Last week, I commented on the BusinessWeek article Debunking Six Social Media Myths.

As I shared the excitement of being "published" in such a notorious publication, it also brought about further discussion (with both colleagues and clients) in regard to what I call the "courtship phase" of social media planning - or getting to really know your organization before putting down a deposit on the honeymoon suite.

Here's some thought starters:

1) What is your current level of engagement with your target audience?
Take a look at the chart below. Where are you? Where can you reasonably expect to be in 6 mos., 1 year, 2 years?

2) Do you have buy-in from all levels of your company?
Sure, starting with the executive suite and running it by the lawyers are great, but how about the mid-managers, and the rest of the troops? These are the folks that are going to carry your message and really tell your story. Solicit their input from the start - not on the launch date.

3) How will you sustain continued communication? Social media is a 24/7 committment. Due to the level of involvement, many organizations are creating new positions, such as a Social Media Manager, and/or identifying individuals to regularly (not randomly) participate.

4) Take a thorough assessment of your target audience.
Go beyond the traditional demographic data and delve into the interests, hobbies, and non-work-related activities of your current employees - especially those that have been around for a while. Remember - every employee and potential new hire are, in fact, "media snacking" consumers.

5) Integrate, integrate, integrate!
Social media plans are not stand-alone campaigns. Ensure that all elements integrate within both internal and external marcom plans.

6) Monitor, measure, and modify.
Don't expect to get it 100% right the first time. Be prepared to hit a few bumps. And, be weary of those who aren't able to demonstrate how social media will meet your goals and objectives.