tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52927581775909977012011-07-29T22:50:11.659-07:00Vesta Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494488530874259407noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292758177590997701.post-2668914049170434812011-07-26T11:59:00.000-07:002011-07-26T11:59:05.276-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ibdata.intellibuilder.net/vestadigital/files/Blog/173/454/impact-of-social-media_180x120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ibdata.intellibuilder.net/vestadigital/files/Blog/173/454/impact-of-social-media_180x120.jpg" /></a></div>Are your social media efforts paying off? Only if you know what to measure.<br /><br />The proof that social media marketing works is not measured in ROI or sales but rather in retention and what happens as a result of your social media marketing efforts. The frequent questions executives and business owners ask are: “How much money will I make?” and “How many new sales will I have? While logical, these questions are not necessarily the right questions. <a href="http://www.vestadigital.com/home/products/social-media-platform.aspx">With social media</a>, it is not how much you make but how much of a difference your social media efforts make to attract new customers.<br /><br />Even though social media has great potential, many organizations do not properly integrate social media in their marketing and communication efforts. The underlining point is that social media is not a one-way communication channel, but instead a medium for listening, analyzing, and driving those conversations. The companies that realize the full potential of social media are not only experimenting with multiple channels, but also creating metrics to measure impact and using new tools to understand how to enter into a new conversation with their customers. <br /><br />How does an organization gain not only an understanding of their audience’s social network but know when and how to reach out to a customer or prospect?<br /><ul class="list-talk" style="list-style-type: circle;"><li>Listen </li><li>Segment</li><li>Engage</li><li>Gain Expertise and Validation</li></ul><h4>Range of Social Relationships</h4><a href="http://www.collectiveintellect.com/blog/do-social-customers-really-want-a-relationship-with-your-brand">Jen Roberts</a> offers her scientific break-down from a customer perspective of their interest in being ‘friends’ with your organization as follows:<br /><ul class="list-talk"><li>Don’t talk to me. Ever. I’m still recovering from our last encounter.</li><li>I don’t want to be your friend but I do need answers. Where can I find them?</li><li>I like you and I’ve clicked a button.</li><li>I like you and love discounts. Let’s talk.</li><li>I love you and I want to co-create.</li></ul><h4>Benefits of Social Media</h4>One of the benefits of social media is that it can help reinforce existing ties and that is one way of looking at consumer relationship; the strength of that tie between the consumer and your brand. Analyzing and filtering for consumer insights or preferences is a critical piece for surfacing consumer intentions that can provide a unique perspective on the degree to which a consumer wants to be engaged.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5292758177590997701-266891404917043481?l=vestadigital.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Vesta Digitalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494488530874259407noreply@blogger.com1