sites. Other ways to promote your social media status is to:

• Add badges and widgets to your website
• Link to social media profiles from your email newsletters
• Send out a post card announcing your Facebook Page

Tip 7: Track and measure your results
As a business owner, you want to know if social media is working for you. One great way to measure how much reach you have is to use your web analytics package to track visitor statistics (i.e. Google Analytics or HubSpot). There are also many tools out there to help you measure your reach on social media. I use Google Alerts and TweetBeep to track mentions me or my company.

Tip 8: Manage your time wisely

It’s easy to get carried away with using social media. If you keep your end goal in mind, it’s easier to stay on track. When I first started out using social media tools, I would set aside 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at lunch to update my status and to share links. Now I incorporate social media activities into my marketing calendar.

To help save time, I use Ping.fm which is a great tool that supports over 40 social networking sites. You post your status update once in Ping.fm and Ping updates all of your social media sites. I love it, it’s a great time saver!

Conclusion

Remember to always have a plan, start with the end goal in mind, and manage your time wisely.

Have any other tips? Feel free to leave a comment and share with others.