Ok. So your new to Social Media for business? Better late than never, right? Lets get you started.

As we know, social media is about being social. People don’t follow brands and businesses to see them self promote. They follow businesses to get exclusive discounts and information. You also want to keep them engaged. Make your page interactive by holding contests, humor, call to action posts. The problem with business pages (fan pages) is that you have to make them WANT to like your page. (and keep them there).
I am going to use a veterinarian as an example since that is a business that I was just recently working with. Note that while the clientele is different, the principles and execution will be the same for any business.
Lets start with Facebook since thats where the majority of the people are. You have your page setup. Now its time to let people know about it. Send out a mailer, email blast and place signs in your waiting room. Offer exclusive discounts or a contest to entice new fans. Make sure your employees are fans of the page and interact to help encourage others. (you should implement a social media policy as well).
Post an album of pictures of your staff, so that can they can be identified with. A short bio as the caption will also help. I would also suggest a candid album where the staff are pictured in-action working or making silly faces or doing fun stuff. Take pictures of the animals for another album and even better, the owners and their animals to post on Facebook. Make it like a “wall of fame”. (have a photo release handy and signed before posting pictures though). If youre clients are on Facebook ask them if you can tag them in the photos. Also thank your clients on Facebook for coming in and visiting and send your well wishes out to sick pets in the healing process.
Ask your clients for testimonials. They can write them on your Facebook wall, or when they like your page they have a chance to recommend your business. People follow, trust and value other’s opinions and experiences. If they could post it publicly, it would be even better.
I would strongly suggest setting up a company blog where the staff are writers on it. You can self-host a blog directly on your website (harder but better for SEO purposes) or use services such as WordPress, Blogger, etc … Here you will write informative articles, tips on taking care of your pets, what do in case of an emergency, maybe profile a different breed of pet each week talking about characteristics and facts about the breed. Press releases, contests, industry news; are other ideas. In a small business where you are familiar with your customers/clients, you can also do a customer of the week profile. Post these articles on your Facebook page and encourage your staff and fans to share them too.
In conjunction with those great articles you and your staff are going to write, you should make short videos with the same kind of content. YouTube and Vimeo are both great video uploading sites that are searchable and will provide analytics and statistics on your videos. Capture video testimonials from clients, tips and information, office walk-around, staff intros and bios, pet safety, the list is endless. There are many affordable and easy to use video capturing devices. Invest in a Flip video camera or one made in that style. Use an iPad, camera phone. Smartphones are the easiest to shoot and upload right away from your device. Post these videos on your Facebook page and encourage your staff and fans to share them too.
Twitter. Many people dont understand Twitter. Its a micro-blogging website where your posts are 140 characters or less. Sometimes its tricky to fit what you want to say in so few words, but there are tricks you learn with usage. #Hashtags are very important and useful here. Think of them as keywords where users can search different topics using them. There are plenty out there already and dont be afraid to create your own. Post your links to blogs, videos, etc … here as well. Also join the conversation … Dont just spam the timeline with links. Post short tips here using a standard #hashtag for all just such as #pettips or something like that. Conversate and interact with others. Retweet other users’ funny, helpful or informative tweets.
Well that about sums it up to get started. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I love helping others, especially with something I am passionate about. I also love feedback, so please comment!