VIDEO: Social Media ROI

Your social media strategy must be a part of your comprehensive marketing plan. Tactical components from a social media campaign can fail, if they are not properly aligned with your company's goals. There is a return on investment (ROI) when using social media tools and it can be measured. Don't believe me? Watch this video:

Generate INcome, not IFcome

One of my esteemed colleagues, Eric Jaquith, gave me this advice. He said, "I like INcome, not IFcome.” It resonated in my mind at the Atlanta Bloggers meetup tonight. As I enjoyed the collaboration and transparency of the attendees, it was crystal clear who had a working business plan in place.

To create income, evaluate what actions are truly helping you reach your goals. Focus on the bottom line and which resources are referring profitable leads. Measuring your daily activities and the results or losses generated is a critical component of your continued success.

There are some causes that I choose to support like the American Cancer Society, because the return on investment is more than a financial gain. It is important to pay-it-forward. This doesn't mean that you allow people to take advantage of your kindness, time and the expertise that you provide. Be aware of your activities that produce more income and less ifcome.

Say What You Need to Say

The true beauty of social media is that we can harness its' powers to generate win-win opportunities. You will see a better ROI if you do more than just monitor the social media activities of your customers and competitors.

The song, "Say", by John Mayer is my social networking anthem. It inspired me to stop lurking in social media communities and start contributing. It is a bonus that John Mayer has over 2 million followers on Twitter from his authentic tweets.

Is it time for you to take a leap of faith, continue to listen and finally participate in the online conversations about your industry or company?