Hugh Macleod, author of Ignore Everybody has the best keys to social media marketing I’ve ever read.

1. Figure out what your gift is, and give it to them on a regular basis. 2. Make sure it’s received as a real gift, not as an advertising message. 3. Then figure out exactly what it is that your trail of breadcrumbs leads back to.

This echos some of the points I made in my post about being successful online. Most social media experts tend to focus on the engagement part of social media, which is crucial, but tend to gloss over what that actually means or how to begin. Engaging with your audience begins with giving.

Mr. Macleod does this via his cartoon a day email list. Gary Vaynerchuk does it by giving video content about wine and business away for free. Nick Campbell does it by giving away tutorials that you can’t find anywhere else. Chase Jarvis does it by giving back via his blog, but also through real opportunities for photographers to meet and learn from him and each other. David Nightingale does it by giving away tips and techniques about how he makes his amazing photographs. BH Photo does it be providing free webinars, Radian6 does so as well.

All of these people are providing real value to their communities for nothing, but leaving a little trail of crumbs that leads back to whatever it is they do to put food on the table for their families.