Social Media, Your Website

Are you getting a return on your social media investment?

As business owners we are always focused on the bottom line and where to spend our time and money. This concern especially applies when a new business tool comes onto the map. Our first question is what’s our return on investment? But sometimes this is the wrong question to ask. When beginning with social media for your business, it’s time to stop thinking about your return on investment. I know this goes against our grain as a smart business owner. But let me explain why social media is different than regular forms of advertising.

1. It’s all about relationships- When you attend a business networking event are you focused on the return on investment? No, because you realize it’s all about building relationships. These relationships strengthen and grow into new clients, referral partners, or joint venture relationships. It takes time to create these types of relationships. If you went to one networking event and didn’t get a new client right away from the event would you stop networking? Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Youtube, and all social media are exactly the same. Don’t give up after a week of using social media and say I just didn’t see the return on my investment. You’re building those relationships! In my opinion, the relationships I’ve built through social media have become invaluable.

2. The value of listening- Sometimes the investment isn’t always as noticeable, because it comes in the form of listening to your clients or potential clients. Listening via social media to see what is missing in the marketplace is a perfect way to make social media work for you. After hearing a customer complaint and responding via social media; you can easily turn an unhappy customer into your biggest evangelist! Jet Blue on Twitter is a perfect example of using social media as a listening tool. Their twitter profile says “Have a question? Follow us and let us help!”. They quickly respond to questions ranging from lost baggage to in-flight entertainment. So you can look to Jet Blue’s lead and listen to your customers via social media. Everyone’s got questions it’s whether or not they are turning to you or your competitors for the answers.

3. Add personality to your business- Stand out from the crowd! Inject some personality into your business! Social media allows us to put our personality in front of our business brand. And as small business owners we have a huge advantage over corporations. Corporations have to hire others to represent them, where as small business owners, we are the brand. So go ahead talk about your kids, your favorite music, your hobbies, and more on social media. Even though this doesn’t have to do with your business, it adds personality to your business. We want to work with those we know, like, and trust. Some people wonder about why you would talk about your son’s birthday, because that doesn’t relate to work. But this goes back to relationship building. Would you prefer to work with someone who went to the same college as you or enjoys playing tennis just like you? So don’t be afraid to talk about your personal life on social media.

So maybe you can’t get an exact calculation of return on investment, but isn’t building relationships what it’s all about? In addition to networking in person you can take it online to build some amazing relationships.

Jennifer Haubein publishes “SiteNotes” a FREE award winning ezine for small business owners who want a website that actually works. If you’re ready to let your website do the work, check out my FREE video series at http://www.AutomateYourBizVideos.com.