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The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office.

Are your social networking efforts in need of a little facelift in 2010? Have you tried to convince your C-Suiters of the value of developing an integrated Facebook program, only to be told the medium was populated by lonely slackers not worthy of a proactive branding program? If such obstacles have impeded your outreach efforts in the social networking world, you are not alone. While 2009 will be remembered as the year Facebook dominated the social networking arena – with more than 350 million active users globally – the vast majority of companies and brands today have failed to unlock the branding and reputational benefits inherent in reaching out to the millions of users who spend an average of 30 minutes within the platform every day.

There is no doubt that social media are constantly changing. Existing sites are adding features and services just as quickly as new social media platforms are coming online. Because change isn’t an excuse for inaction, this week’s Six @ Six feature covers the top new tools and features brands can use to take Facebook engagement to the next level in 2010.

These new tools can help companies enrich their offerings, increase audience size, and solidify relationships with online brand ambassadors, which are crucial for both marketing and reputation management purposes. Did we miss one you are particularly fond of? Let me know on Twitter @dallaslawrence.

1. Changes in Privacy Settings

Effective monitoring has always been the foundation of solid online engagement. And now, with new privacy settings allowing content to be shared across the Web with or without membership to the site, Facebook has just made it easier than ever for brands to keep track of what’s being said about their products and services on the previously closed platform. As search engine giants Google and Bing race to deliver increasingly effective and comprehensive search results of social media sites, these new Facebook settings will open up both challenges and opportunities for brands to first monitor, then engage with consumers who are already discussing topics important to their brands. To keep up with these advances and make the most of the new opportunities, be sure that your existing monitoring tools are also adding functionality that will include Facebook content – even if that means simply making note of Facebook results when using search engines.

2. Ads targeted at current fans

Facebook, long the leader in targeting specific audiences, has added even more targeting capabilities to its paid advertisement offerings available to marketers on any budget. In the past, only the most well-funded campaigns could use these social targeting techniques. Today, brands can reach out to groups that are the most likely to be enticed by paid campaigns based on their existing affiliation to the company online or their network of friends (more on this below in Tip #3). By advertising to users who are already fans of a company’s Facebook presence, marketers can re-engage and keep in touch with a key audience that has already indicated interest in a company’s products and services. Try using this tactic when announcing new products or promoting online contests. These ads will ensure your messages reach audience members who have since “lost touch” with your brand. Remember, just because you build your profile on Facebook does not mean your intended users will come. Just as with traditional media outreach, the key to success lies in reach and repetition.

3. Ads targeted at friends of fans

Another handy new advertising targeting tool from Facebook allows marketers to reach out to the friends of Facebook users who have already become fans of the company or one of its products. The most important feature of these ads is the use of a friend’s name to virtually endorse your group. For instance, if Southwest Airlines, which I am a fan of, launched an ad campaign targeted at my friends, the ads would read, “Dallas Lawrence is a fan of Southwest Airlines.” These ads allow for your company or brand to generate virtual word of mouth advertising directly targeted to the friends of your followers.

Leveraging your online brand ambassadors has never been easier. In fact, now they don’t even have to lift a finger to help deliver powerful third party validation for your product - you can do it for them.

4. Connect for mobile web

As we have mentioned previously, your brand can benefit from the tremendous popularity of Facebook using the platform’s Connect tool. Facebook Connect makes it easier for your audience to engage and provides you with invaluable intelligence about who your fans are, what they like, and how best to market to them in the future. With the Internet increasingly accessed on the go through smart phones and other mobile devices and tens of millions of Facebookers using mobile devices to login and stay connected with their network of friends, Facebook has also tailored this extremely helpful tool to mobile platforms. By implementing the mobile version of Facebook Connect, you can ensure your company is connecting with consumers anytime, anywhere. Being able to reach your audience at the moment they are making purchasing decisions or seconds before they voice a concern over your product can mean increased profit and decreased the potential for pain. Add the mobile edition of Facebook Connect to your site optimized for mobile devices to ensure your audience can get the most from your site – and your company can learn the most about your audience – no matter how they connect.

5. “Become a fan” is everywhere

Issuing a call to action is one of the most effective ways to prompt action from online audiences. Facebook has summed this up in one simple phrase: “Become a fan.” These three words have long appeared on Facebook Pages and specific ads, but Facebook is rapidly expanding this capability to other places where users may be enticed to click. The simple and powerful phrase is showing up in news feeds, live streams, and most recently has been added to the end of Facebook-hosted video clips. These are all great opportunities to grow an audience. Remember, when you gain a Fan to your Facebook engagement, you have the ability to message for free to this individual, tailor messaging to their demographics and interests, and grow your reach further by messaging to their friends. Adding the “Become a fan” link to viral videos will give Facebook users an opportunity to connect with just one click after they have seen one of the most powerful and pervasive forms of media in the digital age – video.

6. Integrate, Integrate, Integrate

One key to success in the online space is to share content and connections between your different social media engagements. Facebook is again opening up and working to make it easier to share content to other sites. Two features are soon to come online that will further open the platform; the capability to update Twitter accounts from Facebook and a Facebook specific URL shortening service. These updates will make it easier for a company to draw in visitors on other social media platforms into Facebook, which can offer a far richer and engaging experience than any of its competition. No longer will a company need to post a cumbersome URL that is 60 or 70 characters long. In the very near future, a short URL starting with “fb.me/” will be able to lead users to any page, photo album, video, discussion board, or application found on Facebook. Using these tools will help your company engage more platforms in less time and spotlight the content that is most important to your brand. In other words, you will be able to reach a larger audience with a more tightly focused message than ever before.

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Dallas Lawrence is Chair of the Social and Digital Media Practice at Levick Strategic Communications, the nation’s top crisis communications firm. He blogs on emerging digital media trends and best practices for social media engagement on BulletProof. Connect with him @dallaslawrence.