Looking for a great introduction to social media for business use? This short ebook provides you with the information you need to understand the basics of social media. A great overview before you start using social media, or for anyone who has started using social media but isn’t getting the results you expect.

• Before You Start: You want to start using social media. Or you have started using social media but aren’t getting the results you expected.
• Learning level: 1 | Social Media Basics
• Article Last Updated: Friday, December 2, 2011

Your Guide To Social Media Basics

Social media is a great set of tools that you can use to grow your business, whether you run a small business, anon‐profit, or a government agency.

The Getting Started With Social Media ebook is designed for anyone who is thinking about using social media for business, or anyone who has jumped into the social media swimming pool but isn’t happy with their experience or results.

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Ebook Contents

This short ebook (only 30 pages) covers the basics of how social media can help your business. It explains the basic concepts, provides an overview of social media tools, and explains how to put together a social media program customized for your business needs and challenges.

Here’s some of what you learn in the Getting Started With Social Media ebook:

• Why your business should use social media
• How social media conversations are different from other ways you talk with your customers
• Checklist of social media success factors
• Make sure that your time on social media helps meet your business goals
• Ideas for blending in social media expertise to empower your staff
• Overview of the five biggest social media tools
• Turning around disappointing results
• Key components every social media program must have

In addition, this ebook contains more than a dozen things you can do today to start using what you learn here to build or improve your social media program.

Reading & Printing

The ebook is designed to be read on your monitor. You can read it online, or you can download it to your computer and read it there. You can click on any of the links (in orange) to access the articles and websites mentioned. If you don’t want to read it on your screen, you can print the ebook, but you won’t be able to click the links.

For Newsletter Subscribers Only

The Getting Started With Social Media ebook is free, but it’s only available to newsletter subscribers! If you want a copy, you need to sign up for the Social Media DIY Toolbox, the newsletter of the Social Media DIY community.

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Your turn: What is your favorite part of the Getting Started With Social Media ebook? How has it helped you to improve your social media experience? Share your experience here.

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