Learning to use social media for free?

[David L]

I need to learn how to use social media and I need to do it for free. Is there a way to do this?

One thing I am noticing is that there are a lot of social media consultants out there these days and they all charge for their services. Thing is how do I know if they know what they are doing? What kinds of services do they provide? What do people usually pay? Is it worth it? How do you know if they are effective or not?

[Tom B]

People look at social media and think that it's free. While it's free to be part of, there is the cost of time to educate yourself to all the possibilities and implement correctly.

If you're looking to learn for 'free', then go to each of the social networking sites and read their tutorials, FAQs, and tips & suggestions. This will take hours and you still may miss some stuff, but you're not spending money.

You can also search blog sites for information from other people and companies in the industry. How do you know if it works? You'll never know until you implement. I can create and implement a social media marketing site for my company and have success, however, it doesn't mean that it will work for your company or industry. Therefore, educate yourself and test quickly.

You may find that investing in training and education or outsourcing to someone who knows and understands what they're doing saves you considerable time. Saving time could save you quite a bit of money in the long run as well.

Good luck!