An entry on Facebook, a comment via Twitter, a short film on YouTube. Nowadays it only takes a few seconds before existing and potential customers know the latest about your company. In theory. Because what do you do to be visible in social media?

Social media are all the rage right now. A qualified guess is that many marketing managers are now busy trying to integrate social media into their new marketing plans. The difficulty, as with everything new, is to know what to do and how to get good results.

An important first step is to differentiate between strategy and tactics. Strategy first. Ultimately, social media are controlled by what people think about your company. The more that like it, the greater the probability that you will be helped along by positive opinions. It is therefore essential that you have the basics in place, such as core values and a brand platform.

No direction, no result.

The tactics. There are a myriad of channels within social media. The art is to find the few channels that touch your target group. But don’t make it more difficult than it is. Try googling some topical subjects in your business. Set up an account on LinkedIn for example, and invite some business acquaintances to join your network. And best of all: Ask a couple of customers how they search for information online. They will be glad to help.

You won’t reach all your existing and potential customers straight away via social media. But the Internet is a huge network of links. In time you’ll find more and more customers out there. The sooner you start, the better Remember the old rule of thumb for positioning. If you’re the first one out, you’re first in the customer’s mind. Neil Armstrong, anyone?