Business traditions are changing and with them the normal ways of reaching and communicating with customers. If you haven't already done so, social networking sites have become excellent ways to get in front of potential customers and interact with them and existing customers. There is more on this in a previous post about using social networking for business. If you followed that post's advice -- or did it all on your own -- and have come across some unexpected results, possibly some common mistakes are to blame.

Putting your company out there has more ramifications than starting a personal profile. After all, you want people to visit your company's profile to learn about your business and choose to buy your products. This makes it all the more important that you don't send the wrong message. In Kelly Spors article, we get tips on how to avoid some common social networking mistakes.

First of all, when you setup a profile, you need to go all out. Simply putting your name and logo with some contact information is not going to sway anyone, much less their interest. Include a blog and fill out the "About Me" section. Show pictures of your products, employees, and building. Tell about your history, hopes and dreams, and interesting things about your company and the industry. Give a visitor plenty to look at to give your message plenty of time to sink in.

Speaking of that message, don't come on too strong. You've got other mediums that extol your company's virtues, don't turn your profile into one as well. You're not selling visitors here, you're using the profile to connect with them and let them learn more about you. "Humor often helps," as Spors writes.

Finally, don't take all that time to setup a profile then abandon it for a few months. Update it with fresh content. Add a blog entry or a news item. Put up new pictures. Do a video. Do anything to keep your profile in the "Just Updated" section of the social network's main page.