Recently I attended a gathering of Washington DC restaurant owners, which was hosted by Network Solutions and Yelp, an online review website.  The topic of discussion was social media  and whether to engage or not engage.  And if you engage, where do you start!

Some of the restaurant owners were active in various social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Open Table; however, there were many in the room that were not so sure they have the time nor the need to participate, but wanted to know more.   Below are some tips and suggestions offered by the small business owners involved in some form of social media engagement that may help others take the first steps into exploring social media.

o Determine if Your Customers Use Social Media – Find out by setting Google Alerts (free service from Google, go to google.com and type in ‘Google alert’ to find out how to set them up) with your businesses name, product and or services you offer and the alerts will be sent to your e-mailbox.  If alerts and comments about your business start coming in to your emailbox, then it’s a pretty good signal that your customers use social media and you should start getting involved. 

o Listen to the Conversation – Especially if it’s about you or your competitors. Review the Google Alerts and take note of the blogs, review sites or forums where most of the discussion is taking place about your business or topics related to your business.  Keep it simple by picking one or two of these social media channels and start monitoring them once or twice a week.

o Join the Discussion When You can Add Value: It’s like joining a conversation at a dinner party.  The most natural way to join the conversation is if you have had a similar experience or have information that can provide more insight into a situation. 

o Take the Sting out of Negative Comments – If you see misinformation or a negative comment about your company, try responding directly to the person who posted the negative review or comment  to get more details about their experience to help clarify the issue.  This can help to tone down the negativity of the comments because now they are talking directly with you and not just shouting out to anyone that might see the comment. In most cases, when you post a polite response to the comment, it helps provide a balanced view for others who may see the comments.