Not since the invention of the business luncheon has there been a more powerful way for entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals to stay in touch with their clients than Facebook and other social media. In fact, I might venture that our digital tools have a leg up on afternoon martinis, given that it’s faster, less expensive, and allows us to reach dozens of people at a time.

To leverage your Facebook page to your advantage, though, you’re going to need to manage it the right way and avoid the most common pitfalls. Here are a few tips for using Facebook and other social networking sites to your advantage:

Act like a professional. Your Facebook page isn’t the place to post a detailed account of your drinking marathon, or rant about something that might offend one of your customers or colleagues. A surprising number of people forget that they’ve “friended” so many of their clients, and that each of their updates or ideas is going out to the men and women they do business with. What’s more, lots of the information on these sites is picked up by search engines, meaning that it could be nearly instantly accessible to someone who hasn’t even bought from you yet.

Be careful with photos and other media. A picture truly is worth a thousand words… or maybe tens of thousands of dollars if your best customer sees you doing something that doesn’t portray you in a good light. You don’t have to run every family vacation snapshot past a PR expert, but be careful about the photos and videos you share.

Keep private things private. In the same way, it’s a bad idea to talk about one of your clients personal or business details online. If you have any doubt whatsoever about whether they would want the information shared, then keep it to yourself.

Let your hair down. That doesn’t mean you have to be all business, though. One of the great things about social networking sites is that they allow you to share your personal side with the people who know you from a business setting. There’s nothing wrong with letting your customers know that you enjoyed a weekend away with your spouse, or that you just got a new puppy – these kind of details can strengthen your relationships with them, but use your better judgment.

Network. Online, it’s pretty easy to see who your clients are affiliated with, and it’s usually as easy as a quick e-mail to get an introduction. Treat Facebook and other social networking sites the same way you would any other professional networking setting – look for connections, but don’t be pushy about it.

Facebook might be a lot of fun, but it’s an also important business tool. That doesn’t mean you have to be thinking about sales and profits every time you log on, but you should probably remember that anything you say or post has the potential to be read by a client or prospect.