New Year's Resolutions
Lately, we seem to have been writing numerous articles that summarize what happened in 2009. While looking back to learn lessons is always good, it goes without saying that preparing for the future is essential too. So what lies ahead of us in the social media industry? Let’s start with your New Year’s resolutions. How do you plan to build relationships and grow your business via social media in 2010? Without further ado, we will list 20 potential New Year’s resolutions that you can add to your things-to-do list in 2010.
Category I – Social Media for News Lovers
1. Add 10 of your favorite social media blogs to your Google RSS Reader and keep up with the news updates on a daily basis.
2. Make a Twitter list that has the best in your industry. For example, I will probably create a Twitter list that includes 40 best social media bloggers. Of course, the purpose of doing so is so you can follow their Twitter feeds everyday.
3. Learn to use Delicious to look for news stories by searching for related tags. Do this at least once per day to find fresh news. And Delicious will give you what’s most popular out there.
4. What makes social media such a powerful discovery tool in the news industry is our ability to share. Add related toolbars (StumbleUpon, Digg, etc..) to your browser so you can share interesting news stories via a single click. Share at least 5 stories per day.
5. Discover fresh and interesting news on a daily basis and be the first one to tweet it or share it on Facebook. Always feed your networks with on time news.
Category II – Social Media for Teachers
6. If you like to teach, conducting seminars on a monthly or quarterly basis would let you convey your knowledge to others in an unselfish matter. Do this periodically and be consistent.
7. Write and publish a book. The book can just be about anything related to social media. For my case, it’s most likely gonna be about using social media to build a community.
8. Start a podcast and do a weekly recap of what’s happening in the social media industry. Leo Laporte’s TWiT (This Week in Tech) is a good example.
9. Be proactive in answering questions addressed to you through social networks. Dedicate at least 1-2 hours a day so you can answer fan emails/tweets, or respond to their comments on your blogs or websites.
10. Create a educational product that pulls resources from the best of your industry. This product can be in the form of anything, such as an eBook, a conference, etc. The most recent examples include What Matters Now (Seth Godin’s book), and Beyond Blogging (a collective contribution of world’s best bloggers).
Category III – Social Media for Small Businesses
11. If you don’t have a Twitter account for your business, create one. Assign a person or department specifically to answer all customer complaints and questions addressed via Twitter or other social networks. Still remember that formula? Good Customer Support —> Customer Satisfaction —> Bottom Line Increase —> Long Term Prosperity
12. Add a blog to your business website. Your blog must be updated at least 4 times per week with information helpful for your target audience.
13. Start a Facebook fan page which should be used to enhance your brand awareness.
14. Create a LinkedIn group, and invite all LinkedIn business professionals in your niche to join your network.
15. Use Meetup to organize events that are relevant to your industry. The events can be for general networking purposes or seminars which are meant to educate your prospects about your product/service benefits (i.e. BizSpark).
Category IV – Social Media for Entrepreneurs, Bloggers, & Others
16. Start guest blogging at well known blogs in your industry. Doing this at least once per month will give you extra exposure to people you couldn’t have reached single-handedly.
17. Leave comments at different blogs or forums that you visit daily. Of course, don’t forget to put your website address and Twitter handle in your comments.
18. Use Google Calendar to remind you of different daily events. Update your Google Calendar once a day.
19. Increase your efficiency by turning off Twitter and emails when you are working. For example, when I am writing a blog post, I would concentrate on the task at hand without getting distracted by my Twitter or Facebook messages.
20. Be mindful of these 20 New Year’s resolutions. Most importantly, put some action into it. As the saying goes, “affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion” (Tony Robbins).
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
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