Here are 3 vitally important points to consider in regard to social media initiatives…

1. Is there any ROI in Social Media?

I am asked this In short, there is ROI in social media IF you understand the dynamics involved and leverage them to produce traffic, action and sales for your business.

There is also another measure of ROI called Return On Influence, a term coined by Michael Goeghegan. Return on influence is the art of rallying people to your message, channel or website/blog through pure social influence.

Whether you produce return on investment or return on influence… There IS a return IF you understand the 10 points I made in a previous post.

2. Never let someone else tell you which networks to use

We have been exploring the technical side of social media for quite some time. Testing, testing, testing. We were trying to locate the “magic” combination. We did not begin this exploration on a whim. We were literally inundated with strategy after strategy. As a service to our private membership we were obligated to explore these strategies to see if they held any merit.

Bottom line… There is no “magic” to social media initiatives. Just like any other business, It takes dedication and hard work providing “real” value to people. The only difference between social media marketing and Internet marketing is that social media focuses on people and two way communication where traditional Internet marketing does not.

When choosing your networks there is a system for determining which networks YOU should use. Basically choose your networks (just a handful of them) that best support your effort in establishing relationships with your target audience. Never let anyone tell you any different.

The actual process for choosing your networks is a bit involved but well worth the effort if your intent is sincere.

3. Focus on high quality content and the rest happens automatically

When you set up your social media network “the right way” then all you need to focus on is producing high quality content for your target audience. When you are “networked correctly” then the release of high quality content fosters immediate growth of your brand, reach and exposure through direct social interaction, new followers and increased search engine visibility through SEO 2.0.

SEO 2.0 is a new paradigm that is born from social media. When you focus on your community with laser targeted, high quality content then your search engine rankings, reach, exposure and growth will happen without any effort on your part other than the quality content you create and the interactions you have with your community.

What other elements do you consider important when considering a social media initiative?

Learn how to apply Social Media and SEO 2.0 to your business click here.

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