If you own a small business – or even a large one – then you likely have ventured into the social networking world by now. It is an intriguing and appealing concept: making “friends” with your clients and potential clients, then leveraging that loyalty and rapport to improve profits and increase sales.  And many businesses have used these sites already to dramatically increase their profits and take their organization to the next level.

However, your social media networking skills can also destroy you if you are not careful. Just as a good “buzz” about your business can up your sales and increase your client volume, a bad one can ruin your reputation and make you a laughingstock – far faster and more permanently than when referrals and reviews had to come by word of mouth. Here are some important things to avoid in the social networking world in order to make the most your “friends” out there:

Don’t Run Around Naked

A profile that simply has a picture of your business and your phone number is not going to interest people or attract customers. Before you start “friending” people on Facebook or following them on Twitter, build up your profile. Get some testimonials, some basic information and even some general, helpful and entertaining content on the sight.

Don’t Sell Too Hard

A lot of businesses start selling from the second you “friend” them. Doesn’t feel much like a friend, does it? Develop a rapport with helpful coupons and advice in your field of expertise before you bring out the hard sell. Creating credibility will go much farther in this medium than direct promotions will.

Don’t Let Yourself Get Stale

A social networking profile has to have fresh, exciting content. Otherwise, people stop “visiting” you and move on to someone else – and someone else’s business – that can provide more entertaining and varied viewing. This does not meant that you have to update your profile constantly with mundane and useless chatter (in fact, this can backfire), but rather that you need a steady, daily supply of new, useful information to subtly attract new clients and sell your products or services.