5 New Year Resolutions for a Social Media Revolution

Looking for new ways to build buzz around your business in 2011? Then here's five easy-to-keep resolutions that will get you started.

1. I WILL start a blog on my website

Blogs are a fantastic way to spend your marketing time. Not only are they great for your SEO, but they keep your website visitors on your site for longer. It only takes 30 minutes to write a quick and informative blog, and once you get started, you'll surprise yourself with how many great ideas you'll have. For an extra feeling of accomplishment, add a picture to every post for a professional looking blog. Don't forget that, for the month of January, Bloomtools is donating 100% of the proceeds of a new Blog tool to the QLD flood appeal so there's never been a better time to start blogging.

2. I WILL give Twitter a go

Maybe you've dipped your toe into the tweeting pool, or perhaps you've avoided it altogether. Twitter don't work for everyone, but how do you know if it's not for you if you have never given it a go? Here's my tips for helping you get the most out of twitter:

• Tweet daily. They don't have to be groundbreaking tweets, but at least keep them interesting and try not to talk about yourself too much.
• Respond to your follower's tweet. The people you follow are probably a wealth of interesting information. Find at least one tweet every day that you want to reply to.
• Send a personal message thanking your new follower. There's a growing trend of automatic tweets now, so stand out by sending a meaningful, custom message instead.
• Only follow those you're interested in. It's quite easy to get bogged down in reading hundreds of new tweets, particularly if you're following people you're not that interested in. Either cull the number of people you're following, or use lists to separate them into more manageable groups.

All of this will probably only take you five minutes every day, it's relatively easy, and when you get the hang of it you'll have a lot of fun. Plus, Twitter is actually integrated into the Bloomtools Database Marketing system, making it even easier to promote your events and articles to your followers. I save my tweeting for the time just after lunch when you're a little sleepy and not quite ready to get back into the heavy work, but you'll soon find the best time of day for you.

3. I WILL create a Facebook fan page for my business

You can create a fan page for your business straight from your personal Facebook account and given that most of you are already experience Facebookers, there's really no excuse for not giving a fan page a go. You can easily customise the content you want in your page, and you can also feed your Youtube, Twitter and RSS or blogs straight into your Facebook account. What's more, Facebook pages encourage a great deal of interaction between you and your followers so it's a great way of determining what your audience "Like." Log into your fan page daily to check your updates, meet your new fans, and refresh your content. Be a little bit sneaky and "like" your own content and articles. It'll help encourage others to "like" it too. If you're looking for some cool ideas, or need help getting started with your fan page, then keep an eye out for our article "Creating your Facebook Fan Page." If you friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, you'll get a notification as soon as it's uploaded.

4. I WILL add links to my Facebook and Twitter accounts to every email I send

Direct people to your Social Media accounts by creating links at the bottom of your email templates. You've probably seen plenty of emails that have this already, and it's really effective in driving people to these sites. Take it one step further by inviting people to join your accounts in a purpose built email, or add it to your business card next time you're getting a reprint. People are already accustomed to promoting their email addresses and websites, so promoting your social media account is really just an extension on this idea. To make it easy for you, Bloomtools can add these links to your Email Campaign templates so you don't have to do anything.

5. I WILL create a Linked-In account

Twitter and Facebook are great for the fun side of your company, but when it comes to professional networking, nothing beats Linked-In. It's professional, it's private and it's fantastic at promoting your business, your accomplishments and your abilities. Use it to connect with an old coworker or employer, find information on prospective employees or partners, and gently push your business' name as a professional and sophisticated organisation. I've forged many fantastic new business relationships from Linked-In alone and I'm sure you will too.

Achieving these five resolutions is as simple as setting aside 30 minutes of every working day and focusing on the task at hand. You don't need to be a Social Media guru to get results, nor do you need to have a marketing degree, just a few good ideas and a dedicated spirit. Good luck!