How tackling dirty dishes relates to getting started in social media

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When tackling a new project or initiative, sometimes the biggest hurdle is often the first one – how or where to begin. This frustration became clear to me a few nights ago when I walked into my aunt's restaurant to help out with the dishes, a great de-stressor from daily life, I volunteer there a few nights a month.

This particular night, I walked into the busy kitchen to find piles of pots and pans on one end of the kitchen counter and piles of dishes from the tables on the other – and both were growing at an alarming rate.

I was overwhelmed and had a brief moment of panic, where was I to start? The head chef gave me a few words of advice and helped me prioritize the piles into manageable pieces and in no time I was cooking (so to speak).

The buzz about social media continues to grow, but for those who have yet to begin, it is something that can be confusing at best, overwhelming at worst.

The following is an overview of our three-phased approach to getting started with social media.

Phase 1 – Learning
Take time to become familiar with the online world…look around YouTube or Vimeo, watch a TV show on Hulu, find a great blog about your favorite hobby or connect with old college classmates on Facebook. Listen to what people are discussing on Twitter and questions being proposed on LinkedIn. There is a learning curve with social media and it’s important to learn the environment before jumping in with both feet. This part can be frustrating and overwhelming so ask a lot of questions.

Phase 2 – Planning
Once you learn your way around popular social media sites you’ll start to understand the value they can bring to your business. It’s important to remember that social media requires continuous engagement and while it’s tempting to initiate a number of efforts, social media, like traditional marketing and communications efforts, calls for careful planning.

Phase 3 – Initiation
It’s important to start small and determine the level of commitment each effort will take. You’ll do yourself, and your company a disservice if you create a Facebook page asking for feedback, but don’t have anyone set up to respond to comments.  Genuine interaction is one of the hallmarks of social media. It’s important to be transparent about who you are, what you’re doing and take an interest in other participants. Word-of-mouth is extremely important online and you rely on others who find value in what you’re doing to pass that along – so take the time to spread the word about sources you find to be of value.

As you begin social media efforts, remember that it is another channel of communication (not a silver bullet) and needs to be cross-communicated. Social media requires time and effort and should be used to create a pull in the marketplace, not a push. Take the time to engage and you might be surprised at what you discover.