Drowning in the social media pool?

You dove into social media early on: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, Yelp and more. Now what?

Focus. Floating around the pool may feel good but it accomplishes nothing. Instead of getting waterlogged start laying out some lap lanes.

Here are 10 things you can do immediately to improve your social quotient:

1. Set goals. What do you want to accomplish with social media? More sales? Better communication? Keep up with the competition? As the marketplace forces social media involvement, it becomes more and more necessary to define the end result you seek to avoid treading water.

2. Involve your employees. Studies show that nearly half of all Americans now access at least one social network regularly. Bring employees into your efforts. Find out what social media channels they currently use. Brainstorm ways in which they can mention your business, your products/services, your tips for customers on a regular basis.

3. Integrate advertising channels with social media. Make your traditional media more socially active. Cross-promote to increase the effectiveness of each channel. For example:

a. Email: Use social icons to invite people to connect via social media. Your signature is a perfect place to begin. One free resource, http://www.wisestamp.com, currently offers 14 social icons to add functionality.

b. TV. Post your 30-second TV spot on YouTube. Of course, you’ll want to promote your social media sites on TV as well.

c. Website. Encourage social sharing via your website. Make sharing easy. Here’s a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZU5lLLln8 demonstrating how to include the Facebook Like on any page with a button and a widget that says, “Be the first of your friends to like this.” Various widgets http://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets allow for the flexibility of posting Twitter to your website as well as other social networks, including LinkedIn Groups, Facebook and more.

d. Print. Update print materials to advertise your social media so people can find you easily from anywhere. Include social information in your newspaper ads.

4. Converse. Rather than one-way missives, engage customers. Social media is less about broadcasting your information than finding ways to carry on a conversation.

5. Provide timely information. Repurpose existing information for social media rather than creating all new content. In addition to your flyer, make a video about an upcoming event. Provide product demonstrations. Use a social tool such as slideshare to connect to a presentation.

6. Make some rules. Even if you have no formalized social media policy, think about some generalities. What are your limits? Are there hard and fast rules to observe? Regulated industries, for example, have specific parameters to consider.

7. Avoid overwhelm. Rather than trying everything, reduce your social channels. Choose where your activity is best spent for your audience. Concentrate on participating in two or three channels consistently.

8. Not just Facebook. More than 7 in 10 (71%) of the nation’s fastest growing private companies now use Facebook according to a University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth study. Don’t assume “most popular” makes it the medium of choice. Investigate other places where your audience congregates.

9. Develop a core message. Think of it as themed planning. What makes your business remarkable? If it’s customer care, tell stories about problems you solve for customers. Ask your customers to tell their stories. Encourage employees and everyone in your social media process to highlight info for, about, and because of the customer.

10. Measure results. Social Mention http://www.socialmention.com/ is a free tool that lets you monitor your reputation in the marketplace across 80+ properties. At the very least, Google Alerts http://www.google.com/alerts lets you know when your company has been mentioned. Monitor those mentions and join the conversation.

Social media is here to stay. Make a decision that it will work for you and make a plan to make that happen.

http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com ) addresses the tangle of today’s marketing channels. She regularly consults with small businesses to combine greater visibility with profitable growth. Visit http://www.MerriganGroup.com to learn more.

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