Social Media 101 for Startup Businesses

The other day, as I was waiting for a friend for lunch, I overheard a man at the next table talking about his new startup and how he’s “getting pressure to start Twittering” (his words, not mine). He went on to say that he doesn’t understand why he should …plus he doesn’t have the time to commit.

It’s not surprising that many entrepreneurs find it daunting to consider social media use for their startup businesses. Social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are still uncharted business territory for many, where it is easy to get intimidated by the vociferous few who tweet and post every shift in mood. But with the proliferation of social media use in business, understanding social media and its value is no longer optional.

In order to have a viable business presence in this Internet world, an entrepreneur must first understand the tools available in social media, the time commitment for each, and then consider which tools fit into the best social media strategy for their business. Common social media tools and what they are used for:

• Blogs are online journals that are usually written in an informal, conversational style to establish transparency, receive instant feedback, and build relationships. Usually added as a component to a business’s website (though it can be standalone), a blog provides the opportunity to regularly add new content to your site – keeping it fresh and engaging for new and returning visitors. For more specifics about the advantages of blogs for startups, see Samantha Fryberger’s post on Social Media Engines for Entrepreneurs. 
• Microblogging platforms, such as Twitter, are similar to blogs in their conversational format; however, users are restricted to tweeting no more than 140 characters; therefore encouraging more frequent and targeted engagement with their community about both professional and personal developments.
• Search tools such as Monitter and Tweetdeck can help aggregate searches on Twitter for your company name or competitors. See what your customers are saying about you to correct issues, and better tailor your company strategies to their needs.
• Social networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn, provide extensive opportunities for companies to build brand allegiance and generate awareness within niche segments of these growing online communities. Through the creation of Facebook fan pages and by contributing to LinkedIn groups, there are countless moments to interact with your target audience and request feedback. 
• Media sharing platforms enable users to broadly share knowledge and experiences. By uploading videos to YouTube or presentations to SlideShare, businesses present themselves as not only being transparent and accessible, but very focused on customer service.

Each tool comes with its own time commitment. A recent blog post by Aliza Sherman for GigaOM covered the topic of time commitment, building off Beth Kanter’s original diagram. Her chart puts social media in context of time for those of us who are more visually oriented, so I’ve included it here. 

Once startups have a basic understanding of the tools, formalize your objectives, think about your target market, and choose the tool(s) that best match. Social media is all about building relationships, but it can be very time consuming -- don’t start unless you are committed to maintaining it.  

Tiffan Clark is the Vice President of IdeaCrossing, a free online community created by JumpStart, which connects entrepreneurs with the capital, mentors and technical resources necessary to grow their businesses. Tiffan has worked at several venture-backed startup technology companies and strategic marketing agencies in both Boston and Cleveland.