You’ve already got a good understanding of what Social Media, like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and blogging, can do for your business, but are you effectively using them?  You don’t need to be on these sites 24 hours a day, but if you can commit to a regular schedule, you can reap big benefits with minimal effort.

In no particular order, here are a few tips to help you use your time in social media wisely.

1. Be active.

Choose when and where you want to enter into the social media world.  Create a system that lets you gradually enter into the online community.  Schedule specific times of day for you to check your facebook and twitter status, and commit to your SM goals.  Look at what the people in your community are discussing, and let them know you are interested.

2. Be a part of the conversation.

If you think SM is just about shouting your message out once in a while and hoping your audience will do something with it, you’re not going to be too happy with the results.  Explore your local community.  Attend some of the offline events so your online friends get to know a bit more about you.  140 characters doesn’t show much of your personality, but a breakfast meeting with a few like minded folks can get you supporters, customers, job opportunities, and powerful contacts.

3. Provide Value.

You’re probably sick of hearing that content is king, but – just in case you were curious, content IS king!  If you see an article or story that you think might be useful to the followers in your chosen field, share it with them.  If someone shares something interesting with you, thank them for sharing it.  Your contribution to the community is what makes you valuable, so try to give them gold whenever you can.

4. Provide Feedback.

If you read an interesting article, let the author know that you enjoyed it, or offer a different opinion/viewpoint.  Blogs become great when there is a community of readers that share a dialogue.  There’s an old saying, “you get what you measure” so if you let the author know that you found value in their post, it’s likely they will strive to write more quality content.

5. Be Genuine.

The temptation to use an alternate personality online is great, but you should choose to be real.  Be yourself, sharing your own thoughts or feelings.  If you have facts and figures, share them.  If you are just speculating, don’t present it as fact.  There are so many experts on so many subjects, that your little exaggeration can come back to bite you on the butt.  Be known for being accurate and truthful, and you will see your impact on the online community be recognized and rewarded.

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This post isn’t meant to be a definitive guide to achieving results in the SM world, but if you try any of these methods, you’ll find that it’s worth your time.