Don’t believe what you read. Leveraging Social Media (sites like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter) to help your business isn’t rocket science. I’m going to post a short blog each week for all you folks in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the rest of the UK, on what you can do to market your business through these free channels, the points to watch, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Today i’ll start with Facebook. Having built up from only a few hardy web developers at Harvard only seven years ago, it has become the number two site on the internet (if you want to know who’s first, Google it) and one of the most recognisable brands of recent years.

Now, the good news is that getting a presence on the second most popular website on the interwebs is free, and easy. Other marketing agencies in the UK will tell you that you need them to set up a profile for you, and that it will cost £2000 for a 'bespoke' social media strategy. I'm here to say (somewhat ironically) that you don't need a marketing agency, advertising agency or your uncle's neighbour who is good with computers (never a good idea) to set up a profile.

Do it yourself. Spend a few hours over the weekend on adding images, linking to your website, and adding your main point of difference against your competitors.

There are a few things to keep in mind though:

Keep it social!

Remember that most users are here to connect with friends, not to sort through advertising messages.

Anyone 40 or under is adept at spotting thinly veiled advertising messages a mie off, so make them few and far between.

Be Yourself!

People want to connect with people, not a faceless corporation. You should become the enigmatic leader, and inject some personality.

Be Honest!

This follows on from the last point, but you shouldn't act like you swallowed 200 of your own brochures and are continuing to regurgitate them all over other people’s walls. Be candid; admit when something has gone wrong. You'll gain alot of trust by doing this...

DONT SPAM!!

Ok, this is the biggest one, and i've already said it, but it bears repeating. Talk with people, not at people. If you want to introduce a product to your Facebook friends, why not refine the ideas by crowd sourcing?

I hope that helps. Got a question? You can email me at:

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