Some people only use social media marketing because it’s fun. But eventually, in order to justify time or monies spent, you need to discover your ROI -return on investment. 

Deeptaman Mukherjee  of Watblog wrote a good article regarding ROI entitled “Social Media – Its Power, ROI & Marketing.”  Here is just a taste of what he had to say…

Social Media has emerged as the single largest viral marketing source in recent times. I doubt if there is a close second spot to it. The immense online advertising opportunities it holds are utilized in every walks of life viz. politics, marketing, branding, networking etc. The power of Social Media lies in its ability to build up a relationship damn quickly and being able to sustain with it over a period of time. It is amazing to interpret from this research that it is women who rule the social media usage over men; and this ‘relationship’ funda which is considered emotional to some extent strikes the correct chords with them.

Read the complete article at http://www.watblog.com/2009/03/25/social-media-its-power-roi-marketing/ 

Are you thinking about what your strategy should be for 2009?

While your competition is sweating bullets deciding how they will participate in the “recession”, take a proactive step and do what they don’t and probably won’t do… implement a strategy to benefit from Social Media.

Here’s our first article we liked entitled: “What Is Your Company’s Social Media Marketing Strategy?” -  Social media websites have become some of the most profitable and powerful locations on the Web. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others are keeping internet users linked by age, preferences, interests and many other qualifiers – and our SEO company has certainly benefited from using social media as part of our overall online marketing plan.  If your business is not tapping into that market by now, what are you waiting for?

You can develop a strategy to interact with your customer base on the social media websites they use most often, or you can reach out to prospective customer on niche networks that suit your brand.  You can also use the functions of social media to enhance your customer service by responding to and remedying problems as soon as they arise.  This can help nip potential problems in the bud, and your customers may feel better served and more connected when this is an option. Read more of this article at:  http://seogroup.com/blog/what-is-your-companys-social-media-marketing-strategy/370/

(Make sure to download the PDF available in this article.) Our next post we liked is entitled: “The 7 Must-Haves In Your Social Media Strategy.”
It’s fantastic that interest in social media is so high, but I’m alarmed at the number of brands and agencies that are ready to jump into social media to take “advantage” of audience concentration in Facebook, Twitter, and other fast-growth outposts. What’s lacking in most social media programs is an actual strategy.

If you don’t know precisely why you’re in social media, with whom you want to engage, and how you’re going to measure success, you’re not ready to start.

I use a 7-step Social Media Strategy Worksheet to create a framework that governs what the initiative aims to accomplish.  (Click link to download.)

Read more of this article at: http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2008/12/its_fantastic_that_interest_in.html

You may have seen this before, but I think it sheds some light on the nuances that words can make…

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You went up to her and say “I am very rich. Marry me”.
That’s DIRECT MARKETING

You are at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, “He is very rich. Marry him”.
That’s ADVERTISING

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you called her and say, “Hi, I am very rich. Marry me”.
That’s TELEMARKETING.

You are at a party and see a beautiful girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, ‘By the way, I’m very rich. Will you marry me?’.
That’s PUBLIC RELATIONS.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich”.
That’s BRAND RECOGNITION.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, “I am very rich. Marry me”.
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That’s CUSTOMER FEEDBACK. 
-Unknown