Begin with the end in mind.
What do you hope to achieve with social media marketing? Increase traffic to your web site? That’s a given. But, what do you want people to do once they get there? Contact your company for more information? Subscribe to a free newsletter? Register for a webinar or workshop? Be specific and tailor your efforts to support those goals.

Looking for “love” in all the right places.
Each social media site and platform has a different demographic, so make sure you’re speaking to the right audience. Figure out which sites make most sense for your business based on age, lifestyle, income, interests, type of business you’re promoting, etc. MySpace has a younger audience, LinkedIn subscribers are often higher-income earners, Twitter’s user base is generally more net-savvy and Facebook a mix of everyone.

Honest to blog.
Having a blog on your site can be a great tool for boosting search engine rankings. It’s also effective at establishing you as an expert in your field and showing that you have a good handle on what’s going on in your industry and the local business community. Not all blog content has to be original writing. Share articles or web sites that your audience may find interesting and insert some comments on what you liked about those resources.

The operative word in social media is “social”.
Be prepared to engage your audience in a two-way dialogue. It’s a conversation, not a broadcast. Constantly tooting your own horn or selling aggressively will result in your audience tuning out your message or, worse, un-following you.

Get creative with your social media strategy.
There are infinite possibilities on how you can gain interest from followers. Once you have their attention, engage and reward them for their time. Offer a free whitepaper on a subject of interest to your customers. Run a contest or a special giveaway. Give a discount for customers mentioning a special coupon code so you can track the source of traffic.

Get real.
Don’t expect to be an overnight Internet sensation. Be realistic in your goal-setting. Like any marketing or branding campaign, it takes time to build a quality audience and establish your company in their minds.

Consistency is key.
Be sure to keep your blog updated regularly with fresh content, post new tweets on Twitter, added new information to your Facebook page and tweak your LinkedIn profile from time to time. This keeps your name in your audience’s social media streams – and in their mind.

Measure twice, cut once.
Track your efforts. There are myriad tools to help you track who’s visiting your site, reading your blog and forwarding your tweets. Use these tools to your advantage. Figure out what’s working and focus your efforts there. Is one site not performing well? Cut it from your list and make way for others that give a better return on your time.

Adapt or die.
Social media is constantly evolving. Keep your eyes and ears open for new trends and add those to your mix if the fit is right.