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Back by popular demand (Six people can’t be wrong!) I’ve got a new list for you this week.  Bear in mind that this is not high-brow reading for top social media GuruChampionEvangilisticExperts.  This is the basics.  But I hear routinely from folks I know that they’re intimidated about getting started, or that they’ve joined LinkedIn or Twitter and are getting nothing from it.  So this one’s for y’all!   

Here are a few elementary tips to get my friends, and others, started.  I assume this will make the most sense for small businesses (where the owner also gets to be a salesperson, accountant, marketing guru and bottle-washer), but the rules are for anyone.  Above all, I hope they amount to the essence of what I believe is required for successful social media usage:  common sense.

1. Provide value, not advertising.  It’s networking, not advertising.  Advertising never, ever, ever works for long on any social media forum.  Period.  I have waxed loquacious on this topic previously…
2. Be a person, not a company.  Even though you want to make it clear you have a business message, your posts, articles, groups, etc. should identify a person, not a logo.  People don’t connect to logos on social networks.  They connect to people.
3. Have a plan and a point.  Marketing 101.  Your ads run a similar look, key message and tagline.  Your postcards are in the family.  But on LinkedIn, you change your status once a year and do not participate in a group.  You Tweet about what you had for lunch.   That only works for delis.  Determine what it is you want your network to know about you and your brand, and plan to get that across without posting the social media equivalent of Burma Shave signs.
4. Be interesting.  Be relevant.  People don’t hunt down and read advertising or boilerplate.  In fact, they run from it.  Give them what they want.  And no, that the fact that you had to stand in line for 10 minutes waiting on your Frappaccino Latte Grande is usually not what they want (although there are exceptions).  The trick?  Linking the interesting stuff into your key message…
5. Please don’t link to articles that require paid subscriptions to read.  It will be the last time someone clicks on your Tweet, Facebook or LinkedIn post.
6. Be present.  Be consistent.  The shelf life of Web content is about three seconds these days.  You can’t be involved in a conversation when you communicate once a month.  You’re not really using social media if you’re not actively using it.  If you blog, do it consistently.   (Yes Mom, I know.  Guilty as charged.)
7. Don’t link to your own Web site in your status or Tweets unless there’s something there that complies with rules one through six… It’s ok to drive people to your Web site using Tweets or other messaging—just make sure there’s something new, interesting and useful. 
8. Be where your target audience is.  Facebook’s great.  I love to share with my friends there.  But I don’t really use it for business postings.  Why?  My target audience isn’t really there.  And I’m not really sure my non-industry friends care what I do!
9. Did I mention “Be interesting.  Be relevant?”
10. Be cautious, but don’t be afraid.  After all, you’ve been doing social networking for years.  You’re just using a new medium for it!