There’s nothing quite like an acronym to help one keep focused and stay on track. So, I’ve created one for the word social, as in social media to help you understand what you need to think about when getting into social media marketing.

S is for Socialize

Seems obvious enough but, what this really represents is the fact that social media is about building relationships and networks.

In order to succeed with social media marketing, you must be focused not on conversions, but on relationships. If you don’t enjoy socializing, you should not be in social media marketing. Social media enable those who like to socialize and network and know what co-opetition is to socialize even more. Conversion is a natural result of being social and worthwhile in a relationship. And realize conversion is never 100%. If your communication is human and not one-way it shouldn’t even be.

O is for Orient

Orient your company and your staff to understand the value of social and its nature. Indentify those in your organization who have the innate social skills to thrive in social media and give them the training and resources to leverage it for your company. The people in your company make all the difference, they are important customers and potential strong voices that should be cherished and given room to grow, innovate, create and socialize. All of them.

C is for Community

Communities drive the web. The sooner you and your organization understand that fact, the sooner you will begin to reap the rewards. You have to create spaces where communities can develop and nurture them via open and accessible communication with your team. Your community foundation should start with a blog, a voice and a presence, and then move forward into Facebook, Twitter, other social networks such as online forums and all channels your customers use. C is also for Content, Context and Cross Channel.

I is for Interact

No communication online should ever be a one way conversation. From email to Twitter, you must be prepared to have a conversation once you have engaged people. Listening on social and responding in kind is probably the most important element for succeeding in social media marketing. Birds don’t tweet just to hear themselves sing and neither should you.

A is for Active

A company presence on a social media network such as Twitter should be active and consistent. Nobody remembers the guy who just pops into a bar to use the payphone every couple of weeks. If you want to engage people then you have to be online and interacting with them daily.

L is for Love

Love social and it will almost certainly love you right back. Find the people in your company who really loves being social. This does NOT mean contracting someone who claims to be a social media expert. It means finding those (and you have them) within your company who possess those innate human skills to thrive in a social environment. Your next Christmas party might be a good place to start scouting.