From my vantage point, it’s hard to believe that social media is still in its infancy. But in actuality the industry, applications and principles are still in their early days of evolution. As a result, people are making mistakes – BIG mistakes when approaching and engaging in social media marketing.

If you’ve been active for quite some or just venturing onto the social media playing field, here are the top 5 issues to be aware of:

Using social media to promote and sell, rather than engage: Social media is not about me or even we (okay – maybe to some extent), but, rather, about them – your audience. Yes, you are using social media to create a presence for your brand. And yes you are using it to reach new markets for your products and services. But your two primary goals here are to engage your audience and encourage conversations – to build a community around your brand.

Not acknowledging or responding to comments, direct messages and so on: Imagine trying to have a conversation with a person who is obviously not listening or simply letting what you say go in one ear and out the other. No matter how you cut it, one-way conversations suck. That’s why it’s important to create two-way conversations when utilizing social media. Make sure to thank people for their posts, acknowledge comments and respond to messages in a timely manner. Timely is NOT two months after the fact.

Sounding “fake” or “forced”: You’re human. Not a robot, so please don’t act like one. Be real, be genuine and make sure that your social media voice is representative of your brand.

Failing to update regularly: Regular, consistent participation is vital for both short-term and long-term social media success. If you suddenly drop off the face of the planet, or go long stretches in between updates, chances are you’ll lose some folks. You build momentum and engagement through active participation.

Trying to maintain too many social media profiles: Don’t get involved in too many social media sites or you’ll start to feel overwhelmed. A good rule of thumb is to focus on the dynamic trio – LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter — plus one niche social media site depending on your target audience. Once you are comfortably up and running and seeing results, you can try adding others. Again, don’t overdo it.

It just occurred to me that there is actually a sixth and potentially more critical social media marketing mistake that is being made each and every day – failure to execute – believing social media is a passing fad. Social media is here to stay and is much too powerful to ignore. So what are you waiting for? If your business has been quietly standing on the social media sidelines, it’s time to get in the game.