Business owners are in a unique position of PR and marketing with the popularity of social media creating an entirely new map to consider. Multi-channel marketing now includes online social media as a channel that is relevant to branding and selling. As more marketers have realized the potential that social media holds, there has been a social networking push in corporate and business marketing.

So why are so many businesses giving up or failing at their social media marketing attempts?

Many businesses enter social media with the anticipation of immediate results, and a misunderstanding of the true ROI and how social networking effects business strategy.

Social media marketing is not instant, it is not a strategy to implement this week and anticipate huge shifts in the metrics next week. It takes time, focused effort and a clear view of how social media fits into your overall business strategy.

The primary mistake that many business owners are making is to consider social media as a sales cycle. It is NOT a sales cycle. It is a Social Media Ecology and Engagement Lifecycle.  What is the difference?

An ecology lifecycle takes into account the full landscape of your business, the communities involved in your business and the interaction between those communities. It is the lifecycle of interaction that takes place within and between your networks and business.

Do not lock your business into the mindset of seeing your social profiles as part of a sales cycle or strategy, because if you do you will become frustrated and throw in the social towel before the real mojo starts to brew.

The bottom line is that it’s going to take time to build a successful social media strategy, and time for the full social media ecology and engagement lifecycle to unfold.  This means that you must set aside some time every day to check your social profiles, your blogs and your networks in general. Take the time to approve your comments, answer questions and engage your community.

How much time should you set aside for your social strategy? That depends on the shape, scope and size of your Business Keyword DNA and your current time constraints. It may be more effective for you to hire an expert and allow them to manage your networks and increase engagement. It’s far better to pay someone to manage your network, than it is to try to do it yourself half-heartedly.

Remember that as long as you are creating powerful content, offering your community value through the four types of interaction and following the ecological mindset, you will develop your brand every day that you spend on social media.

Your ROI will come, and like any endeavor, the effort of intention and energy that you place into your social value, will be the ROI that you convert to cash value later on.

Erika Preuss for Corp. Social Networking
and Technology Goddess