Social Media Management is how your company handles social media and it has the potential to bring exposure, interest, leads and sales to your business. Managing the different elements of social determine success.

Social Media Management is an essential task in the future of business and in order to grow follow the outline below.

Personally, 2013 is shaping up to be a big year for my clients and me. We're looking heavily into various social media efforts. We know the future requires focus on inbound marketing, which is the art of getting customers to come to you.

Social media management will be a major part of business in the future.

By the end of this post you'll have an understanding of how to manage your social media efforts. Even if you are just getting started you should have an idea of how to continue to grow your social media so that you'll be bringing in leads and sales in the future.

Social Media Management 101: The Basics

Social media is a large part of online activity for users and is now a focus for business owners.

Social media is becoming a monster.

There are hundreds of different ways you can promote your business. With the boom of the Internet in the last two decades the options are endless and it means difficult choices for business owners.

The first step is determining the best social media for your company.

First, analyze your customer. Write down a complete profile for your customer. The profile should be for a single person. You may have multiple customers, but you should only have one ideal customer.

Once you have the profile written you can look into the social media where you are most likely to reach your ideal customer.

For example, let's say your customer is a 50-year-old male. He has an office job. He has a wife and two young kids. While he works in an office he still prefers to meet associates face-to-face or on the phone. He is tech savvy, but his loyalty lies in the offline world.

Age is a big factor with online marketing. There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general age gaps exist throughout social media.

The man in the example likely uses Facebook to connect with close family and friends. He may post on occasion or get into a spirited debate about politics or sports on rare occasion, but he mostly uses the network to view family photos and keep in touch.

He might also use LinkedIn for his professional networking. LinkedIn is a common place for professionals to stay in touch. When job changes occur people use LinkedIn to stay informed.

Additionally, the young baby boomer generation grew up with email marketing and they trust certain forums and blogs for information. These are all areas a business could focus if this was the ideal customer.

Figure out who your customer is and figure out the social media these use. The practice is very age-driven.

Older generations use traditional media that was prominent during their early years. Younger generations are more apt to use social media that is popular now including mobile applications.

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