Social Media ROI: You’ve Just Got To Give It Time.

There are still so many people who either don’t understand, or underestimate the value of social media. The internet along with the dizzying array of social media platforms has -  for the first time in history – given people, professionals; and the small to large businesses a low to no cost vehicle to create community, build relationships and promote their businesses world wide. Social Media is “free” self-promotion.

Social Media At-A-Glance

With Social Media, you get you’re own TV station (YouTube). A way to broadcast new information and content on your blog (Twitter and Facebook). You can get your own magazine (Your website and blog). You can integrate all these things together, generate leads, get more traffic, make friends, create community, and make more money for your business if you focus on the quality of information, education and content you provide – along with the relationships you forge with people – and you get all of this without hefty price tag of traditional advertising and marketing expenses. (ie: radio, TV, direct mail) You get all this for free with one catch… Social Media is powered by people aka “sweat equity.”

How You Use Social Media, And How Much Time You Invest In It Is Up To You…

Start by listening, then start conversing. Yes, it may seem a little weird at first, but keep doing it any way. If you’re an entrepreneur, it may seem like a complete waste of time. It’s not. You may feel like no one cares. They do. You’d be surprised just how many people are keeping up with you and what you’re doing – even if you they don’t comment or reply to your post. Just keep doing it!

A few Minutes Here. A Few Minutes There.

True, it’s tempting to leave Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or your Twitter and Facebook stream on all the time (And you feel kinda like Mrs Kravitz on “Bewitched” – you know, the nosey neighbor!) so you can keep your finger on the pulse… but that can really turn into a time suck – it’s way too distracting. Yep, I’ve learned this the hard way, I fell into the trap. Guilty! Sometimes, it’s just too tempting to jump into the conversation then “wham” there goes all of your time… So, now, I touch base with Facebook and Twitter a couple of times a day – for a few minutes at a time… Social Media’s not a replacement for traditional marketing in the least, but it is a great way to meet like-minded people, stay current, build and strengthen relationships (personal and professional)

Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day….

It takes time, effort, patience to put a social media strategy into place. Just like building any business, developing on online presence takes time too. Relationships take work. Keep working on the relationships. Be of service to others. Be helpful. Share what you know. Give value, determine how much time you have to invest in social media, and give it some time to work for you! It will. It has for me, and it will for you too! And, hey, take those online relationships “offline” whenever you can…there’s nothing better than a real phone or Skype call to take those REALationships to a deeper level!