Has your business embraced a social media “mindset?” I’m troubled that many marketers quickly incorporate the social media “toolset,” without first understanding the underlying philosophy which drives their use.

In order to experience maximum benefit, it is imperative that companies inculcate the proper mindset as well. It’s the same rationale behind why theory courses are taught in college before practical ones. To do otherwise is to put the proverbial cart before the horse.

Here are seven social media mindset markers:

1. The double-helix of social media DNA is “authenticity” and “transparency”

Some marketing professionals may snicker at those terms, considering them to be trite. I beg to differ. Authenticity and transparency are the chief cornerstones upon which social media is built, the ethical standards that represent the best and highest the medium has to offer. It is a mindset characterized by openness and willingness to share, which brings me to my next point.

2. You must lose control of your marketing message

The mantra of David Meerman Scott’s newest book, World Wide Rave, is “lose control of your marketing message.” Scott put it this way: “For your ideas to spread and rise to the status of a World Wide Rave, you’ve got to give up control. Make your Web content totally free for people to access, with absolutely no virtual strings attached.”

Granted, that’s scary, but when you consider that social media has given anyone with access to the Internet the opportunity to become publishers of content, not merely consumers, message control is out the window anyway. You might as well become a pro-active participant. Certainly, you can no longer hold your message close to the vest and protect it as if it were your first-born. Not possible.

One company that has taken this mindset marker to heart is Cadbury, the UK-based confections maker. On two separate occasions, they released video “adverts” to YouTube and encouraged people to do with them what they would.

With the first, known as the Cadbury Gorilla, people remixed the video with music of their own choosing. In the latter, Cadbury Eyebrows, fans created their own versions of the video altogether. In both cases, multiplied millions viewed the remixed creations. It was a huge win for Cadbury. Expect to see more like these.

3. Every voice matters

Every participant in social media is a center of influence to some extent, even those far down the long-tail. I’m of the opinion influence tends to filter up rather than down. What starts in the hinterlands of the social media sphere can quickly climb to a place of prominence.

Take, for example, the meteoric rise of Susan Boyle’s videos on YouTube. While the television program on which she appeared, Britain’s Got Talent, may have led her to become a singing sensation in the UK, it took millions of us spreading her message via YouTube embeds and shared links to bring Susan onto the global stage. And we did so with alacrity. It was the efforts of the “long tail” that brought her to the attention of mainstream media, not the other way around.

4. Some voices matter more than others

I don’t mean that in a pejorative way. It’s just that, some people extend much more influence than others. By “influence,” I’m not necessarily talking about numbers either. In social media, the important thing is not how many eyeballs read the content, but who those eyeballs belong to.

5. The Web is now more about “shared connections” than “destination silos”

It is with great delight that I announce the end of the “Web as a destination” era. Okay, Steve Rubel beat me to it, but I heartily echo his refrain.

With that pronouncement comes grave concern. I’m worried that many companies, especially small businesses, think just having a Web site is sufficient. It would be wonderful if things could be that simple, but they are not. The day of the “electronic brochure” has long passed.

To build a Web site as a destination-oriented information silo is to do so at your own hurt. Of course, you’re site is a destination, but these days it’s better to fashion it as part of the chain of shared connections.

For example, as important as it is to have a primary navigation (About Us, Service, Products, Contact Us, etc), just as important is a “social navigation.” Build a navigation structure into the site’s template that links to where else you exist on the Web, especially social networks.

If you have the development resources available, bake Facebook Connect into the site. You can’t get more social than that. And the message alone that it sends says you understand the state of the Web in its current iteration.

6. Facebook is the operating system of the new Web

At least Facebook is trying to be, and with in excess of 400 million users world-wide (over 100 million in the US alone), it’s well on its way to achieving that goal. Today, for many, Facebook IS the web.

I’ve been a Facebook user almost from the time Mark Zuckerberg opened it to the general public. Yet, only recently did I realize just how pervasive and mainstream the site had become.

While visiting my parents a few weeks ago at their home in rural east Mississippi, I attended church services along with them on Sunday morning. One of my distant relatives – a person who hardly qualifies as an Internet power user – approached me prior to the service and loudly hailed, “Hello, Facebook friend!” I quickly realized that if this lady and others of her ilk were on Facebook, then just about everyone was.

For marketers, especially those in the B2C space, having some type of brand presence on Facebook is virtually a given.

7. Twitter is the new email

If Facebook is the new OS, then Twitter is the new email. Perhaps I’m using that term too literally, but I’m neither the first or only person to say it. Others, including tech guru Robert Scoble, have made the same assertion.

Twitter offers the businessperson many more benefits than just as a substitute for traditional email. Among other things, it has proven its worth in as a way to provide pro-active customer service, increase customer engagement, and serve as a Web site traffic driver.

Despite the fact that its user numbers pale in comparison to Facebook, Twitter is a new communications paradigm that is not to be overlooked or underestimated, especially when you consider the average demographic is 35-44 (and skews up rather than down). No doubt about it, Twitter is a business tool. Users expect companies to have a presence there and look favorably upon those that do.

Those are some of the social media mindset markers I’ve noted. Whether the number is seven or 70, the truth is the way the Web works today is different than even a few years ago. We’ve turned the corner to a new era and can never go back. The train is leaving the station and it’s time to get on board!

Guest Blog Post by Paul Chaney – Author of The Digital Handshake

Paul Chaney, the Social Media Handyman, is a veteran Internet marketer, business blogger, popular speaker, social media consultant and coach.  Paul is also the Internet Marketing Director at Bizzuka.  You can connect with Paul on Twitter, Digital Handshake Website, and Facebook.

If you have any comments about this post or questions for Paul please post them below in the comments area.