The word "liaise" is about as common in the U.S. as are reports of successful marketing efforts on Facebook and MySpace, yet to succeed in social media, brands would be wise to "link up" or "hook up" via these routes. By definition, liaise means "to communicate and maintain contact with," the fundamental goal of marketing on social networks. This newsletter's purpose is to outline the six-step process to connect with consumers in social media using LIAISE as an acronym for the approach: Listen, Identify, Activate, Integrate, Socialize, Evaluate. For the full article, click here.

Listening to your customers is a marketing "no brainer" that seems to fall on deaf ears when it comes to social networks. Heavy-handed product messages are simply ignored on Facebook to the point that IDC labeled social advertising "stillborn" and Seth Goldstein of SocialMedia Networks wrote that banner ads are "universally disregarded."

Bacardi found success on Facebook after customer research revealed its Mojito campaign had become wildly popular. Extending this campaign effectively meant engaging Facebookers via the Bacardi Mojito Party widget.

Most of us come to realize at an early age that not everyone wants to be our friend. Painful as this may sound for mass brands, the same is true for marketers on social networks. Rather than fight this reality, savvy marketers will look at social networks as a unique opportunity to connect with well-defined micro-targets.

Absolut focused on aspiring bartenders with an application called Top Bartender that connected Facebookers to a reality TV show called "On The Rocks: The Search for America's Top Bartender."

A whole lot of marketers have fallen down and not gotten up again when they dropped into social networks ads first. Disappointed, they walk away not knowing in this case "A" is for Activate and not Advertise. To effectively leverage social platforms, marketers need to activate community by creating something of value that is either highly entertaining or extremely useful.

Bud Light found success by going the entertainment route with their Decode Your Dudeness application on Facebook, a hilarious progression of silly photos requiring one to make a choice each time.

One of the quickest ways to be anti-social is to think of your social media effort as a stand-alone program. This is the equivalent of planning a big party down to the last detail and then neglecting to send out invitations. Having an integrated effort that extends the engagement both within and beyond your social media partners is a sure fire way to get the party started.

Beck's relatively fresh "Different By Choice" campaign includes a strong social media component that is surrounded by traditional advertising. The Daily Different blog features comedian Darius Davies as the content curator, and so far, the content is indeed different and entertaining.

Social media campaigns should not be confused with "pop-up stores" that come and go in a New York minute. Like good friendships they need to be cultivated over time. And like a great hostess, marketers need to truly socialize, working the room, offering a range of entertainment options to ensure that all of their "friends" continue to have a great time.

For Absolut, the InAnAbsolutWorld.com website, acted as a platform for social interaction, inviting consumers to share, request, vote for, and blog about their vision for a perfect world.

It is generally ill advised to request a conjugal relationship from someone you've never even talked to. Nonetheless, marketers eager to close the sale are consistently disappointed that they couldn't do so via social media. When evaluating the effects of your social media campaign, it is important to have realistic expectations and measure everything from "friends" gained to application downloads to time with brand to website traffic and yes, even sales if the romance period was sufficient.

Bud Light's Decode Your Dude quiz was the most downloaded application on Facebook during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

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