By Sunny Jordan 
When it comes to using Facebook and other social networks, there are some general guidelines you should adhere to.
Popping in and out of the social media platform will cause confusion and less connectivity to your prospective audience.
The guidelines will help you build a community of fans, friends, and also protect your business and your image.
How active are you on social media?
How active are you on Facebook?
I most recently spoke to my client, who has been in business for more than 20 years as a career consultant. He has generated millions of dollars without social media.
His company, King’s Career Consulting has placed over 1000’s of executives, unemployed, and college students into Fortune 500 companies within the local area of Charlotte, NC.
Charlotte is rapidly growing and there are more immigrants (folks who are not natives of the area) moving here to make a living. Action must be taken quickly by King Career Consulting and other mom and pop businesses to join the social media wave that will generate more revenue, a larger client reach, and build a community.
As I spoke to my client I shared the great loss of not being connected through social media.
Finally something clicked.
He called me the other day and said:
“Sunny it is a must that you incorporate teaching business owners like myself who are baby boomers, old, or stubborn that if they don’t embrace the movement of social media they will soon die.”
You personally will not die if you don’t use social media, but the marketing tactics from years before, your pessimistic mindset, and fear of social media may very will be the death of your business.
A daunting statement but the truth is companies built on word of mouth in the local communities are missing out on revenue.
Here is a list of 10 tips to help you engage in the power of social networking.
1. Post Frequently – but not too frequently. A social network is a community, to be a member of that community you have to actively participate in that community. If you wait too long between posts, people will forget that you’re here. Conversely, if you post too frequently, that might be perceived as overbearing or annoying.
Set a reminder in Google Calendar/Iphone to post something manually 1o am, 2 pm, 4pm
You can also post something automatically daily 6 am, 8:30 am, noon
2. Keep your post short and sweet. People don’t want or expect to read overly long Facebook post. Quote Picture usually get more likes and comments versus a status update with a plain quote.
3. Use proper spelling. While you don’t have to use complete and proper grammar and punctuation, misspellings can mark you less informed than you might actually be.
4. Take shortcuts. It is okay to use common abbreviations and acronyms, such as BTW (by the way) LOL (laugh out loud)
5. Link to additional information. You don’t always have space to provide a lot of background information in a status update. Instead, you can link to web pages or blog posts that offer more details.
6. Be willing to share. Don’t be afraid to share information and content online. You are building a brand, a platform, and credibility. Giving free resources, tons of knowledge, and positivity will have more paychecks in your inbox. The world is watching and there are problems that you must solve.
7. Be discrete. Facebook status updates are public. Make sure that you use your best judgement when making a post. Don’t make post about your employees, your disgruntle customers, or weekend fun unless you are ready for the world to see it!!
8. Don’t accept every friend request that you receive. It is better to have a smaller community of friends. Quality over quantity! You may have a thousand friends, but if you are not connecting to those persons it is a waste. Gain intimacy with a smaller community. You will eventually earn an organic growth.
9. Don’t post if you don’t have anything interesting to say. Some of the most annoying folks on Facebook are those who post their every action. (I just woke, I am reading a book, my nose is running) Post informative information, content, news, or if something interesting is happening. Think about what you like to read about other people, what you want to teach others, and if you are adding value to someone’s life or business.
10. Don’t post anything that could be possibly used against you. Be positive, provide information, and post information. The quickest way to lose clients, customers, or employees is to post things that put your brand in jeopardy. Believe me people are watching you. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Sunny Jordan, MBA is an Entrepreneur, Author & Speaker. For more information checkout her website www.sunnyjordan.com.