A few months ago, you may have seen our post on the scoop behind ShareFile’s social media, but I wanted to share a few tips with you around social media for your business.

Start slow. If you haven’t established your business’ presence within social media, it may be a good idea to start with the platform that you (or whoever will be managing your efforts) are most comfortable with. If you are most comfortable with Facebook (and maybe not so certain about Twitter or Google+ at the time), start your business profile on Facebook. Once you are able to grow your fan base and develop a plan, then expand to other social networks as you see fit.

Commitment. Social media is not a short term commitment; you must be in it for the long haul. If you haven’t established a presence in social media yet, take some time to consider the frequency you want to post.  Start small, and then grow with time.

Determine your goals. What do you want social media to do for your business? Is it to enhance brand awareness, protect brand reputation, provide customer support, increase sales, build your community? Once you determine what your goals are, you will then be able to develop the strategy and tactics to execute.

Maintain your voice. Make sure that you are using a unique and consistent voice when posting on your social media profiles. Consider a social brand manager if you do not have someone in place for this already.

Training for your employees. If you plan to involve your employees in your social media efforts, consider creating social media guidelines. It also may be helpful to choose several employees who are interested in social media (and are savvy) instead of relying on just one person for engaging on your social media platforms.

Want to get social with ShareFile? Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.