Social networking has taken the business world by storm. From Facebook sharing to tweeting to actually attending seminars and meet-ups, the goal has always been to be more visible. Social networking is more than just having a consistent online presence. Offline interaction is as important as online engagement.

Social networking should not in any way be misconstrued as a replacement for face-to-face interaction. It is a marriage of your business’ on and offline persona. Belonging in communities which foster growth for your business is not only a way to let people know that your business is “out there”, it would also serve as your support group, your security blanket for a very unpredictable and often harsh realities of the business industry.

In an increasingly fast-paced digital world, it seems that everybody is milking those social networking sites for all they are worth. Marketing is at an all-time high and competitions continue to grow stiff as various businesses vie to be in the top spot. Before going all out on your marketing efforts, here are some points you need to consider about social networking:

1. When posting on any online networking site, your main concern should be how valuable your post is. Posting the same link, tweet or article a hundred times over may be your way of getting people to visit your site but if it does not have any real value, you would lose a potential customer’s interest and they might even tag your post as spam.
2. You’re human so you should act like one. Social networking is all about building relationships and sustaining them. People generally listen to people who is also an attentive listener both online and offline.
3. It is important to be well connected especially to the local community that your business caters to.
4. Social networking is all about sharing ideas, events, activities and interests with like-minded individuals or groups. It’s about asking and receiving help from people who have had more experience than you and paying it forward.
5. The relationships you have struggled to develop should be sustained and nurtured. Handing out business cards is not the end-all and be-all of social networking. It is just the start of what can be a promising business relationship.
6. Do not expect to be an overnight sensation. Being controversial is a far cry from being relevant. You need to be the latter.
7. Connect with experts in your field as they will enable you to be better in the industry. Do not be afraid to ask for help when you need it and don’t let your voice be stifled if you have any ideas on how to help others.
8. Patience, commitment and dedication would get you a long way. There may be quite a few seminars or networking meet-ups you need to attend, social media communities you need to break into but in time, your name (as well as your business) would be familiar that it might as well have been etched in stone.