Words: Bryan Alary | Images: Pixabay.com

If you're an entrepreneur and don't know the difference between a tweet, snap or story, let alone whether you need them to sell your business, don't worry. You're in good company.

Gabrielle Hay-Byers says students who enroll in her social media for business course have a range of experience in the social sphere — from small business owners looking for a leg up on the competition to students interested in social media as a career.

"There's a certain amount of tamping down those expectations that social media is this easy industry where you put a tweet out there and you're viral the next day and everyone's buying from your business," Hay-Byers says.

"If you put the time in cultivating relationships and interacting online — it's social after all — that's where you're going to see the uptick, the brand and name recognition." —Gabrielle Hay-Byers, social media for business instructor

Students will, however, learn about the different types of social media platforms, how to build a social media plan and create policies for their companies. For instance, Hay-Byers says it's critical to determine when to respond to posts and comments and, more importantly, when to step away.

Sometimes it helps to speak the language of business. A salesperson who makes 10 calls a day to check in on clients does so because they see the value in that kind of "repeatable action," which is all about relationship building and service.

"Social media is much the same. If you put the time in cultivating relationships and interacting online — it's social after all — that's where you're going to see the uptick, the brand and name recognition."