If you’re new to social media marketing, you probably have a lot of questions. If you’ve been doing your research, it’s possible, even likely, that you’re feeling overwhelmed rather than informed by all the information you’ve uncovered. Everyone has their own opinion on the best way to achieve positive results for your business with social media marketing. They all have a unique twist on basic strategy. Everyone has their own opinion on the best way to achieve a successful marketing campaign. So who do you listen to? Where do you start? The good news is that there is no need to feel overwhelmed. The basics of social media marketing are pretty simple. So here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started, and before you know it, you’ll be offering your own opinions and advice to future sellers!

Step 1: define your niche

Before you even start setting up accounts (we’ll cover the details of that step in a bit), you’ll want to take some time to really define your niche. What is your business? What is the philosophy that drives you towards success? What makes you special? Why should people choose your business over similar ones? know your market niche and define your place within it. This will help you in the long run to develop targeted marketing initiatives to rapidly expand your business.

Step 2: lay the foundation

Now is the time to set the stage for the launch of your social media marketing strategy. Set up a Facebook page for your business, but don’t stop there. You’ll also want a Twitter account, a StumbleUpon account, and a Digg account… and those are just for starters. Another avenue you should consider going is to list your business on Google Places, followed by any relevant local and online directories you can find. Pretty simple so far, right? Well, it is, but we’re not done yet.

Step 3: Do your homework

As with any new skill, there is a bit of a learning curve involved when you master all the ins and outs of social media marketing. You’ll find it’s worth spending a little time figuring out the “tricks of the trade,” so to speak. You will need to learn to:

• Write informative and engaging articles.
• Create useful and entertaining videos
• Take and post relevant photos
• search engine optimization (SEO); proper use of SEO is basically the difference between websites that are found and those that are stuck somewhere on page 15 or 20 in the search results.

These are all the tools you will use to make your website interesting and relevant. From here, you’ll connect with your contact from all those social networking sites, offering automatic updates from your website to your media page. These are not necessarily sales pitches; These are just attractive facts of expert advice or entertainment to attract curious and potential customers to your business.

Social media marketing is simple, fun and effective! Follow these quick and easy steps and you’ll have it down in no time!

What is your favorite social network and why?