Nowadays many companies want to do `something` with social media. If you like to `do something` with social media, do it right the first time.

What would you like do with social media? Which of the social media platforms? For what purpose would you use social media? And not least: how much time could you spend on social media?
Let's put these questions in the right order:

1. What is your goal with social media?

Before you spend time on social media, it is important to have clearly set your goals. Did you define them clearly in your Internet marketing and communication strategy for your website?

2. What social media?

Your goals determine what platforms you should use. Namely the platforms where you can realize your marketing and communication objectives best, in other words, where your target audience is: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+.

3. What would you like to do with social media?

3a profile page on social media

Setting up a profile page on a social media platform is usually a one-time action. It can bring extra visitors to your website.

3b Interact with your (potential) customers

Some companies have a Webcare team that actively respond to messages in social media, support consumer questions and actively promote the brand.

3c Promotion of the content on your website

On your website you can use a "social share" functionality where your visitors can easily share the page with their followers. Choose the correct functionality! Some social share extensions load external scripts that have a negative impact on the speed of your website.

3d Demonstrate your social media content within your site

Some platforms make it possible to show other places public information example, a twitter feed with latest tweets on your own website. Do this only if you are actually active. The last message from six months ago does not give a good impression.

4. How much time did you spend on social media?

This is important for the choice of what to do with social media (see 3). Do not have time and you find social media important? Maybe you can free up budget and somewhere to hire a web care team.