Every business these days seems to know they need/should be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and various other online social networking sites.  But too often businesses just signup an account and then do nothing.  Or they do more, but they can’t really figure out what they should be doing, so it all seems like a huge time sink.

When you’re starting a home improvement project, it helps if start by laying out what you’ll be doing.  Then you can figure out how much time it will take, what supplies you’ll need, what tools you’ll use and how much it will cost.  Home improvement projects that start just by using a crowbar to take out a wall usually turn out very badly (and often with a costly call to the experts).  But businesses are acting this same way by signing up for sites online without first understanding what they’re trying to accomplish.

In order to effectively use any tool, you first need to know what you’re trying to do.  You don’t use a screwdriver for pounding in a nail (although I’ve seen it done) – it’s just not the right tool for the job.  Figure out what business goal you want to accomplish.  It needs to be very specific with a time limit and needs to actually be reachable.  It should be the same goal you’ve set for your business.  Now you can take a look at what tools – both online and offline – you should be using to help reach that goal, which will help you setup a plan of action.

By following a process of determining a goal, then a strategy, then an plan with tools, you’ll be more effective and efficient in reaching your business goals.  And online tools won’t feel like a waste of time and resources.

What’s your strategy for social networking?

(photo by geishaboy500 @ Flickr CC)

Technorati tags: social networking strategy, strategy, business, marketing

Liked this post? Consider subscribing to our RSS feed or our monthly newsletter.

Related Articles:

• Using Facebook to Promote Your Business
• Selling (and Socializing) on Facebook (Practical eCommerce)