Social Media Tips and Tricks you can't - or shouldn't - live without.

1.     Open a Facebook page. Use it. That means posting daily – pics and posts.

2.     Open a Twitter account.

3.     Connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

4.     Set up a blog and/or website.

5.     Open and use a Pinterest account.

6.     Invite everyone you know to like your FB page and to follow you on Twitter.

7.     Include buttons on your website to your Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts. Include your contact info, as well as links to your Facebook and Twitter in your email signature no matter who you are emailing or what you are emailing about.

8.     If we want people to notice you, you have to have content and we have to have content worth noticing. Sharing what you do and what you offer is not just about sharing it with people who know you. It’s also about sharing it with people who don’t yet know about you and/or what you do.  

9.     Blog. If you have one, use it. If you don’t, start one. Blog daily, just for a few minutes about what inspires you, what work you do, what things you’d like to do, etc. And there are great platforms out there like WordPress and Tumlr, among others, that make it easy to use.  

10. Share. Share, share, share. When you write or post, be sure to add appropriate tags. Social media is all about linking. If you read something on the web that connects to your work, like it, comment on it, share it. If you read something about the work you do on someone else’s page, share it with others on FB. Friend people you know on FB. Follow people on Twitter and they will likely follow you back. Anyone interested in the kind of work you do would be a good bet.  The key is to constantly be expanding our networks.

11. Talk about the work you do. I know that sounds simple. And it is. But somehow we still forget to do it. Tell your friends, your family, your dentist, the person in front of you in the grocery store line. Give out your cards. Order more if you’re out. Invite people to visit your site.  

12. Work your connections. Know someone at your local paper or television station? Maybe someone at a national magazine? Talk to them about what you do and how you might be able to partner. The media is a powerful machine. As soon as we get a few dogs on board, even little ones, the big ones will come barking for sure.

Don’t settle. No matter how many customers you have, remember that there’s always more out there for the taking. But you have to reach out and grab hold if you want it.

And if you’re worried about juggling all of this, look into a social media dashboard like hootsuite to help you keep it all simple and streamlined. And, don’t worry, there is so much info online about how to use all of these programs. It’s all about taking a deep breath and diving it. Trust me, once you get into it, you’ll be hooked. It really is exciting and empowering to be connected.

It is crucial that you look outside of your general circle of influence and see where else you may be able to discover new audiences for your message. It's easy to fall into a rut and continue to do the same kind of marketing to the same kind of people over and over and still wonder why you aren't gettng anywhere.

Well, Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." So, why make ourselves crazy when, instead, we can make ourselves successful.

The key is to talk about your business in a way you haven't before to people you haven't talked to before. Go to a different Starbucks. Chat up people you generally don't. Reach out to friends and family to help you spread the word.

Remember that Seinfeld episode where George finally decided to do the opposite of what he would normally do and he got the girl and the job? Pull a Costanza. Do the opposite. Go where you haven't been. Try what might even seem scary or strange - that is where the new and the exciting lies.

Will it take time and energy? Yes. But hopefully it will become part of the fun too because you are sharing something amazing with the very people who need it the most - the people who have never even heard of you and the work you do.

Just talking about what you do isn't enough anymore in this crowded market. People don't know why what you do and how you do it is better until you tell them. You need to let people know what you can do that specifically meets their needs now and at a great price. 

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