Would you race if there was no finish line?

How would you feel about sitting down to play a game of Monopoly without rules or a defined way to determine if you have won the game? My guess is that most of us wouldn't play. Why invest your time in a process without a goal or positive payoff? 

The Monopoly scenario above may seem silly but more companies than I can count are doing the same thing with social networking. I talk with company after company that are already "playing the game" but have no idea what the rules are or how to determine how well they are doing. Many executives are looking for the easy way into social networking and don't want to earn a win as they would in almost any other process.

When asked what's the most important thing to do to enable success in social networking my answer is strategy and goals. Jeremiah Owyang published a great post this week on the importance of determining where you are in the adoption curve of social networking and plotting a course to move forward. Before you or your company jumps into the deep end of the pool be sure to figure out where you are now and where you want to be. 

Start here to enable success - 

1. Set Goals - determine what it means for your company to succeed. Set measurable goals and metrics. And put the tools in place to monitor your goals.

2. Invest - Participation may be free but you still need to make an investment. Determine what that means for your company and your strategy. Consistency is a must in social networking don't start and stop.

3. Listen First - don't just start talking, take the time to listen to the community and enter the fray in a helpful and deliberate manner. Don't be the company voice that sells, promotes and bothers. Be a "real" participant and contribute the rest will follow.

4. Pick the Right Community - If you listen you will be able to identify the right spot for you and then listen for the leaders, followers, customers and Mavins within the community each of these participants will require a different strategy on your part.

5. Measure Success - Measure your progress early and often. Track the metrics that align to your goals and feedback the successes and lessons to your corporate stakeholders.

By doing the five items above you will be miles ahead of many companies that are blindly navigating the social network landscape armed only with a twitter account and no discernible goals. You can't win unless you know the rules and understand the goal of the game.