Social Media can be a very powerful marketing tool, and can be both measured and tied to business ROI. It all starts with setting the proper expectations and objectives at the beginning. Asking what you want to accomplish with social media will help you come up with tactics which execute those objectives. Objectives also drive KPIs (key performance indicators), which will help you figure out how you can measure the success of your endeavors.
The first thing to do when establishing a social media strategy with real business outcomes is to set objectives.
These objectives go back to the question of why your business is turning to social media in the first place. Do you want to establish a cheaper customer service outlet? Increase sales on your website? Improve brand awareness by integrating yourself into your local community? All of these objectives can be achieved via social media – they just have to be articulated first. — How To Create A Social Media Strategy That Makes Sense For Your Bottom Line by Lauren Dugan
