We all now live in a social media world, and there are plenty of people that will tell you need to be on a particular network, must have a business page, and must post xyz times a day!
But if we listened to everyone, we'd spend all day online (erm guilty 
) and never get any work done!
So if you are new to Social Media for business, then read on.
Are there "must have" social networks that every business should be on?
I think the answer is speculative and personal to your particular business, but I'd say no. With a business head on (forgetting holiday snaps and catching up with old friends), creating a business account on a social media network is simply a marketing tool for you to utilise. If you don't have the time to utilise it, then don't set it up 
Sometimes an unloved, unused social media account is worse than having none at all! Imagine receiving negative comments on your Twitter feed or Facebook page that you never visit, update or respond to? It's not going to send a good first impression for your business.
What networks are the best ones to be on?
First thing to establish is if you have some spare time. If so, lets call it online marketing (after all, time is money).
The next choice is the type of social media. Twitter is good for a short messages or posting an image or video. But without paying for promotion, you will need to build up a following, so someone will actually read your "tweets". For someone to feel like re-sharing your tweets and giving you some exposure, then you're content needs to be catching and popular, rather than self promotional.
Facebook is the common port of call for a lot of business owners, mainly because the platform is familiar if you have been using it for private social purposes. Don't fall into the common trap of using your personal account as a makeshift business page! (See Common Facebook Marketing Mistakes - and how to avoid them)
After this, Google Plus can be a popular destination, but depending on your business type (maybe you create a lot of attractive visual images, such as food or web designs) then you may want to consider Pinterest or Instagram.
If you are reading this, then you have already established one avenue of social media, and that's business or industry related forums.
Social Media Etiquette or what are the rules?
Every platform is different and will have their own rules, but there a few things common to most.
- Don't fall into the self promotion trap! Continual self promotion on any network (including forums) is just spam. Having you post "buy our new widgets now" 20 times on your Facebook page isn't going to build you a big following and doesn't give the best image for your business.
- Social Media by it's very nature is social. ie the aim is to foster interaction and response. Don't be lazy by letting automated tools do all the work for you, eg having your twitter feed just update your facebook page isn't likely to bring about much interaction.
- Interact with other people. If you are on twitter, then follow people you find interesting or potential customers. Some of these may follow you back, giving you an audience. Don't just tweet your own news, retweet other peoples content if you think it relevant for your audience.
- The same goes for Facebook or Google Plus. Like or +1 other peoples posts and contributions. Share other peoples posts if relevant. Follow interesting people or people who potentially be customers or a relevant audience to your content.
- Facebook and Google have communities and groups. Adhere to any group rules, but join groups relevant to your business and start contributing.
In short, contribute and don't spam, it's that simple.
Social Media Profiles and how to gauge success
There's no one hat fits all. If you have decided you will dedicate some time to utilising social media, then research which one or ones will suit you and your business. Experiment and try a few, if they don't work out, shut them down and move on.
Utilise your analytics. Google analytics is free and if set up properly, will not only tell you how much traffic you get from social media, it will also tell you if social media created or contributed to any goal conversions.
Remember to examine your competition and see what they use.
Don't fall into the trap of trying to be on every social media outlet, unless you can afford a full time resource to monitor and update them all.
There's lot's of positive and negative press about social media, from businesses spending too much time developing social media profiles, and gaining little from it, too some great success stories of companies that seem to have find the right balance between time spent and reward. Remember reward can come in a variety of formats, such as direct conversions, to reputation management and brand building.
Try and decide what it is you want social media to do for you and set yourself targets and goals.
Social Media Help
If you need help with any aspect of your social media marketing, then have a look around our Social Media Section. If you can't find the answer, feel free to start a new thread and ask a question. Discussion is the key to social media, so start being social
What Social Media networks do you use and why?
If you are using social media for business purposes at the moment, tell us what works for you, or share your experiences with us. Are you getting a good return on your investment, ie your time versus any rewards?
Maybe you have used or are considering some of the Social Media paid options, like promoting posts, tweets etc. What are your thoughts to this new format of paid social media?
