The buzz surrounding social media continues to whip into a tornado-like frenzy. But before you ditch everything you learned in Kansas and set off for the Social Emerald City remember that many of the basics you practiced back on the farm still apply.

Know your customer. What’s important to them? How do they seek out information? Find out how (or even if) your consumers use social media.

Consider your strategy. Think about how social media can help you reach the goals you’ve already set. Don’t re-invent the wheel – just give the wheel a little more traction.

There’s no place like home. And “home” is where you want your customers to end up. Is it on your website? At your event? On your side? In your store, office or facility? On the phone? In your database? Be Dorothy-like in your quest to get customers home.

So if all the flying monkey hype surrounding social media has sent you looking for a field of poppies to plop down in, relax. @kansas is actually a lot more like Kansas than Oz. Sure, social media is a paradigm shift for marketers. But at its most basic level, social media is people having conversations online. And people have been having similar conversations over back fences in Kansas for generations.