Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn oh my! Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) St. Louis social media seminar titled “The Integrated Conversation.” In addition to networking with many talented communications professionals, the day was filled with discussion on social media best practices and proven strategies that produce results. It would be impossible to cover all of the great tips and tactics I picked up throughout the day, but here are just a few of the highlights:

• Always remember your audience and the impact that social media will have on them. Sometimes we get so caught up in the tools that we forget to think about how our audience will interact.
• Social media isn’t about controlling a message, it’s how we engage and build channels to facilitate conversations.
• When it comes to social media, measure outcomes vs. outputs.
• Social gaming is a powerful communication tool. Just take a look at everyone’s favorite Facebook game Farmville. Launched in July 2009, Farmville now has 83 million monthly active users.
• Fifty-five percent of social gamers are women with an average age of 43. (I would have never guessed that!)
• One-third of all online participants are conversation drivers, the remaining participants are conversation passengers. Social media can be a great tool to engage both.
• A good coach doesn’t just tell people what to do. They frame the conversation so that people come to a conclusion themselves. (My personal favorite tip of the day.)

With the constant growth and change in social media there is so much to learn about different uses and applications with unique audiences. Have you successfully used social media to engage with an audience? Any tips or best practices you would like to share?