To the uninitiated, social media can seem a scary place.  There are many platforms to choose from.  Everyone is telling you that you need to get your business involved in social media too.  But where do you start?

It's important to realise that just setting up a Facebook or Twitter account doesn't mean you are using social media effectively.  Nor should it be the first thing you discuss with a social media manager or consultant.  There's so much more you need to consider before you even get to that point.   At the end of the day, social media will only work for your business if you have a clear idea of where it is you want to go, what you want to get out of it, who the customers are that you want to take with you, and the route you need to take.

In other words, you have some work to do!  Before you even talk to a social media consultant, make sure you have worked through the marketing basics, and have a clear and robust marketing plan.  Identify your target market, age groups and demographics – this will all help build a more effective social media campaign which will complement your other marketing activity.

Then, and only then, can you begin to think about which of the social media platforms will work best for you.

So, before you jump into the world of social media – take a good look at your business first.   And think about what will work best for you.