The working mums' guide to making the most of social media

By Carol Garrington

ACCORDING to a recent article on Mumsclub, our director Linda has a reputation for being something of a guru when it comes to social media.

I know she won't be happy about that as she insists at our workshops there's no such thing.

But it's an excellent article by Heidi Scrimgeour which also includes advice from other mums in business.

In the piece, Linda says she still encounters business people who are suspicious or scared of getting involved in social media.

She thinks this is in part down to their level of knowledge or understanding of what it's all about, or concerns about negative connotations.

“They want to know how much time it needs and what their return on investment will be,” she explains. So top of Linda’s tips for demystifying social media is the reminder that Twitter quite simply a way of communicating.

“It’s really as simple as that,” she says. “But you can also find contacts, learn interesting stuff and generally talk with pride about your products or services. Crucially, you can also listen to others and may even do them the odd favour.

The end result?

People know you and your company, you build a community around it.”

Linda acknowledges that it can take time to build up a meaningful presence on social media, but she says the benefits can be huge. Most important of all, she says, give people a reason to follow or engage with you. “That’s what counts. Relax, be yourself and be interesting.”

Thanks to Heidi for including us in the piece.

But please don't suggest Linda's a guru again.

She says she has more in common with a gnu.