Social media tools for your business: the six essential elements

1. An own blog

The backbone of the social Web is RSS feeds. A blog is an RSS feed and you want yours to be published on the social web. Blogging allows you to benefit from exposure to the many RSS feed directories your blog distributes without having to republish one by one.

But starting a blog is not enough. Optimization is key to keeping your blog on the radar. Update regularly with cool new work and integrate your RSS feed into your other social media tools.

WordPress.com, Blogger, and Typepad all offer free or near-free RSS feeds. You can also install one on your site from WordPress.org.

2. Get a presence on Facebook

Most people don’t know that there are two Facebook options: a Facebook profile and a Facebook page.

The Facebook profile is for a key company representative, not the company itself.

Make sure to optimize your Facebook profile by filling it thoroughly with content that contains key terms relevant to you and your business. Integrate your blog and other social tools by importing them into your Facebook feed.

Facebook page is for your business, be it a service or product, a local business, or as an artist / musician / writer.

Your Facebook page may be the only opportunity you have to attract potential customers. Here are some Facebook apps that you can add to your page to accomplish this:

• Social RSS import RSS feeds or blog entries
• MyFlickr import images from a Flickr account
• YouTube box allows you to add video clips to your Facebook page
• ShopTab is a great app for selling products, although there is a small monthly fee
• Static FBML allows you to place HTML code on your page
• Causes is a great way to accept donations for a non-profit business

3. Are you LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. It is an essential tool for business, especially if you are dedicated to B2B.

Your LinkedIn profile can be someone’s first impression of your business, so be sure to optimize it. Complete all sections of your profile using edited content and key terms.

Add applications that enhance your profile, especially the BlogLink application that imports your blog posts. Join LinkedIn groups relevant to your business.

4. Yes, Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging tool, limited to 140 characters per post, which is nevertheless a great social media tool that allows users to interact in “real time”. While Twitter is a great way to spread the word about events, products, and services, you want to use it in addition to your blog, not instead.

Keep your “tweets” up-to-date and frequent. TweetDeck or HootSuite help with this. These tools allow you to post your tweets so that you can enter many tweets with one session. HootSuite also has an option for you to import your blog posts as tweets.

Use Twitter lists to manage everyone you follow.

5. A Flickr account for your photos

Flickr is a multimedia community used for uploading and sharing photos and other images. This tool is underrated as you can get excellent exposure and improved search engine placement if you use it with your search criteria in mind.

When adding an image to Flickr, be sure to rename the file with a few key terms relevant to the image and your business. Include those same key terms as tags and within the image description.

Integrate your Flickr account with other social tools and add them as galleries to your website or blog.

6. Focus on a YouTube account

Ah, the power of viral video is indisputable. If your business makes videos of any kind, get them on YouTube. Even if you don’t create videos, you can benefit from YouTube’s popularity by creating playlists and commenting on other videos.

Whether it’s your own video clips or a playlist, import it to your other social sites or embed a video gallery on your website or blog.

Use the same naming strategy as for images – use your keywords in the file names, tags, and descriptions of the clips you add to these communities.

Here is a presentation on how to create a realistic start. social media strategy for your business.

Regardless of the tools you choose to implement, remember that the Social Web is about interaction. Join in and start conversations whenever you can.

For your success on the Social Web!