I must have read hundreds of articles about why I should spend time on social media. And I have spent time reading articles about new tools that makes me save time and maximize my presence in social media to make it profitable. One of the most common questions I get is: “What is the return on investment on this initiative?”

There is a tendency to compare apples to pears, so I believe it is important to define “profitable”. Is it the number of new clients, increased revenue and profit as well as conversion of leads beyond traditional marketing only? Or should we even add things like number of referrals, percentage of returning clients and idea generation for new products and services as well?

Could it even be defined as profitable to be perceived as an authority within your area of expertise, to become the GO-TO-PERSON attracting new business opportunities through more PULL than PUSH? I believe so, and the challenge lies in the traditional calculations of return on investment. It takes time to build a trustworthy social media presence, and to be seen as a savvy social media player, you need to make the media you select support your unique position as a professional.

I understand that people might be hesitant to start blogging or using social media when there is an expectation to come up with something new all the time. Is this really necessary to be perceived as a contributor and effective social media user? From my own experience after supporting more than 100 professionals in embracing social media for themselves, there are 3 main reasons why some succeed and others don’t:

First, savvy, successful social media players are brave enough to share personal information without being private. Second, they are confident in what they want to use social media for and communicating this consistently. Finally, the savviest, most successful ones are the ones who share and acknowledge other people’s content whilst adding their own perspective to it.

People appreciate sharing, acknowledgement and new perspectives. And they want to do business with other people, not brands. This is what makes your social media investment profitable or not. In which way can you apply this in your professional situation?

More hints and tips on this will be available as part of YourVirtualArena.

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