Let’s face it; the social media landscape can be overwhelming and sometimes downright confusing even for the most seasoned veterans to navigate.
Formats change, new features are added, and sites like Pinterest seem to appear from nowhere and rapidly rise to prominence.
Don’t Just Roll the Dice When it Comes to Social Media
To stay ahead of the curve, Mashable’s Cara Friedman posted Six Steps for Success in Social Media to help businesses and professionals alike stay social media savvy.
1. Blogs
There are hundreds of blogs focused on social media. Keep it simple by signing up to RSS feeds and spend twenty minutes every morning catching up on your social media news. Stick to blogs that are updated daily and focus on providing content in social media and technology.
My Blog Tip: Consider adding these blogs to your RSS feed to get started: SocialTimes, Social Media Examiner, TechCrunch, SocialMediaToday, MarketingProfs, Mashable.
2. Webinars
Webinars are often offered by agencies and make for good social media resources. You can find webinars by searching on Twitter or registering on directories that list the week’s webinars. You can also attend paid webinars that go beyond the basics. In either case, you can find a good starter list at webinarlistings.com.
My Webinar Tip: As a small business marketer myself, I frequent the Duct Tape Marketing and MarketingProfs lunchtime webinars.
3. Trending Topics
Yes, reading your blogs in the morning is effective but information travels fast so pay attention to what’s trending on Twitter, too. First, make sure that you check your Twitter trend settings. Certain settings will spit out tailored trends, which you should probably avoid.
My Trending Tip: If you don’t understand why a certain word or phrase is trending you can check out whatthetrend.com for explanations.
4. Newsletters
Not all newsletters are spam. Some are actually worth signing up for. If you’re OK with getting a daily newsletter, check out SmartBrief. If you prefer a weekly roundup then take a look at SocialFresh. These newsletters curate the best social media content from the web and create original highly informative articles as well.
My Newsletter Tips: Love the two that Cara listed above, but I also receive daily enewsletters from TechCrunch, SocialMediaToday, MarketingProfs, Mashable and Search Engine Watch.
5. Meetups and Tweetups
Whether in person at a meetup or virtually at a tweetup, chatting with like-minded individuals will keep you on your toes, help you predict what’s coming next, and teach you new things about how others are behaving in social media. To find a group of social media fanatics near you check out Meetup.com.
My Meetup Tip: LinkedIn! Join some groups and forums and stay active!
6. Training and Certification
If you are serious about educating yourself in the social space you may consider signing up for a training program or certification course. Whether you are looking for a six-week crash course or an ongoing education program, resources are available. To start, you can check out WOMM-COM and HootSuiteU.