CorpComms Magazine

(1) Build your community

Nine out of the ten of the fastest-growing websites are social - underlining how, in just five years, the web has been transformed from a source of information to a global forum for making connections. Know your network. It is not just a numbers game - each member needs to be relevant. And remember that each member of your community also has followers themselves. Invest the time to find, engage and relate to the real influencers.

(2) Be part of the conversation, but don't monopolise it...

Discussions about you and your business are already taking place. If you are not talking, you are not part of the conversation and have no opportunity to influence the debate. However, truly effective social networking is about listening as well as talking. Your best results will come from trying to understand the issues and interests of your community, ask questions and, where appropriate, provide helpful solutions. No one hangs around someone long at a party when they are in transmit-only mode.

(3) It's all about people you know

As Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, has said: 'The Internet used to be about the wisdom of crowds. It's now about the wisdom of friends.' Once they become your advocates, they will spread the word of their own accord. Third party endorsement and personal recommendation are still your most powerful communications tools.

(4) Get intensely relevant

Although the web is global, there's no point in trying to broadcast to the world. Targeting is now more important than ever if you want to cut through the noise. It's important to communicate individually to engage your audience and encourage them to respond. But you cannot dip in and out. Be ready to make that commitment - do not just publish your content and then disappear. You need to respond instantly and consistently.

(5) Don't get hung up on new media

The basics of traditional networking still apply. Whether you are communicating online or via traditional routes - from cocktail parties to broadsheets - the rule is to keep it short, make it relevant and make it worth repeating. Sharing or re-tweeting isn't new - just think of the generations of neighbours sharing gossip over the garden fence.

(6) Social and traditional media work hand in glove

Despite the popular belief that the web is killing off newspapers, social media can in fact drive people to traditional media. The two are complementary because the sharing aspect - those links and re-tweets - encourage forays into diverse sources and experiences well outside the immediate virtual world.

(7) Who really cares?

Just because you have something to say doesn't mean that people want to hear it. Engage your brain before clicking submit. Remember, this is not just a private chat with a friend or colleague - it is written for all to see for all time. Exercise self-control to avoid regrets which may haunt you forever. Gaffes can quickly go global!

(8) Don't be a slave to social networks

All this listening, responding, contributing and sharing does take an incredible amount of your time which you could be investing elsewhere. You need to find ways to ensure you aren't submerged. Get some tools which allow you to manage and monitor your social marketing which will release more time for you to interact specifically with each audience.

(9) Where will it all end?

The path to a more connected world can lead to information overload. Will this constant bombardment really lead to better knowledge and understanding? Sometimes, less can be more and those individuals and organisations who can distil their communications to the minimum will gain clear advantage over all that noise.

(10) Let's do lunch!

Remember the original meaning for social networking. It's about face-to-face contact and experiencing the physical rather than just the online world. Social networking is often merely the starting point on a path from anonymity to physical, visual, aural and oral connection. We must never forget that face-to-face networking results in a deeper more valuable relationship. PRs can breathe easy - reports of the demise of lunch might be somewhat premature!

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