I want to share a little secret with you…

When it comes to social media, it doesn’t matter how many LinkedIn contacts, Facebook friends, or Twitter followers you have in your network.

In fact, guess what? No one really cares!

What does matter, and what people do care about is the value you add to your network and how you contribute to the communities you are a part of.

What matters is that you understand and invest in learning what your audience cares about, what they need, and what would help them the most!

Social media is about sharing and giving without expecting anything in return.

With this approach, you will build your reputation and soon be considered a valuable resource for your network. You will also elevate your expert status and increase your brand visibility.

Here are some ways you can add value to your social networks and leverage social media to build your brand and market your business.

Participate in LinkedIn Answers. Look for questions from other business professionals that relate to your products and services. This is a great opportunity to contribute to your social network, share your expertise, and build your website traffic.

Post links to valuable information you find online. While social media does provide you an opportunity to share your own blog posts and information, it is also important to share links to other good information and content you find online. You can increase your return on sharing other people’s good blog posts by leaving a valuable comment on the post before you share the link to it.

Engage in conversation! If someone comments on a post or forwards it or retweets it, respond and thank them or comment back. Your replies, comments, forwards, and retweets are just as valuable as your original posts because it shows your audience you’re listening to them too.

Recommend other experts. If someone in your network provides great value or helps you out, give them a little boost and mention them in your social networking communities. Show them you appreciate the presentation they gave, the blog post they wrote, the lunch you had together, or the ebook you read, etc. Mention them by name and include a link to their website, program, registration page, or blog post. Some social networks like Twitter, have applications (Mr. Tweet) specifically for recommending other Tweeters.

Remember, social media is about providing value and social networking is about contributing to a community. If you always think first of your audience and how you can help them, you will become a social media rock star in your niche and seriously build your brand equity.