The business world today is rapidly changing.

Long gone are the days of passive marketing. Today it is necessary for a business or brand to not only get social, but also stay socially active, relevant and connected. There is no doubt that social media has changed the rules of the marketing game for businesses of all sizes.

Unfortunately, many business professionals continue to struggle when it comes to understanding and properly implementing social media into an existing business plan. So, what are the Golden Rules?

Golden Rules to Successful Social Media Marketing are:

1. Linking Just Makes Good Sense

Write quality content and link back to relevant articles. Not only does this add relevance to your content, but establishes rapport with influencers talking about and around your same topic.

2. Write High Quality Content

If writing is not your skill set, pass it off to a professional writer. It is that important.

3. Update Your Content on a Regular Basis

It is not enough to just write quality content, but you must write and post often making sure it has a purpose. This helps to make sure that your past and potential clients keep coming back for more.

4. Be Patient

Patience is a virtue, especially when building a social media presence. Anything worth doing takes time. Invest your time and engage in a meaningful and intentional way on a daily basis.

5. Stay Focused on Your Purpose

Stay focused on what you are building and work your strategy with diligence.

6. Listen and Observe

Social media is an excellent listening tool. Pay attention to your clients online and offer solutions to their problems.

7. Never, EVER Steal Someone Else’s Hard Work

This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a prevalent problem on the web. The repercussions are not worth a moment of thoughtless posting. Here’s a look at what correct attribution looks like on social media:

8. Connect, Connect and Connect Some More

Social media is not only an exceptional location to connect with your potential consumers, but also with influencers and other thought leaders within your industry.

9. Cross Promote

Share your content across multiple channels and do it with a new and unique spin designed for that particular network.

10. Never Forget the Power of Local

Google has indicated that they are using or testing a “neighborhood algorithm.”