Many times I am asked "What is the ROI of Social Networking?" 

The answer is often unclear, ask any Social Media person.  It is unclear because many of the Returns you receive cannot be measured in terms of dollars, or numbers. 

As I tell many of my clients, the possibilities are endless with regard to Social Networking.  The benefits may be new customers, better customer service, new suppliers, media exposure, new friendships, new business deals, knowledge on product &/or websites, and so much more!  You learn more so much from open and honest dialogue with, essentially, the world!  The audience is the largest you'll ever encounter. 

As I have been attending functions and reading articles online, I have been listening and brainstorming on the other possible terms that could and should be used with regard to Social Networking, and the "Returns" we receive.  What's your favorite? 

ROR - Return on Relationship
ROE - Return on Engagement
ROL - Return on Loyalty
ROK - Return on Knowledge

Let me being by saying WOW!  I really enjoyed listening to the Keynote presentation by Guy Kawasaki for the Social Media Success Summit 2010.   I have shared some of the highlights below.  Be sure to check back as the Summit will continue over the next three weeks, with a large variety of speakers, including Ramone DeLeon and Chris Brogan.

Guy Kawasaki Keynote highlights:



How to Use Twitter as a Marketing Weapon

• Monitor
• Engage
• Sell
• Support
• Prospect
• Get more followers (step 1) - Find good content
• Get more followers (step 20 - Tweet it out

Indispensable Tools

• Twitter client: Tweetdeck
• Build traffic: Tweetmeme (disclosure: advisor)
• Collection of Twitter marketing tips: How to Use Twitter for Marketing.alltop
• Aggregation of Twitter news and tips: Twitter.alltop
• Analysis of retweeting: Retweeterati.alltop

The Only Best Practice That You Need to Know: Get retweeted!

Q - #1   So @SocialNetNanny, what bring you to MN - Born here? Moved here? Started college here?

A:   Moved to MN when I was a toddler, moved away for 13 years when married, been back for 10. True Minnesotan at heart

Q - #2   Great. So with a Twitter handle of @SocialNetNanny, what is it that you do for work?

A:   W/a passion 4 Social Networking, I help people w/business to utilize SN...often posting or tweeting for their biz.

Q - #3   So is it coaching them, or more of taking on clients and doing Social Media for them?

A:   I tailor the needs to each client. Some enjoy learning, others don't have desire or time 4 Social Networking.

Some previous clients hire me if they have large projects that take them away for 1-2 weeks from normal work schedules.

Q - #4   Okay. So then are there certain fields of biz that you target with your service?

A:   Most people find me by recommendation of past clients...or they see me here on Twitter & inquire (part 1 of 2)

Background is online retail, so experience w/my retail site (http://www.OldWorldLimited.com) is helpful.(part 2 of 2)

Q - #5   Great to get that experience! So being in the SM field, where do you see it going in the next few years?

A: ?????

Want to see the answer to Question #5, and the rest of my Twitterview - go to Joel's page where the complete Twitterview is located.

Social Networking Nanny Twitterview

Week in Review April 11-17

Twitter

April 11

'Twitter used to predict box office hits'
Micro-blogging service Twitter can be used to predict the future
box-office takings of blockbuster films, according to researchers at
Hewlett Packard (HP).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8612292.stm

April 13

'Twitter releases new advertising platform: promoted tweets.'

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2010/04/13/twitter-releases-advertising-platform-promoted-tweets/

April 14

'Google search across the Twitter archive': Starting today, you can zoom to any point in time and “replay” what people were saying publicly about a topic on Twitter.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/replay-it-google-search-across-twitter.html

April 16

Tweet Your Way Into a Job'

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/69774.html?wlc=1271451448


Facebook

April 13

'Facebook Launches Help Center to Address Concerns About Child Safety'

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/04/13/facebook-launches-safety-center/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20InsideFacebook%20%28Inside%20Facebook%29

April 14

'Each Facebook Fan Is Worth $3.60 Annually'

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/each-facebook-fan-is-worth-360-annually/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

April 16

'TV stations: Using social media more, streaming newscasts less'

http://www.cyberjournalist.net/tv-stations-using-social-media-more-streaming-newscasts-less/

April 17

'College Offers Facebook Sociology Course'

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/facebook-sociology-course/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

April 17

"A report from the Network Box shows that 6.8 percent of all the URLs accessed by businesses goes to Facebook and 10 percent of internet bandwidth goes to Youtube. The report also found that Google attracted 3.4 percent of all URLs, followed by Yahoo!’s image server YIMG at 2.8 percent."

f-business-internet-traffic-goes-to-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29">http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/report-6f-business-internet-traffic-goes-to-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

Social Media / Social Networking

April 14

'Social Media Basics for Business'

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/experts/article/_a/social-media-basics-for-business/20100323154909990001?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl2|link6|http://smallbusiness.aol.com/experts/article/_a/social-media-basics-for-business/20100323154909990001

April 14

SEO & Social Networking

http://www.thewebco.co.nz/blog/seo-social-networking.html

Social Networking

April 6

3 Tools to Help You Share Microcontent Online

http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/04/microcontent-sharing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20OnlineMarketingSEOBlog%20%28Online%20Marketing%20Blog%29

April 7

Social Media is Simpler Than You Think

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/184887

April 7

The 5 C's of Nurturing the Human Element in Social Media

1) Create
2) Connect
3) Communicate
4) Care
5) Cultivate

http://socialmediatoday.com/SMC/186972

April 9

How can small companies make money from social media?

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/04/08/social.media.small.biz/

Twitter

April 6

Twitter is not a 'Build it and they will come'

http://blog.socialnetworkingnanny.com/2010/04/05/twitter-is-not-a-build-it-and-they-will-come-scenario.aspx

Facebook

April 5

Facebook Services to Remain Free

http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/04/facebook-services-to-stay-free.html

April 6

Would You Change Your Facebook Name For A Job?

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/would-you-change-your-facebook-name-for-a-job/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

April 7

Facebook Clarifies New Privacy Policy, Moving Forward With Changes

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/facebook-clarifies-new-privacy-policy-process-moving-forward-with-new-privacy-policy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

April 10

10 Secrets To Creating Your Brand's Facebook Presence

1. Build it, and they might come
2. Establish your page with real customers
3. Talk like a "friend"
4. Content is king
5. World premier
6. Be open
7. Remove and report
8. Act "like"able
9. Invite participation
10. Friends of Fans

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/04/brand-facebook-presence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

Social Networking

March 29

Scott County Deputy CIO Perry Mulcrone will get areal Google tattoo if Google chooses Scott County for High-Speed Fiber.

http://www.shakopeenews.com/news/general_news/video_mulcrone_gets_google_tattoo_cause-103

April 1

My Twitterview by @JoelECarlson

http://joelecarlson.posterous.com/notes-of-twitterview-22-with-lanae-paaverud-s

Facebook

March 29

'Facebook to Let You 'Like' the Entire Web

http://www.switched.com/2010/03/26/facebook-to-let-you-like-the-entire-web/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl5|link5|http://www.switched.com/2010/03/26/facebook-to-let-you-like-the-entire-web/

March 30

YouTube Increases Facebook Connect Functionality

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/03/youtube-increases-facebook-connect-functionality/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

Facebook Users Will Soon "Like" a Page to Becomea Fan, not "Become a Fan"

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/03/29/facebook-users-will-soon-like-a-page-to-become-a-fan-not-become-a-fan/

April 1

Minnesota Govenor Tim Pawlenty Hosts Town Hall On Facebook

http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/03/govenor-tim-pawlenty-hosts-town-hall-on-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20allfacebook%20%28Facebook%20Blog%29

Grocery Stores Emphasize Recipes, Coupons onFacebook

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/03/31/grocery-stores-emphasize-recipes-coupons-on-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20InsideFacebook%20%28Inside%20Facebook%29

April 2

'Facebook Creates New Kind of “Unofficial” CommunityPages'

"So many people have been creating unofficialFacebook Pages that the company has a new version of the featureavailable for them today, called “Community Pages.”

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/04/01/facebooks-creates-new-kind-of-unofficial-community-pages/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20InsideFacebook%20%28Inside%20Facebook%29

I don't often beg and plead, but today I am reminding you...do NOT ignore your Twitter accounts!  I know many businesses have set up business Twitter ID's when they set up their Fan pages on Facebook.  Then they used the handy-dandy tool that auto-tweets all Fan page posts to Twitter.  Yep, I agree...that's cool and time saving.

However, unless you are a Fortune 500 company, or a widely known actor...it is not going to be a Field of Dreams scenario of 'Build it and they will come.' 

Twitter is a two-way communication tool, just as many other Social Networking tools are.  If you don't have the time to be on Twitter every day, at least sign in once a week and check for new followers, new DM's (that aren't Spam), and new comments directly written to you.  Nothing can turn a potential client off faster than asking a question on Twitter, and getting no response.  Believe it or not, many people who use Twitter are not active users on Facebook  

I highly suggest that when you are on Twitter, join in some chatter, or drop in some non-business chat that others might find interesting.  Show that you're human, and not a bot only there to advertise do no Social Networking. 

Who knows......you may end up liking it

Lanae
Social Networking Nanny
Twitter ~ SocialNetNanny