A Social Media Enthusiast asks:

How do I get the right return on my social media investment?

My take:

Since it is "social" media, it is a fundamental requirement that you are "social" to get the benefit of your participation.

Without a good social media strategy, chances are that you will engage in a lot of "social media activity" ( blogging, tweeting etc.) and at the end of the day, you will get tired by "social media fatigue."

The common tendency is to think that in order to be successful in social media, you have to do something "within" social media. That is only partially true. A lot of things that will help you succeed in social media are outside of the social media. Here are some things to consider:

1. The more powerful your personal brand, higher the effectiveness.

Whatever you say (irrespective of the social media) people are always looking at "who you are" before they decide on what is the value of what you said. Remember that not everyone will admit that their view of the content is influenced by the source. It is convenient to think that one should value the content based on the content and not the source. In real life though, source becomes important - way more important than you might be think.

2. The more accomplished you are, the more effective you are.

Unless you are a social media consultant or your business is social media, just by actively participating in social media, you will go nowhere. You need to have "valuable" accomplishments to make others take you seriously. Mind you, I am not saying that people won't engage with you if you don't have accomplishments but they may not transact with you just because you are "active" in social media.

[ I know that some of you will quote "exceptions" to this but for every exception (one who made it in social media,) there will be few hundred who will think that someday they will make it in social media ]

3.  The more valuable your contribution, the more effective you are

The bar for personal publishing has been lowered by social media. The tools are no longer a constraint. If you know how to write an email, you know how to blog and also spread the message of the blog post on variety of social networks automatically(thanks to Posterous)

So tools are not the problem - the playing field has been leveled there. The next thing is content. That is where you can make a difference. If you produce and publish great content every time you participate in social media, you will get noticed - sooner than later.

[ Just FYI - I love Posterous. In fact, you are reading this article probably on a blog that is powered by Poseterous ]

4. The stronger your relationships, the more effective you are

It takes a LONG time to build good relationships - online and offline. You might think you have a lot of close friends. The question to ask is - "do these close friends of yours think that you are in their inner circle?"

Social media or not, if you invest in the relationships and contribute to their growth, a part of them will reciprocate back and contribute to your growth.

5. The nicer you are, the more effective you are

Yes, there are exceptions where loudmouths are popular but typically nice people get ahead in social media. If you are nice and helpful, people remember you and want to help you back at the first available opportunity.

6. The longer you stay, the more effective you are

Longevity wins big time in social media. There are so many people that commit social media suicide prematurely. They want quick results and they want them now. Unfortunately like anything else, it takes time for you to see results in social media. You can see a lot of activity quickly but if you want to see "real results," it takes time.

7. The more knowledgeable you are, the more effective you are

Tools are simple but the knowledge about "how best to use them" is not simple yet. It is in your best interest to invest in learning how best to leverage all the social media tools. If you don't have the patience, you can hire an expert to help you educate on the tools and how best to use them.

8. More sophisticated your strategy, the more effective you are

One of the strengths (and weaknesses) of social media is that it is very easy to start taking action in social media. You can start "doing" things almost right away. Want to blog, tweet or setup a video - you can start doing all of them in probably minutes. However, thinking about a solid social media strategy will take time, energy and thinking. But that's what will make a difference in the end.

The analogy is that you can start running (participating in social media) but if you don't decide on the direction (strategy for participating in social media) you are running, you may not reach your goal.

Last but not the least:

9. The more humble you are, the more you get out of social media.

If you are a "know it all," you will not be open to learning and you will not be open to help. Social media as a domain is fast-changing and there is no way you can be an "expert" at any point in time. Your humility will keep you on your toes and will probably will keep you in a mood of wonder - always open to new possibilities.

A few related links:

1. Squidoo: Blogging Starter Checklist

2. Life Beyond Code: 10 Things They Didn't Tell You About Blogging

3. Life Beyond Code: 10 More Things They Didn't Tell You About Blogging

4. Life Beyond Code: 10 Additional Things They Didn't Tell You About Blogging

5. Life Beyond Code: 11 Ways to Kill Your Blog

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More about Rajesh Setty
Blog: Life Beyond Code | Twitter: @UpbeatNow | Website: Rajesh Setty | Have a Question?