This blog post has been repurposed from a previous entry at CharlesHeflin.com. In order to get these points across we feel it is helpful to explain things in different ways so the understanding becomes more clear.

What once seemed like a far-out, futuristic marketing strategy is now a reality. Today, a wide range of industries are increasingly using social media. But, as with many new business strategies, one major question keeps popping up:

How can we maximize the potential of social media?

In other words, how can we get the most “bang” for the buck with social media?

Measuring the effectiveness of a social media campaign can seem like a daunting task. But, after 2 years of extensive research, testing and execution of social media campaigns, we have developed some guidelines that can help you determine whether your organization is getting the maximum ROI from your social media campaigns.

We understand that no two companies are alike. Thus, no two social media campaigns are alike. That’s why developing a formula for measuring ROI for social media is so difficult. But, there are some common threads that run through most successful social media campaigns. After two years of extensive research, testing, observation and implementation we’ve been able to identify these common threads and generate 10 rules of thumb that will help you produce measurable ROI using social media.

So, without further ado, here are our 10 rules of thumb, what we call the Ten Social Media Commandments:

Commandment 1: Thou shall gain the trust of your audience.

The level of success of any social media campaign is directly proportional to your ability to gain the trust of your target audience. The faster you can gain the trust of your audience, the more effective your campaign will be. This is easier said than done, but it is crucial for a successful campaign. Keep in mind that trust has to be earned. It is never gained through a promotion of any sort. Return on investment comes through consistent and conscientious branding, search engine visibility and from providing clear and consistent information to customers seeking more information about your persona on a social media space. Being honest, giving and trustworthy is the sure-fire way to gain a loyal friend. The same rule applies to social media marketing.

Commandment 2: Thou shall not misuse social media networks for link love.

Using social media networks as a way to increase incoming links (link love) as a way to increase search engine rankings a short-lived and short-sighted strategy. Our research shows that search engines like Google are paying attention to the level of “community,” “friendship,” and “voting” that occurs within accounts that list your Web site link. This means that in order to rank high, you have to truly engage your audience in a mutual conversation instead of just generating links. Using social media black/grey hat tactics as a link building strategy will inevitably destroy your social media presence and reputation.

Commandment 3: Thou shall promote two-way communication.

Two-way communication is the mutual exchange of ideas, desires and needs between an organization and its target audience. Social media networks - like forums, blogs, micro-blogs and social networks – exist exclusively to foster two-way communication. In fact, two-way communication is so crucial to these social media networks that they would not exist without it. It is not enough to simply have a presence on these networks. You have to engage people, increase awareness of yourself and actively promote a dialogue between you (as a representative of your brand) and your audience. Plus, the feedback that comes from a true, two-way dialogue is priceless.

Commandment 4: Thou shall have educational, entertaining or enlightening content.

Your content must be useful or appealing. Thus, it should be one of the 3 E’s of social media engagement – educational, entertaining or enlightening. If your message does not fall into one of these 3 categories, you should rewrite. Interacting with your target audience should not be about shouting your message the loudest. It’s about providing a useful or enjoyable message.

Commandment 5: Thou shall unlearn old Internet marketing rules.

The old Internet marketing tactics of being the loudest or largest or highest ranked is no longer the key to success. To achieving a measurable ROI you need to engage your audience through communication that meets their needs and enables them to provide feedback. Thus, messages should follow the 3 E’s of social media engagement and your social media strategy should empower your audience to express their interests and needs.  Also, it’s important to consider the nature of your social network traffic conversion funnel (sales funnel) and not confuse it with traditional Internet marketing tactics.

Commandment 6: Thou shall follow the law of engagement in social networks.

More detail on this specific law will follow, but for now know that there are certain rules you must follow when using social media or you will be ripped to shreds.

Commandment 7: Thou shall empower your social network community.

If you empower your social media communities, you’ll receive good search engine visibility in return. It’s like karma. Only, this kind of karma removes focus from traditional SEO and places it firmly on community driven content delivery. In this way, SEO becomes automated through Crowdsourcing (Jeff Howe). Today, the rules of SEO have changed dramatically. “The New SEO” is a blend of traditional (technical) SEO and what I call social rankings. If you focus on building community trust, this will lead to crowdsourcing, which will lead to a dramatic increase in search engine visibility across all major search engines.

Commandment 8: Thou shall make your website interesting.

It’s one thing to engage an audience a social network, but if you want them to visit your blog (we recommend) or website, you should deliver what you promise. If you are successful at gaining the trust of your audience on a social network (by entertaining, educating or enlightening your audience) and they then visit your blog, you must continue delivering the same quality content. The way your blog (or website) to calls visitors to action is up to you, but generally providing a white paper, free reports or other information that is of high interest to your target audience will make your website a valuable resource. Plus, trust is maintained when your audience is educated, enlightened or entertained throughout the process.

Commandment 9: Thou shall listen to your audience.

You must listen to your target audience to determine their needs before engaging them. If not, they probably won’t find your campaign of much interest. Chris Brogan (and many others) recently drove this point home in a recent Twebinar. Others such as Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Groundswell repeat this point. If you listen to your audience, they will tell you what they want.

Commandment 10: Thou shall keep it real.

Be true to yourself, your company and your audience. Don’t over-hype or over-sell your products or services. Never deceive your audience with false promises or over-blown statements. Never underestimate the ability of your audience to sniff out garbage.

These are just a few of the tips we’ve found over the years. If you have a tip you’d like to add to our commandments please don’t hesitate to comment.