If you’re looking to establish your online presence in social communities in order to build relationships, generate exposure and attract new business - it’s not the kind of project where you show up, build your profiles, find a few people, and call it good. If it were, you and your competition would be raking in the cash because of your social media marketing exposure! Here are 29 ‘Basics’ that you want to make sure you’re mastering as you utilize this rapidly growing, and increasingly powerful platform and distribution channel – called Social Media.

1. © 2010 GROWTH STRATEGIES
29 Point Social Media Self-Assessment for Small Businesses
If you’re looking to establish your online presence in social communities in order to build relationships,
generate exposure and attract new business - it’s not the kind of project where you show up, build your
profiles, find a few people, and call it good. If it were, you and your competition would be raking in the
cash because of your social media marketing exposure!
Here are 29 ‘Basics’ that you want to make sure you’re mastering as you utilize this rapidly growing,
and increasingly powerful platform and distribution channel – called Social Media.
1. You have determined your business objective for your social media marketing. Meaning, defined
the opportunity you are going after (e.g., target audience, industry segment) and solutions you
are addressing (e.g., improve customer service, enhance brand recognition, increase lead
generation, develop partner relationships).
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
2. Do you have a skilled person in place to create content, moderate communications and manage
online behavior and contacts?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
3. Are you regularly creating and posting educational content that ‘resets the buying criteria’ of
your prospective customers or clients, and entices your audience to get involved?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
4. Do you know which metrics you want to measure?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Twitter
5. Do you have a professionally presentable profile (not just the Twitter default)?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
6. Are you regularly posting personal and professional ‘tweets’?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Atlanta, GA 770.601.0949 • Seattle, WA 206.601.2821
800.261.5034 • Fax: 866.839.1668
www.GrowthStrategies.us • Info@GrowthStrategies.us

2. © 2010 GROWTH STRATEGIES
7. Is your Twitter profile linked to your LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and other social community
profiles?
No _____ (0) Some _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
8. Do you Reply to DM’s (Direct Messages) sent to you, or respond to those who ‘Mention’ you?
No _____ (0) Sometimes _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
9. Are most of the people following you relevant to your business’ market, industry or products /
services?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
10. Are you joined to multiple Twitter groups relevant to you or your prospects?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
11. Do you regularly re-tweet (RT) posts that are beneficial to your followers?
No _____ (0) Sometimes _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Facebook
12. Is your personal profile updated and active?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
13. Do you have an engaging and interactive Facebook Fan (Like) Page for your business?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
14. Have you created a Facebook Group and regularly engage yourself and others?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
15. Are you joined to several relevant groups and fan pages, and actively contribute to discussions
and posts?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
16. Do you create and promote regular Events for functions / activities you’re doing or involved in?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Atlanta, GA 770.601.0949 • Seattle, WA 206.601.2821
800.261.5034 • Fax: 866.839.1668
www.GrowthStrategies.us • Info@GrowthStrategies.us

3. © 2010 GROWTH STRATEGIES
17. Are you regularly educating your networks of connections with helpful information about you,
regarding your business, advice, solutions, fun facts, new videos, etc?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
LinkedIn
18. Do you have 500+ connections of ideal prospects, partners and contacts targeted to the market
you serve?
No _____ (0) Almost _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
19. Is your profile 100% complete, and well-representative of you?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
20. Have you created your own LinkedIn Group to attract prospects or partners?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
21. Are you actively involved in multiple groups full of prospective customers or partners?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
22. Do you regularly get involved in the Q&A or Polls to demonstrate your expertise?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
23. Have you added relevant slide decks to the Slideshare application on your profile?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
24. Are you “mining” the connections you have for customers or partners?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Blogs
25. Does your blog have a professional “look and feel”?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
26. Do you post interesting, fun, resourceful and educational content on a very regular basis?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
Atlanta, GA 770.601.0949 • Seattle, WA 206.601.2821
800.261.5034 • Fax: 866.839.1668
www.GrowthStrategies.us • Info@GrowthStrategies.us

4. © 2010 GROWTH STRATEGIES
27. Are your social networks’ (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) live feeds or links available from
your blog?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
28. Do you regularly point people to your blog articles from your social media communities?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
29. Is your blog promoted on blog communities, blog directories and easily found on Google?
No _____ (0) Somewhat _____ (½) Yes _____ (2)
It’s Not Easy
Maintaining your online presence takes time. If you look at all we’ve listed above, that’s easily more
than 4 hours of work per day! Here’s an important fact I want you to be aware of… the oldest marketing
strategy known to man, is to ‘Fish where the fish are’. Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t need to convince
you that ‘the fish’ have moved (in droves) to community sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning,
Plaxo, MerchantCircle, SlideShare, Scribd, Flickr, etc.
If you are serious about laying claim to your territory within the marketplace of your prospective
patients, customers or clients – the time to act is now (knowing that your competition is already
developing loyal networks at this moment)!
The “Key” For Interpreting Your Answers
Now that you’ve completed answering all the questions in this assessment test, here’s how to see what it
all means to you:
Tally up all the points your answers represent by calculating the point status of each answer you’ve
given (use the number in parentheses following each response). Once you get your combined total,
here’s what it tells you…
a) If your total points equal 31 or less, it tells you that your exposure within social media and network
communities is very weak. You are probably realizing less than 12% of your real opportunity for
exposure, and finding and developing relationships with business partners and prospective customers.
b) If your total points equal 32 to 45, you’re marketing at a decent level; but your business has
exceptional room for improvement. You can probably increase your overall performance by 80% or
more merely by better understanding and applying the social media marketing opportunities available.
Atlanta, GA 770.601.0949 • Seattle, WA 206.601.2821
800.261.5034 • Fax: 866.839.1668
www.GrowthStrategies.us • Info@GrowthStrategies.us

5. © 2010 GROWTH STRATEGIES
c) If your total points exceed 46 or higher, congratulations! You’re a very fine online marketer already
and should feel good about where you’ve come, so far. But, ironically, because YOU understand so well
the additional online marketing opportunities available to your business – your business probably still
has spectacular geometric growth possible if you decided to take your strategy and tactics to the highest
performance levels possible. Nevertheless, I’m very proud of your level of success so far!
Wherever you and your business falls on the social media marketing assessment scale, we should
definitely communicate about your goals and marketing strategy. Please feel free to reach out to me at
770.601.0949 or via e-mail at SJones@GrowthStrategies.us
Copyright ® 2010 Growth Strategies All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission, in whole or
part, is prohibited and punishable by law.
Atlanta, GA 770.601.0949 • Seattle, WA 206.601.2821
800.261.5034 • Fax: 866.839.1668
www.GrowthStrategies.us • Info@GrowthStrategies.us