If your company’s presence on social media is going to help the bottom line, you have some homework to do. If you operate or have clients in multiple markets, the tasks are even more demanding.

• Be transparent. Represent yourself, your firm and your objectives clearly and coherently. Don’t use platitudes, misrepresent your intentions or confuse your readers. If your role is to develop a trusting, collaborative and long-term relationship with your readers, you will need to be honest and forthright. Readers see through pretense very quickly.
• Be clear about your objectives. Why are you posting? What do you intend to accomplish? How will it read a month from now, a year, two years, ten years down the road? Will your firm’s reputation be enhanced by your comments? Remember, a blog may seem like instant communication but it is a document that will be around to be judged long (perhaps) after you have forgotten about it.
• Know your reader. If you are speaking with readers in multiple markets, cultures, demographics, know the difference. Tailor your message to each; they have different needs, criteria and will respond differently to the way you address them.
• Be enthusiastic and passionate about your objectives. If you aren’t excited and optimistic, why would anyone else be?
• Adapt your messages. Make sure your passion translates effectively to all your readers, or tailor your messages so each receives the appropriate communiqué. Don’t muddle messages. And above all, don’t risk speaking to all your readers as though they were going to hear your message equally. It’s not happening.
• Bring value to your reader. There is a lot of choose from. Give your readers something meaty to sink their teeth into. Keep in mind what they are looking for and make sure you deliver. If you dish out platitudes, you’ll get some pretty quick click-throughs since no one will have any reason to stick around.
• Value travels. Remember that what has value in Argentina, may not in Indonesia; what works in France may fall flat in Australia; what counts in the US Anglo market may sit poorly in the Hispanic market. Know your market and make sure your message holds value for them specifically.
• Respect Feedback. When you get queries or valid comments (valid being the operative word here), then respond to your reader. A brief comment can build a lot of goodwill. After all, they valued what you wrote enough to write you.
• Integrate feedback. If you get suggestions, corrections or input that will enhance your message, include it in future postings. And credit your source just as you would want to be credited.
• Link to others. Help your readers widen their worlds with relevant links, resources, quotes and references. Make sure you give them value for the time they are giving you by reading your postings.
• Correct your mistakes. When you blunder, whether you are the one who realizes it or someone else points it out, post a correction, an apology if appropriate, and integrate your newly found awareness into future postings.
• Make it fun! With as much noise as we have on the Internet now, relevance and quality are essential. If it is fun for you, it may well be fun for your readers.