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Online social networking and social media marketing are the hottest new tools in the business promotion arsenal. These tools are not only extremely effective for "growing the brand," but for advancing the reputations and careers of executives, owners, and managers alike. Customers love the ability to interact directly and personally with these businesspeople. Paradoxically, the singular most common complaint of online social networking and social media marketing is the significant demand of time.

So how does an executive or entrepreneur reap the benefits of online social networking and social media marketing for the minimal investment of time? Smart businesspeople turn to S.A.M., the three-part process for optimizing the efficiency of the online social networking and social media marketing process.

Meet S.A.M.

The key to successfully reaping the benefits of online social networking and social media marketing is to provide genuine interaction for customers. This means the contact person must be the actual author of all communications; however, this is only one-step in the process of conducting a successful online social networking campaign. It is basic business economics, delegating duties to free the time of key individuals in the organization produces a larger return on the time investment. S.A.M. includes Strategic Planning, Authorship, and Mechanics.

Strategic Planning

An online social networking/social media marketing campaign must be a part of the overall public relations, marketing and advertising plan for the business. Entrepreneurs and executives often have review and oversight of public relations, marketing, and advertising plans but seldom if ever micromanage the development and deployment of these plans.

Determining where best to conduct online social networking and social media marketing efforts requires 20 to 30 percent of the time spent each week on an optimal program. Delegating this aspect of the process to a consultant or other highly trained team member saves the executive significant time.

Authorship

This is the part of the process that must be completely the original work and words of the business' contact person. Customers choosing to participate in online social networking with the management and owners of a business expect—even demand—that their interactions actually be with the executive.
Everyone in the online social networking industry took notice of the backlash against Britney Spears when it was discovered that ghostwriters wrote her social networking interactions. On the other hand, multiple celebrities have learned that contributing to their own blogs, Twitters, and social networking efforts creates fan loyalty.

Business people who author their own articles, blog entries, and speeches find that the time required is small compared to the favorable response received from audiences and customers. In most cases, authorship requires less than 10 percent of the time spent on online social networking and social media marketing each week.