ROI in networking and social media seems to be the hardest part to calculate. And it is. Those who try the hardest are usually those who get the least return.
I read two interesting articles and I came to the same conclusion after reading both of them. One was Maki's article on social media on DoshDosh and the other one was by Jason Alba (author of I'm on LinkedIn - Now What and I'm on Facebook - Now What) on networking.
ROI is Return On Investment. That means you have to invest to get a return, right? In networking or social media, you need to invest too, and it's not money you're investing. You are investing time, personality, friendship and favors. Otherwise, your network becomes nothing more than a phone book, a collection of names and contact information. They're no good if you don't invest in the relationship with the people in your network. You won't have any net-work without the work.
The same goes for your "friends" in social media. If you collect friends for the sole reason to spam them with your stuff, you're going to loose them soon. Friendships are by nature a win-win relationship. I give - you give. And you need to start by giving to build up that friendship before you can start receiving.
So if you're thinking of going into social media, consider how much you are willing to invest in it, because with out investment, there will be no return.
Hjörtur
Something to think about.
Posted by: Jeremy Jacobs | April 18, 2008 at 01:24 PM