The presenters offered the following tips for getting started with social media:

• Start by listening to your brand.
• Pay attention to overall industry and competitor conversations.
• Consider blogging as an entry point into social media.
• Have a presence online before you engage.

When introducing yourself into the conversation, the presenters recommended you:

• Only introduce yourself after you have become part of the conversation and added value.
• Be transparent, authentic.
• Don’t self-promote, sell or pitch; blog about issues.
• Don’t try to control the conversation or correct others.

Other considerations:

• Cultivate relationships with the top participants by linking to them in your blog, tweeting their URL and adding a thumbs up on one of their posts on digg.
• Remember that the tone, conversation and approach that’s appropriate in North America might not be in another region.
• Social media measurement is still in its infancy, so set goals and use specific metrics.


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