In the burgeoning world of social media, I’m known as a “key influencer.”

A few years ago I left a very lucrative money management business to embrace an experiential lifestyle–to “live the dream” in Aspen, CO. I ski every day and party every night on assignment for my popular blog about Aspen. In this posting, I’ll attempt to simplify and humanize social media for my Wharton peers who still wear suits to work every day (except on casual Friday, of course).

Social media can be an extremely effective tool to connect and communicate with your customers. It can help build your brand and get your message across to an extremely broad range of people, or to a targeted few …  in real time. You can learn a lot about your own business via social media.

While I realize that senior executives may not have the time or inclination to “get into the fray,” someone at your company needs to. Ideally, all the interaction and communication with your customers will lead to top-line growth and bottom-line results. Since social media is free, the return on investment can be infinite.

The mnemonic device—M.E.G.A. S.A.L.E.S—should make it easy for everyone to “get it.”

M. MEDIA: With social media, anyone can broadcast their message quickly and effectively. The tools for communication have changed drastically and now almost anyone can be on an equal platform with CNN.

E. ENGAGE your target audience: Clients, customers, employees. Always remember it’s a two-way conversation. Listening is key, but you should also talk back. Connect with people.

G. GET a strategy: Formulate a game plan, set goals, establish parameters. It can be simple or complex. But get a plan.

A. AUTHENTICITY: is very important. Keep it real. Keep it transparent. Build trust.

S. SHARE: The more you share, the more you’ll get back. Content is king.

A. ANALYZE it: Look at the numbers at least daily. What’s working? What’s not? Monitor your brand online. Are people talking about your product or service?

L. LAUGH: You should be getting at least one laugh a day.

E. EMAIL is obsolete: Well, not really, but young people are communicating in real time in many different ways— texts, tweets, Facebook, etc.

S. SCALE it: The statistics for Internet use are staggering. Traditional forms of media are feeling the pinch. If your company is not active in social media, you’re missing a huge opportunity for incremental growth with very little cost.

If it sounds simple, well, it really is. Today’s technology provides a quiver of easy-to-use tools.

Any questions? I can be contacted at AspenSpin@gmail.com