by Jason Miller, Social Media Strategist at Marketo

As social media continues to dominate B2B marketing discussions it is quickly becoming an essential part of any solid marketing strategy. However, as the world of social is constantly evolving, it is becoming more and more important to revisit the fundamentals. Here’s a quick refresher of what I consider to be the six golden rules of social media marketing.

Heed this advice, and your social media marketing will always have a solid foundation to build upon. 

1. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It should be obvious but social media is about being social, and that means you need a good personality to make your brand likable. It’s great to have serious content with serious messaging, but it’s also okay to have fun and entertain with your content on occasion. 

2. Social as an inbound tactic is not enough. Traffic generated from this inbound marketing tactic can work on its own, but for a business to benefit fully from social, they should combine inbound with outbound marketing. Never underestimate what a bit of paid promotion can do to extend the reach of your organic messaging. 

3. Have good content, solid offers, and a clear call to action. Without well-produced, engaging content with a clear call to action, any and all tactics you employ will most likely fail. This tried-and-true trio of power is just as important in social media as it is anywhere else. Make sure your content is relevant and be clear about what you want your audience to do after consuming your content or engaging with your brand.

4. Always add value. At the end of the day, if you are not providing some sort of value to your prospects and customers, you are not doing your job. Here is an easy test: put yourself in your prospects’ shoes and ask if you find what you are offering of any value – from their perspective. If not, kill it and start over. Trial and error is the key.

5. Never forget that social is a two-way street. No one likes being talked at. Yes, broadcast your message, but remember to keep the lines of communication open in both directions. When contacted, always respond quickly and sincerely. Be sure to mix up your messaging and use a combination of helpful and sometime entertaining content and offers.

6. The 4-1-1 Rule: This idea from Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi is based on Twitter engagement, but can and should be modified and applied to each and every social media channel. The rules states that for every one self-serving tweet, you should re-tweet one relevant tweet and most importantly share four pieces of relevant content written by others. The basic idea here is to share more non-promotional posts before you go in for a soft or hard sell. 

Have any rules to add? Please join the conversation in the comment section below.