The question of Return on Investment (ROI) from social media is not going away. Yes, social media can impact sales and revenue (and ultimately it should if done well) but getting hung up on it is the reason why so many social media strategies fall by the wayside at an early stage. Shift thinking to customer retention, sentiment increase, queries answered versus pre-social media introduction, product feedback, and advocate creation. That way, you are well on the way to having a nice, rounded ROI picture. Nielsen recently conducted a study about what drives consumer trust, and 70% of respondents said they turn to friends and family for advice when making a purchase decision. And most people communicate today with friends and family via social media. We have also found that people trust what their friends and family have to say more than traditional advertising. With the number of people using social media platforms to convey their trusted recommendations now reaching the billions, the investment in social media should be a no-brainer. Social media is a very powerful tool for building long-term relationships with your customers, but it also offers a number of other benefits, such as greater brand awareness, stronger brand loyalty, increased word-of-mouth, improved understanding of customer needs and a better and faster way to reach your customers. All of these advantages make social media a worthwhile investment for your business.