One way to communicate directly with a targeted audience is to create a company news site, one that focuses on the company, its news and events, and industry issues. Maples Communications proposes creating a news site to the company’s global content onto a single page, updated and prioritized each day and laid out much like a newspaper.

Step one: Before you start, establish clear business objectives and metrics.

What surprises me is how many blogs and podcasts or even Facebook groups and Twitter sites are started as an executive pet project. That may relieve some pressure to demonstrate ROI, but as a marketer responsible for social media initiatives, you should never move off the starting mark without clear and measureable business goals.