Eeny, meeny, miney, mo...

FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Foursquare, YELP – the dizzying array of online networking sites grows almost daily.  And then there are the online marketing tools like Constant Contact to add to the mix. Business owners have never had such a wide assortment of free and low cost marketing options yet this abundance of riches can often cause an abundance of confusion.

Most business owners now understand that online marketing is an easy and affordable way to share their message, establish their expertise and to grow their business. They see the case studies and know that online and social media marketing is something that they need to pursue. Then they see all the choices and don’t know where to begin!

While most of these sites and tools are free, all entail an investment of time and energy to set up and maintain them. And because time equals money, a poor choice can lead to a poor return on this investment.

Some people take the “eeny, meeny, miny, mo” approach and pick one or two or three that they have heard about in the news. Others choose the site that they heard was a great success for DELL or Dominoes Pizza or their colleague. Needless to say, that is not necessarily the best way to find the sites and tools that are the best fit for YOU.

To find YOUR best fit, you first need to establish YOUR goals. Do you want to become a ‘go-to’ person in your field?  Do you want to promote your local shop? Do you want to share your music?  Defining YOUR goal – and yes, I would suggest starting with a single goal to begin – will help ensure that your efforts will be focused enough to achieve that goal.

Once you know your goal(s), determine who you are trying to reach. If you are looking for people to attend your band’s gigs, a professional networking site like LinkedIN is probably NOT a good fit. The people YOU want to reach will not necessarily be there.  On the other hand, if you are looking for a new job, that might be the perfect fit for you. You want to be involved on the sites that are populated with the people you want to reach. It sounds simplistic but it is a basic step that many people do not bother to take. Figure out who you want to reach and then determine where they are spending their time.

Do some searching on your own to get a feel for the tone and population of the various sites. (See http://www.lisamariediasdesigns.com/Social_Media_Tools.html for some site suggestions based on various needs.) Each site addresses a different group and while there is some overlap, there is often a distinct ‘specialization’.

Your next step is to realistically establish how much time and resources you are able to devote to this effort. While there may be eight sites that would be excellent for your needs, you may, realistically, only be able to maintain a valid presence on one or two, especially when you are first getting started. Some sites, like Yahoo and Google, have directories where you can set up a profile and as long as you update it periodically, that is pretty much all that is necessary. But other tools, like a blog or a presence on Twitter, will require regular, if not daily, upkeep. Establishing a guideline for how much time will be spent and by whom, will allow you to handle this effort, rather than become overwhelmed by it.

Some things to keep in mind as you make these decisions include:

• Where are your existing clients hanging out, online, now?
• Do you enjoy writing?
• Do you have the money to hire someone to help you maintain these profiles?
  • While I am not a fan of totally out-sourcing this effort (your brand, your message and your posts need to be coordinated which is often best done in-house), you can certainly get someone to help.

And if you need help defining your goals, determining which tools and sites will help you meet those goals or just some help figuring out how the sites and tools work, please let me know, I would be happy to help you navigate this rapidly changing wellspring of options.

Following these simple steps and finding the right place(s) for you to focus your online marketing efforts, will reap you great returns.