Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Answers: How to get started in social media

By Andy Sernovitz on January 15, 2009 | 3 Comments

Where do we start? It’s the No. 1 question for a company looking to get involved in social media. With no less than a billion different conversations taking place on nearly as many different platforms, it can feel overwhelming. But the trick involves baby steps and avoiding the temptation of trying to be everywhere at once. Instead, focus on the few places you can be great.

What to do:

  • Listen. Start by listening to and tracking the relevant conversations taking place. This will give you a feel for what people are saying and the etiquette of the platform.
  • Respond. Start participating wherever the conversations are taking place. Show gratitude for nice comments, and do your best to clarify or fix problems when people are upset.
  • Initiate. Now that you’ve got a feel for social media and the discussions taking place, start your own blog or forum and invite the conversation onto your space.

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Responses

  • Posted by Glenn Raines on January 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am

    Hi Andy, I like this simple approach. First understand the nuances and purpose of the conversations. Then contribute relevant value (the give give GIVE…take later, and acknowledge). Until you have a relationship, you’re just a marketer. And, starting out by doing a few things, but doing them very well. Like Johnnie’s Beef on North Avenue. They haven’t changed the four things on their menu in 30 years, and they’re a gold mine. http://bit.ly/bywW. Conversations are everywhere.

  • Posted by Chris Olson on January 15th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    It really makes sense to spend some time learning how the community works and then diving in. Most social media sites are still in their infancy but they have built a strong following that has set standards for how its users participate, learning these standards will benefit somebody wanted to run a social media campaign.

    Twitter.com/TopherOlson

  • Posted by Getting Started with Social Media « Impact the Conversation on January 19th, 2009 at 7:10 am

    [...] to navigate those sites, you have to start listening to what people have to say about your company. SmartBlog on Social Media says that the three basic steps for anyone starting out in social media are to listen, respond and [...]