Back in the day sending a letter could take more than a couple days. In the mid 1800s they used what they called Pony Express. As the fastest mode of travel for information at the time, people could send letters from East to West and back again. With the introduction of letters in the modern-day mail system and the telephone, communication got even faster. As technology continued to advance we were presented with email, cell phones and text messaging. Now many cell phones have the ability to connect to the internet and offer access almost anywhere in the world.

The new age

We are in an age of information. Anything you could ever hope to learn is at your fingertips and sharing that information is just as easy. With the many different social media channels available to us, finding and searching for news, information and stories…just happens. Many times you don’t need to search at all. Many people who participate in social media are passing on what they hear about or find interesting. We have the ability to hear about news first. You don’t have to wait for 5 o’clock or the prime-time news anymore. You can boot up your computer, pull up the internet and log in. Like the speed of light and the speed of sound, news and information seems to move almost as fast.

It’s not all about news, it’s about relevancy

Not everyone wants to learn about news and information, some want to learn about the latest music or movies that are coming out. The great thing about the internet and social media or social networking is that you are not alone. You can find others who have the same interests you do and get involved. You can have your opinion and share it. Others can comment on your thoughts and ideas. You can engage in discussions in forums, chat rooms and websites.

People are still coming together to tell stories, share information, debate and communicate. For some people the conversation may not have changed at all. What has changed is the time and place for where these interactions take place.

We all have time, you just have to decide if you want to participate in the conversation. The only other thing that’s different is now we have a vehicle that can take us anywhere.

What interests do you have?

What do you like to learn, teach or talk about? Are you involved in any social media sites already? If you are, but have not taken to time to try out your new wheels, what are you waiting for?

Here are the keys. You have the vehicle. The roadmap is direction. You just have to decide where you want to go. Take it for a spin and see what you think.

Take time to start with a plan

If you don’t know where you want to go you could walk in circles for months. Take the time to identify what your objectives are and then create a plan around them.

As you move forward you will find it’s easier to be measure your actions once you know where you want to go and why you are doing it. By having specific outlined objectives and goals it will allow you to listen more effectively and engage with others more purposefully.

Without your objectives and goals clearly defined, you may confuse those you are connecting with and mistakenly send them less-than-accurate messages. You want to be crystal clear and as transparent as possible. Don’t leave it to chance. People will interpret things differently than you may have intended.

Objectives and goals make everyone more comfortable

If you are an employee or a consultant working with a business who is wary about social media, having objectives and goals become more like checkpoints. It is both a way to mark your progress for yourself, but also for your customers/clients. Take note of what is happening and track this information, as you’ll want to reference it often and present to others.

If you find yourself tasked with outlining your objectives and goals, do some research. Try to find other businesses that are utilizing social media. What are some of their goals? What are they trying to do with social media to benefit and add value to their business?

For example, if you are thinking about using Twitter, try to find another business already doing it well. Look at some of your competitors. Take some time to read about the information they post. How are they interacting with their customers/clients? Does that fit with your business’ culture and/or philosophy? This is also a great time to remind you that social media is about the relationships, not the technologies used to form them. Is your target market using Twitter, or are they using something else?

Start with small, actionable steps

I hope that after reading about setting objectives and goals you are not feeling anxious. You don’t have to take on the biggest and most difficult goals right away. Start small and take actionable steps. Continue to build off those small actionable steps into doing more of them more often. Once you feel comfortable and confident, you can begin to raise the bar. Make some short term goals and make notes on how you will accomplish them. Give yourself a deadline so you don’t slack off. Once you have made some short term goals, move on to larger long term goals. As always, make notes about how you plan to achieve them and document your progress along the way.

When you take the time to develop a great plan of attack with objectives and goals that make sense for your business, social media will be much easier to handle. Finally, remember that things don’t happen overnight. It takes time, just like building a business.

What problems have you encountered while trying to set actionable goals in your plan? How can we help you get past those hurdles?

The big question many businesses face and need to know is what direction to go. What will surprise you is that you can answer the big question with another question: Where is your target market?

Until you know your target market, you know nothing

There are plenty of books, blog posts and articles asking tough questions about marketing and social media, but knowing where your target market is and what they are like is the question to rule all the rest. Knowing that target market will drive which channels you use and how you will use them.

Try thinking about these questions as a way to jumpstart your answers:

• Who do you want to target?
• What do you want to say to your target market?
• What do you want your target market to do?

Step into the role of your customer

When you think about your target market or your business’ ideal customer, you have to think about things from their perspective. In the end it doesn’t matter what you want, because they are the one who is going to make the decision or take the action.

Identify the channel(s) important to your market

There are several social media channels that are very well known and there are others you may not know about yet (plus new ones being created every day). However, knowing who your customers are, what they need/want and what is important to them will guide you into the right channels for the job.

Depending on your business and target market, you may need to take advantage of several different channels, or you may be able to focus on one. What is important is that you talk with customers on their level. If they are in chat rooms talking about things similar to your product/service, being a fly on the wall may not hurt. By listening, you may learn great things from your own customers.

Listen, engage, rinse, repeat

We have heard many times, from many people, that social media needs to be focused on the relationships, not the technologies. By listening and engaging with your target market it allows you to be more transparent with your intentions and to create the products that they really want. Be real and honest with those you engage and take the time to learn.

By utilizing social media and it’s available technology channels, you may even discover a market you didn’t know existed. There may be other demographics that have a need for your product or service. And may find people who are just excited about your company and that you operate where they do.

Reflect on your customers, think about what they want

Pretend you’re a customer for your company:

• What would you want to see?
• How does that make you feel?
• What direction do you want to go from there?
• Does having the opportunity to talk with a business as a customer appeal to you?

At times social media can feel like a game of hide and seek, but by doing research and asking yourself some basic questions, the game becomes much more fun.

So, do you want to hide, or seek?