Social media helped win the White House in 2008. It will no doubt play a defining role in the 2012 election. Where do the President and Senator Romney stand in social media? Best-selling social media author and founder of Resonate Social, Eric Harr, scores the candidates—and gives them advice.

FOUR YEARS AGO, the Washington Post dubbed Barack Obama the “King of Social Media.”

It was a fitting sobriquet. After all, Obama used the untested new medium to flat-out out-fox and out-run the most well-oiled, well-entrenched political machine of our time in the Clintons.

But Obama’s secrets are no longer. The GOP is poised to pounce and will likely use everything they learned, with a potent mix of new tactics, to rocket Romney to victory in November.

There’s a lot on the line with social media. Experts believe the race will come down to a few swing states where undecideds can be won over in the high-touch trenches of social.

Before I score the candidates, we need some perspective:

One: while social media is the fastest-growing form of communication in history, tens of millions of Americans don’t use it. They typically skew older—and theyvote. Through rain, sleet or snow, they vote…con sarnit! The question will be: Can the President galvanize voters via social the way he did in 2008? 

Two: It’s not that I have a man-crush on Obama’s social strategy, it’s that his team has been crushing it since 2007. He has a 5-year head start on Romney. So, take these numbers with a grain of salt. Romney will likely gain ground this year. (At least, he’d better.)

TWITTER

Twitter is an epicenter for real-time news and can move messages far, fast and wide. It’s an immensely-powerful tool, particularly when you are making movements and rallying people to a cause.

Let’s start with POTUS. He has 14,728,496 followers. That’s a veritable horde. But, “followers”? Well, they’re a vanity metric. To find out how much those 14 million can truly move the needle for the President, we need to go deeper into what I call the “metrics that matter.” For example, “Tweetreach” reflects the engagement level and influence of one’s followers. I tried to run a “Tweetreach” on the President, and the API froze four times. That means it’s a big number. (After working my way through an entire glass of Pinot, I finally prevailed; POTUS’s Tweetreach is 17,482,001.)

But, the President isn’t perfect on Twitter. A timeline speaks volumes about a person (or a brand). For example, the President very rarely @replies, which gives the impression that he doesn’t listen.

Mr. President, save the soaring oratory for speeches, and use Twitter to listenand respond to your constituency. Social media isn’t a marketing, media or messaging channel. It’s a human relationship. Twitter is a two-way conversation. @replying a dozen or so times a day will make it at least appear that you care and that you are listening to people’s very-real woes. Town hall it, Mr. President.

With 467,813 followers and a downright anemic Tweetreach of 27,383, Mitt is in deep s—. That’s an awful disparity. It means the Senator has a lot of followers who are milling about the party, staring at each other—and worst of all: not drinking! It confirms what many critics say about Senator Romney: that he’s not compelling enough to win, that he plays it too safe. Safe doesn’t nearly cut it on Twitter. Safe = death.

Senator Romney, you need to scale and scale quickly. You can do that by deploying compelling, creative Twitter-specific, voter-centric campaigns and engaging high-Klout influencers to light big, bright fires for you. Here’s what I recommend: Identify 1,000 people with a Klout Network Impact of above 50. Invite them to a jaw-dropper hosted by someone beloved like Billy Crystal (not someone insane like Ted Nugent), bring your A-game and work the room. Make no mistake: this new vanguard of influencers can help you win in November. (Also, stop badmouthing the President on Twitter. You’re doing it way too much. Focus on what you’re going to do, not on what he’s not doing. Positive and on-point wins hearts and goes viral on Twitter.)

TWITTER GRADES:

Obama: A-
Romney: C-

FACEBOOK

It’s the world’s biggest social network, and after May 18, it’s only going to biggerer and biggerer and biggerer.

As of this writing, the President isn’t well-liked; he’s massively-loved: 26,154,168 to be exact—with 341,805 “talking about this.” He’s deployed a textbook Facebook strategy, and it shows. Mr. President, you nailing Facebook about as well as any human can. Keep it up, sir.

Senator Romney has 1,648,413 likes with 149,713 “talking about this.” Interesting! A heartbeat! While Mr. Romney lags well behind The Pres in “likes,” he has nearly half as many folks “talking about this.” That means Mr. Romney is engaging people on Facebook. That’s it, Mitt. Good stuff. Now, apply what you’re doing on Facebook to Twitter!

FACEBOOK GRADES:

Obama: A
Romney: B

YOUTUBE

Video remains the most compelling media; it’s where you can establish the deepest emotional connection with people. The President’s “Yes We Can” video was a seminal moment, and a tipping point, in the 2008 election. It cracked the Earth’s floor. It made meaning and built a groundswell. That’s what you do in social.

the President now has 183,523,355 views and 209,731 subscribers on YouTube. That’s a lot. When the President deploys a video, he has a volunteer army ready to re-broadcast it to their trusting, captive communities.

Mitt’s metrics reflect, again, how safe he’s playing it. With 6,647,925 views and a mere 7,083 subscribers, Mitt better get “share-worthy.” Fast. Mr. Senator, you don’t have to change who you are (I never recommend that. People have sensitive antennae, and it never works out.), but you need to change how you do it. You have to find your “it.” And, “Mitt’s It” has to resonate. It has to win people’s hearts. Know what I mean?

YOUTUBE GRADES:

Obama: A-
Romney: B-

PINTEREST

Like we need to generate any more interest in Pinterest. But, I’m including it in my social scorecard, because it is the third most-visited social network (I know, crazy right?)—and more importantly, it skews heavily female.

Obama is using it well, pinning dashing images of himself, his family, campaign supporters and paraphernalia and visuals that support administration policies. He has pinned infographics on job growth and the health-care act, as well as images of people supporting or affected by the administration’s initiatives. He’s got 14,475 followers—and that number is growing fast.

Interestingly, and disturbingly, Mitt isn’t pinning yet, but his wife Ann is. She’s got 5,902 followers who enjoy boards such as “Family,” “Recipes” (weirdly disproportionate amount of granola) and “Campaign.”

Mr. Senator, it reflects that Mrs. Romney had to drag her man on to Pinterest. You desperately need to salvage your image among women. This is a major strategic mistake/PR blunder that you need to fix quickly.

PINTEREST GRADES:

Obama: B+
Romney: D+

ONLINE INFLUENCE

To determine online influence, I turned to Klout. Don’t get mad. It’s the best we’ve got.

Rather than use the straight-up Klout score (I don’t know, it feels too flabby and generalized to me), I focused on a deeper, more relevant metric: Network Impact. That’s the influence level of your engaged audience. When it comes time to call on voters, I believe that’ll matter more.

The President’s Network Impact is 64. More importantly, it’s rising. It means, Web-wide, he’s doing a lot right.

While Mr. Romney is right behind with a Network Impact of 60, it’s declining. That is a serious issue symptomatic of a deeper problem. Mr. Romney, your team needs to address that. It’s like you’re exercising like crazy, but your cholesterol is rising.

ONLINE INFLUENCE GRADES:

Obama: B+
Romney: B

SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS

Social campaigns need to be creative, compelling, buzzworthy—and most of all they need to move the needle on an organizations’ key business objectives.

Obama got Clooney. That raised money, drew in women, solidified support in Hollywood and cemented his cool. He also gave out two tickets to the community. Nicely done, Mr. President.

Mitt, Mitt, Mitt. Come on, man! Obama is chilling with Clooney! Fire up some brain-hurricanes over at campaign HQ! Don’t be a caution expert. Bring in Bogusky, Weiden or Hahn. Pour Pinot, and get to work.

I’m not saying sit shirtless on a white horse with a clamshell full of diamonds and tickets to “that thing ladies love.” I’m saying you need breakout material. Engage. Get people fired up. Make meaning. A single brilliant integrated social campaign can do that. “Kony 2012” it, man! (Not the nudity part; the viral part).

P.S. Mr. President, chilling with Clooney and slow-jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon boosts your already-tropospheric cool quotient, but tread carefully. Keep it up, and Romney could say that he may be “too school for cool,” but you are “too cool for school”: “While the President spends his time schmoozing celebrities and slow-jamming the news, as President, I will spend my time making sure you have jobs.”

SOCIAL CAMPAIGN GRADES:

Obama: A
Romney: C-

WEBSITE

Mr. Obama’s team deployed a brilliant website strategy in 2008. They knew the thing isn’t what a website looks like, but rather what it does. They didn’t “set it and forget it” like the McCain campaign did. The Obama team knew that a website should constantly change based on behavioral analytics and drive Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For example, the Obama team A/B split-tested everything from copy to button color, honing and refining that website into a revenue-producing juggernaut. The President’s current site is great. It calls people to a couple clear calls to action, and his Alexa Rank stands at 916 with 17,458 sites linking in.

While Mr. Romney’s website is sufficient, his team would do well to read: “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. (Incidentally, this is required reading for anyone with a website.)

Mr. Romney scores solidly on Alexa: 3,427. It means people are visiting. But, there are only 3,897 sites linking in. He needs a stronger backlinking strategy.

WEBSITE GRADES:

Obama: A
Romney: A-

KLOUCHEBAG

This new anti-Klout tool has no scientific value whatsoever. Still, I find it interesting and entertaining. So, I included it.

According to Klouchebag, Obama is “a bit of a prat” with a score of 31 (lower is better). He got dinged for “Retweet abuse” and “English misuse.”

Romney scored a 43. That makes him “Quite Noisy.” Romney got hit for “Retweet Abuse,” “Social Apps” and “English Misuse.”

(Out of sheer morbid curiosity, I scored a 7. Klouchebag thinks I am a “nice person.” That made me feel good about myself in a Stuart Smalley kind of way.)

KLOUCHEBAG GRADES:

OBAMA: B-
ROMNEY: C+
HARR: A

OVERALL

Clearly, the President has Senator Romney on the ropes. But, things are just heating up and Mitt will most surely make up ground.

Two key questions:

1. Social media skews younger, so it paints a skewed picture. Will all of these “conversations” turn to “conversions?” In other words, will the youngsters come out and vote in force the way they did last time?
2. Will Senator Romney use social media to shore up with women and Hispanics? He absolutely can—and must. But, will his team continue to pursue an ad hoc approach in social? We shall see.

OVERALL GRADES:

OBAMA: A
ROMNEY: B-

Suggestions to the candidates:

Mr. President: With a few notable exceptions (see above), keep doing what you’re doing. Just try to resist being so cool so often. Another slow jam can put you in a jam as Romney will portray you as someone “too cool for school.” You are going to have a much tougher time building a tsunami-like groundswell like you did in 2008, but you have a colossal lead in social. Spend your hard-earned “social capital” wisely.

Senator Romne: You have a lot of work ahead. But, you saved the Olympic Games! You’re not unaccustomed to big challenges and hard work. Obama won last time, among other things, by building a groundswell. If you want to win, do the same. Social media is your extended volunteer campaign staff. Build it. Remember, Karen in Kansas comes to the party not as a mere individual, but as an empowered miniature media outlet, with a Twitter following, Facebook community and Linkedin network. Win the hearts of people like her, and you could win the election. Bring old school to new media.

And, start pinning, will ya?

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- coming soon!

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit.
There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.

~W.C. Fields

SOCIAL MEDIA HAS JUST EMERGED FROM THE DARK AGES. We’re now in the Age of Enlightenment, and while reason is beginning to prevail, the light bulb has yet to be invented. We’re still feeling our way around in ill-lit conditions, swilling Gilly Flower Cordials (17th century libation) and making out and passing out — and acting as if we know what in the heck is going on.

Truth be told: we don’t. Nobody knows what works definitively yet in social. If Malcolm Gladwell is right (and, I believe he is), there are no social media experts. That distinction requires 10,000 hours of dedicated work. Nobody has had sufficient time to log those hours (save perhaps Vaynerchuk). As hard as we work, and as good as we are, my agency has enjoyed soaring successes (picture a glimmering Clio) — and fantastic failures (picture a Borat bikini).

But, it’s all good. That which has not killed us has made us stronger. We have whittled down A social success formula to 12 steps. This is merely our best crack at it–and by no means are they commandments. As you’ll see, many of the steps are not directly related to social media. That’s because: a) there is more to life than money, and b) social media works best within a strategic, integrated marketing mix that is continually honed, refined, lathered, rinsed — and repeated.

Here are the 12 steps

1. Define What Success Means to You. Most people rush into the frenzied bacchanalia of social media with nary a notion as to what in the heck they want! “Look at all of these well-exfoliated, tech-savvy, Gilly Flower Cordial quaffing fashionistas on Twitter! I have to get on there and Tweet my ab routine!” I ask you: “Why? Why are you engaging in social media?” To you, success may not be measured in dollars. There is more to life than money. You might define success as the amount of good you do, measured in total number of positive @replies from people who you’ve helped or dollars raised for good causes. (Yes, those are invaluable “metrics.”) Now, if you are running a business, then revenue and related metrics will matter. In that case, you need to define success as narrowly as possible and be specific (e.g. “100 new, engaged Twitter followers a week,” “80%+ positive online sentiment,” “$5,000/month in new online sales,” etc.

2. Emotionalize Your Brand. We are in a word-of-mouth economy, and people only share “awesome.” By that I mean you need to supercharge and emotionalize your brand message. Immediately. You need to take a long, invigorating walk in the woods and marinate over why your business exists. Why should people care? Take a moment to watch this video (first three minutes, particularly) about the importance of “why.” Then, write down a few why-driven sentences about you/your business that will resonate with people. Remember, features and benefits win minds. Why wins hearts. And, when you win the hearts of these newly-empowered consumers, they will roll up like a juggernaut and power your business to great heights. For free.

3. Know Your Audience. Be as specific as possible relative to psychographics and demographics. Spend some time listening to what people are saying about you online. The simplest way to do this is to Google your company or use the native platforms or use more advanced tools such as Hootsuite or Radian6. You can no longer tell people what they want (Madison Avenue); you have to find out what they want. And, that begins with listening. I know it’s uncharted waters for most big brands, but they need to learn the art of listening–or they may be left behind with blinding speed.

4. Optimize Your Website. Your website/blog/online store/etc. is your primary destination for consumer call to action. It should be simply and elegantly designed around the one thing you want your visitors to do: one clear call to action. One. Otherwise, visitors will suffer paralysis by analysis, do nothing–and leave. Make sure you’ve installed Google Analytics on your site, and study visitor behavior. Then, start making improvements around what you’re seeing in the data.

5. Scale Your Social. Once you know what you want, establish the social platforms that make sense. If you are a B2B company, then Linkedin will make more sense than Pinterest. Once you’ve established your social outposts, be sure they have the same well-branded appearance as your website and other marketing materials. Then, create stellar, “share-worthy content,” start engaging with influential people in your space — and scale those social platforms! Having 100 engaged followers is great. Having 100,000 means you can really move the needle. From your mobile device. While you’re in Fiji. In minutes.

6. Embrace Email. Email still rules as the primary mode of communication online, and email marketing ranks high in terms of conversion. Constant Contact, MailChimp and VerticalResponse are three excellent services that can get you up and running in no time. Be sure to deliver great content and integrate your messaging across your social media platforms. Also, use email to draw more people into your social communities, e.g.: “Engage with us on Twitter for real-time customer service!” “Get exclusive deals on our Facebook page.”

7. Go Mainstream (Media). If you play your cards right, the mainstream media will cover your story. Create something buzz-worthy about your business. Do something creative and unique. Then reach out to local newspapers, television and radio and tell them why their viewers would love to learn about your business. (Not why you deserve to be on TV, but why their viewers would benefit from your information. Big difference.)

8. Know Your SEO. You want to optimize your website and blog content for your desired keywords, so that when people search for: “finest alpaca backpacks,” your amazing alpaca backpack site shows up. Spend some time learning more about Search Engine Optimization. Now, I don’t think you’re a dummy (heck, you are this far into this diatribe; you’re brilliant…and stubborn!), but a nice, easy-to-read resource for SEO is: Search Engine Optimization All-in One For Dummies (For Dummies, 2012).

9. Free to Be PPC. I quite enjoy intelligently-designed, brilliantly-deployed pay-per-click advertising. The impressions are free, and if you engage a well-thought-out long-tail strategy, you are driving interested people to your (optimized, see above!) website. Remember, with PPC, you don’t need to create the demand in people’s minds (as is the case with a print ad or TV commercial). People who go online and make specific, intentional searches are already there. They already want your alpaca backpacks. Craft compelling ad copy that is congruent with the user’s searches, and then make sure your landing pages are seamless with that ad copy — and you’re off to the races.

10. Swing for the Fences. To put your brand on the map, you can toil away day-in and day-out for years, but one knockout appearance on The Today Show can tip it in one fell swoop. Most people shy away from thinking big, because they think they’re not good enough (or ready) for mainstream coverage. Guess what? You are. Want proof? Look at some of the people who appear on talk shows. If they can do it, you can do it! Emotionalize your brand, craft a clever pitch, and use Twitter to engage mainstream media. A recent study found that journalists prefer pitches via Twitter over Facebook, email and the dreaded press release. If you believe in yourself and your product/service/alpaca thing, then your tipping point is out there. Go knock it over.

11. Learn. Refine. (Repeat.) The beauty of social media and digital marketing are the real-time results and insights they provide. The best results come from letting the data drive your strategy. For example, if a certain platform is generating results, channel time and resources to there and keep pushing. Always draw actionable insights out of your social data.

12. Enjoy the Process. This should be fun. Life should be fun. Enjoy the process of striving for success in social media. Build a better business, live a better life, create a better world! You have never had more power at your fingertips than you do right now. Use it well, use it wisely — and keep at it. Because these channels move so outrageously far, fast and wide, your “brand” can tip at any moment and when you least expect it

Just stick in there — and enjoy a Gilly Flower Cordial while you’re at it. You deserve it.

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, a boutique, integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in bookstores nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] He is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard. Engage with him on Twitter.

“The power of the people is much stronger than the people in power.”

—Wael Ghonim, widely-credited as a catalyst of the 2011 Egypt Revolution

LIFE IS NOT a dress rehearsal.

Since we get just one, it ought to be our best.

To live your best life, you must know why you do what you do. That is the very combustible fuel that lights your fire and powers your passion.

I have dedicated virtually every waking moment of my life over the past five years to social media. I am irretrievably drawn to it. I seem to have a talent for it. But, until recently, I wasn’t crystal clear on why I did it. Now, I know:

Because social media empowers you.

And, when you’re empowered, humanity marches forward.

I love how social media gives us a voice—and a shot. I love how it elevates us to be true to the best we know.

I love how it fosters connections, forces transparency and foments revolutions. I love how, armed with the right message at the right time, ordinary people like @veggefatale can do the extraordinary and bring badly-behaving corporations to their proverbial knees. I love how an uplifting video can beam across humanity and infuse people with the gift of hope. I love that nice guys, good companies and worthy organizations finish first. I love how this new generation is using social media to move mountains. I love how charitable organizations are using social media to save lives.

I love the positive impact it has on our world—and the promise it holds for our future.

It is thrilling when I see someone take to social media, find their voice, realize their power and unleash it on the world. Humans have waited millennia for this moment; and, here we are.

I believe the vast majority of people are good, honest and want to make things better for themselves—and their families. I’ve seen it first-hand as an ambassador for CARE, a global humanitarian organization.

Just look at what occurred in Egypt.

The Egyptian people had been oppressed for three decades, held hostage by a psychological barrier of fear. What Mubarak—and most of the world, for that matter—didn’t grasp was that the playing field had changed. Monumentally. The power balance had shifted. Dramatically.

Mubarak’s regime didn’t understand two key points about social media: 1) That connecting people breaks down the barrier of fear, and 2) That it could move messages and mobilize masses with blinding speed.

Cell phones and email might reach hundreds of people at a time. Twitter and Facebook reach hundreds of thousands. In hours. Those hundreds of thousands can reach millions. In days.

The Egyptian government made the grave miscalculation that they could quell this rebellion just as they had done before. But this time, nothing could contain the Egyptian people. They had the desire for change—and the tools to make it happen. The Egyptian regime was trying to hold back a tsunami with its bare hands.

As 60 Minutes later reported,

“Their revolution began not with terrorism and tanks, but with Twitter and texts … an aging autocrat who ruled as a modern pharaoh fell victim to those weapons of the young —out-organized and outmaneuvered by social media, by kids with keyboards.”

On February 11, 2011, Mubarak officially stepped down. Imagine that. The dictator who clung to power through scandalous elections, corruption charges—and six attempts on his life—could not withstand the social-driven groundswell that flat-out overwhelmed him. After being in power for almost three decades, he was out…In 18 days.

While social media did not create the conditions for a revolution, it accelerated it. The fuel was there. Social media merely ignited the fire and fanned the flames for the world to see.

Until now, dictators, corporations and governments have had no compelling reason to listen to the people. That is until enough people come together—in sufficient numbers and in public—to force the change.

That’s what social media does. It draws us together and empowers us. I can think of nothing more important and thrilling and wonderful than that.

Because when you are empowered, humanity marches forward.

Eric Harr is the founder & president of Resonate Social, which is developing a new series of “personal empowerment apps” starting with Flyright, a new mobile app that harnesses the real-time social web to give you, the airline passenger, a stronger voice—to help you resolve airline travel issues when you need it most: right there on the spot. Learn more at http://flyrightapp.com or follow on Twitter.

Social Empowerment Tips

1. Master the tools, but don’t rely on them. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Linkedin, Pinterest, Hootsuite. These are the arrows in your quiver. Understand how they work and the nuances around each. Learn how to leverage from your mobile device. The more you know, the more empowered you are. Remember, though, social platforms are merely tools–and much can get lost in translation. Be especially kind, compassionate and gracious. You are dealing with real people on the other end of those posts.

2. Build your networks far and wide. Social media breaks down all barriers. Some of the most personally and professionally rewarding relationships I have forged are not in the realm of social media or technology. Do not limit yourself to people just like you, in your space.

3. Invest time every day. Like exercise, you get out what you put in. This is good old fashioned relationship building. That takes time. Bring old-school to new media.

4. Be your best self. Social media provides an opportunity for you to be true to the best you know. Put out stellar content. Be enchanting; people prefer to do business with people they like. Work towards a common cause, help others and change the world! Those are the most empowering acts of all!

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.

~Thomas Jefferson

Two very different Toms. Which one are you with? Jefferson? Or, Cruise?

I suppose both have a point. While Jefferson may have been right on a spiritual level — heck, I love to bask in the warm, fuzzy, feel-good glow of social media as much as the next Twitterati — many businesses are now in the Cruise camp of: “Show me the money!”

There are, without question, myriad soft benefits of social media: elevated customer service, real-time market research, influencer engagement, crisis management, brand protection, brand equity and word-of-mouth marketing. But, many companies want to be able to see ROI (shocker, I know.) They want to know that social media is a sound investment of their time and money.

Here’s how to do it in five simple steps:

1. Determine Your Social Media Spend (SMS). This includes hard and soft costs, including your time. Yes, time! Despite what social media zealots say, social media is not free. Your time has value; in fact it is your most precious, non-renewable resource. If you spend $100 a month on various social media tools and technologies, and you invest five hours a month at an hourly rate of $100, then your social media spend is $2,100/month. Count it all.

2. Determine your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). This is a terribly important metric, yet most companies don’t know it. Know it. If you get clear on the true value of a customer, you can make better business decisions. More importantly, if you can engage customers and inspire them to share your brand with their trusting communities, it will boost their CLV dramatically. That’s where the power of social comes in–not so much for customer acquisition, but for customer retention–and evangelism (where the real value is). Marinate on this: If I buy your $200 shoes and go away forever. I’m worth $200 to you. If I buy your $200 shoes and you keep in touch with me, inspiring me to share my experience in social media, and 30 people buy your shoes as a result of my endorsement, my CLV just shot up to $6,100. Ask your current customers how much they roughly spend on your product each year, then, multiply by 20 to arrive at their CLV.

3. Determine New Customer Value Via Social Media (SMV). Track conversions using Google Analytics or any other website tracking software. Google Analytics allows you to slice by social. This takes time, but it’s necessary if you want to understand your ROI from social media. Track sales, conversions, etc. and place a value on those items. For some, it might be hard-dollar sales; for others (typically B2B): the value of a contact form submission.

4. Determine Impression Value (IV). There is value in impressions; it’s what traditional media sell. To determine IV, add up your impressions from Twitter and Facebook, cumulative YouTube views, website traffic and any other online source. Divide that total by 100 and then multiply by an industry-appropriate CPM (cost per thousand impressions).

5. Calculate Customer Service Value (CSV). Social media can reduce customer service costs, which is a tangible value. This is a subjective one, but you need to take a crack at valuing it. For example, if you feel like Twitter provides $1,000 of customer service value a month, write that in. It matters.

Now, let’s add up that Investment Return (IR), shall we? (Customer Value/20 (years) x Number of New Customers) + Impression Value (IV) + Customer Value Via Social (SMV) + Customer Service Value (CSV).

Social Media ROI = Investment Return (IR) – Social Media Spend (SMS) / Social Media Spend (SMS).

Voila!

Now, you can have the best of both Toms: basking in the glow of the warm thought…that social media can “show you the money!”

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- coming soon!

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.

~Henry David Thoreau

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC and emotional scenes in movie history.

When Forrest Gump runs off his leg braces, it resonates in the hearts of us all. For me, as an entrepreneur, it represents that moment when we break free of our fears and doubts that shackle us–and we run right at our destiny. When we realize we have far more power in us that we knew–if we are just willing to stop thinking and start running.

It’s why I got into this business of social media. I love witnessing the moment when the light goes off, and they realize this new media can help them build a better business, a better life and a better world. I can see these people running off the leg braces in their minds.

Social media is everywhere in the news. It pervades every area of our lives. And, it’s everything but fading away. Social media hasn’t changed one thing. It has changed everything.

For the first time in human history, the power of the people is greater than the people in power.

And, we’ve waited millennia for this moment. For thousands of years, the church controlled the message, followed by the printing press, then the mainstream media. Now, YOU control the message. You wield unprecedented, unimagined power—and that power grows by the hour.

Critics cavalierly cast social “MEdia” as a passing fad, a vapid bacchanalia of self-flagellation. While that’s somewhat true, the desires to connect and communicate are woven into our very genetic code as human beings. We don’t want to be heard, we need to be heard. That’s why social media is expanding so explosively, why it’s not going away and why it’s fundamentally reshaping our world.

Social media is the most seismic shift since the Industrial Revolution, and it happened with blinding speed. Several inflection points led us here:

-Social media helped a relatively unknown senator from Illinois build a veritable army of donors and voters—that overran the most well-entrenched, well-built political machine in a generation.

-Social media dislodged a dictator who had clung to power for 30 years—in 18 days. As 60 Minutes reported, “The [Egypt] revolution began not with terrorism and tanks, but with Twitter and texts … an aging autocrat who ruled as a modern pharaoh fell victim to those weapons of the young—out-organized and outmaneuvered by social media, by kids with keyboards.”In August, 2011, a 27 year-old art gallery owner used social media to bring a billion dollar brand to its knees. After Bank of America imposed a debit fee on consumers, Kristen Christian proposed Americans move their money to credit unions. Roughly 100,000 people responded. Within days, BofA shed 4% of its stock value, publicly genuflected—and rescinded the fee.

-When Muammar Gaddafi was killed, images of his body being dragged through the streets instantly went viral, racing to every corner of the globe. In the midst of a press conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learned the historic event was spreading across social media, and the White House could do nothing to control the message. There would be no spin. The people had already delivered the message—in its raw, real, unedited, unspun detail

-Social media is the #1 online activity with 1.5 billion users and the fastest-growing form of communication in history. In three years, social media has drawn together one in six humans on the planet. If it were a country, Facebook would be the third largest. Approximately 300,000 people join Twitter—every day. YouTube serves three billion videos daily, with more content uploaded in one month than the three major U.S. TV networks created in 60 years. Like the expansion of the universe, social media is “banging out” at an accelerative rate. It is growing faster, faster. Still, few people understand how social media works and how they fit into it. How did we get here? What were the tipping points? And, what does it all mean to the average person?

-Social media is fostering connections, fomenting revolutions and forcing transparency. You are incredibly fortunate to be alive at this time in human history: social media breaks down all of the barriers that, for centuries, have held people back. You can reach anyone. You can pressure companies and government. You can parlay your passion into a viable business—at virtually no cost.

The filmmaker Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone) believes that within the next year or so, a kid will shoot, edit and distribute a feature film–from his mobile device.

Please think about that for a moment. He won’t need millions of dollars. He won’t need an agent. He won’t need a studio. All he will need is talent, passion and hard work. The people will market it for him.

Social media is the Chicxulub asteroid. It has already hit Earth. The impact won’t kill off all the dinosaurs right away, but the dust cloud will. The dinosaurs require too many resources to survive. This seismic event will clear the way for an entirely new vanguard of intrepid souls–just like you–who will pursue their passions and change the world. We’re already seeing it.

You hold more power in your hands than ever before, and that power grows by the hour. Social media can help you build a better business, a better life–and a better world. You just have to put your fears and doubts aside.

And, run!

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- coming soon!

Today, one bad experience might cost you a hundred, maybe a thousand customers. Because of this, social media has irrevocably shifted the role of customer service from an easily outsourced, back-office function to one of an organization’s most important tactical assets.

~Oliver Blanchard, Author of Social Media ROI

Hockey legend Wayne Gretsky’s father, Walter, gave him brilliant advice not merely apropos to the game, but to business–and to life: “Son, skate to where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, he said: “I skate to where the puck is going to be…not to where it’s been.”

Poignant words that I resolutely believe drive breakthrough brand. It’s not enough merely to improve on your competition. You must innovate. And, to do that you must imagine where the puck will be, not where it is.

That said, if you were to ask me where the puck is going in social media, from a business perspective, I would say without hesitation: reputation management.

This will be a major growth industry over the next decade.  Think about it: Companies invest thousands, millions, even tens of millions of dollars–and untold hours–building precious brand equity and erecting a beautiful brand image. And, it can be unraveled online in hours. Very few people, or companies, know the art of reputation management.

If you were considering a career to pursue, marinate over this one. If you can help companies listen to the online conversations about their brand, draw actionable insights from that, develop strategy and make measurable progress, you can write your own ticket. This is a brand new field. There are no “benchmark salaries” for this kind of job. It’s all “value based fees.” You could waltz right in and say: “Look, you spend $11 million a year on advertising to build your brand. You should pay me 10% of that to protect it.” If you are an expert in reputation management, you will be able to charge a fortune — and get it.

A single negative Tweet, Facebook post or YouTube Video can race across humanity and burn through brand equity—and company valuation!— with blinding speed. We’ve seen it time and again with vaunted brands from Bank of America to United to Verizon. They have all the resources in the world to put out fires, and even they could not begin to contain the tsunami-like brand revolts against them. Consider this video that has garnered over 10 million views and will continue to damage the United brand, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year…for the rest of time.

Brands have never been at greater risk than they are  at this moment. And, that risk grows not by the day, but by the minute. The power of the people is becoming greater than the people in power. Thanks to social media, consumers wield enormous power now—and that power is growing logarithmically.

That is why reputation management has become such an important component of social media. A few scathing reviews on Yelp, Amazon, Facebook or a mom blog—without your engaging in the conversation—could seriously hurt your bottom line. Consumers in the consideration set won’t necessarily say anything; they simply won’t do business with you. Virtually every study shows that people trust peer recommendations orders-of-magnitude more than they trust corporate marketing.

Online reputation management is critically important, but relatively simple to develop. It requires three things: planning, proactive listening–and a clear and well-defined response mechanism.

Here are five actionable insights that can help you build a cohesive, effective brand management strategy:

1. Face Facts

You may have spent untold amounts on branding, website design and corporate communications, but these efforts pale next to the hundreds of millions of people sharing ideas and opinions in social media. They are talking in public about companies—and in doing so, they are defining brands. You need to accept this reality — and not cavalierly disregard “brand management” as a “nice to have.” It’s a “gotta have. Right now.”

2. Listen (All the Time)

Put your ear to the ground and start listening to what people are saying. Not doing this because you are “afraid of what you’ll find” could be the death knell of your business. To move from good to great, you must face brutal facts and improve that which needs improving. Be unwavering on this. Perform searches for your company on the main social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIN. What are people saying? Is it accurate? Don’t get defensive if you find something negative. In fact, those can be valuable business insights. If a blogger flames your company, don’t ask: “How can we get rid of this post? Ask: “Are they right? What can we do to fix it?” Then fix it and let them know you’re fixing it. I also advise against leaning too heavily on technologies for online reputation defense and “sentiment analysis.” I speak from personal experience: At the time of this writing, even the very best technologies miss critical posts, misjudge “sentiment”–and lack the “human element” so important to effective brand management. Your brand is too important to leave to chance. Put human eyes on this stuff.

3. Engage with Grace and Humility.

You cannot control the conversation, but you can be part of it. If someone posts something negative about your brand, even if it’s not accurate, others will pile on in a mob-like fashion. For every moment you allow that to continue, you risk permanent damage to your brand. But, you cannot barge in. Again: you may work for a $50 million corporation, but guess what? You come to the social media table with one vote, just like everyone else. Engage like a person, not a corporation – lest you merely fan the flames of public discontent.

4. Unlearn What You’ve Learned.

Gone are the days when you can issue a press release to respond to crises—and be done with it. “Corporate statements” are now not only largely ineffective, they can be counterproductive. If I were advising Tiger Woods during his fall from grace, I would have silenced his attorneys and PR firm people, who merely made things worse. I would have sat Tiger down, showed him how Twitter works and instructed him to to be honest, admit his mistakes and tell people what he was doing to make things right. From a communication standpoint, it would be a win. Tiger’s Twitter page would likely have trumped the media coverage, and Tiger would have been able to influence the conversation. It might have salvaged a few of his sponsors. More than that, it would have salvaged his reputation. Same goes for Bank of America or Verizon. They should have simply apologized and admitted they were being greedy.

You can turn your most vitriolic critic into your most vocal evangelist if you have humility and listen. Remember: social media is not a media. It’s not marketing. It’s a human relationship. Treat it as such, and your brand management strategy will be more effective than most.

As Oliver Blanchard says in Social Media ROI: “Never get defensive, never take attacks personally, and never allow yourself to be drawn into an argument. Present the facts calmly and professionally, monitor the impact of your activities on topics relating to your brand and overall sentiment, and either press on with your response or move on.”

5. Do the Right Thing.

This is business 101. Old school. When you engage in social media, be honest, care about your customers–and do the right thing. Social media, with its new-school technologies, has ushered in a return to old-school business practices. I love that. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it. Offer to fix it—and then, do it. It’s not good for business; it’s great for business. Bring “old school” to “new media.” Shakespeare aptly summed up effective brand monitoring and reputation management: “Mind your speech a little lest you should mar your fortunes.”

An effective online reputation management strategy is not something you can put off until tomorrow, because guess what? An army of empowered consumers are defining your brand–today.

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard-Coming Soon!

“A good video can make all the difference.”

~Brian May

IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, you could say that a video is priceless.

We live in a time when a single video can tell your story, tip your brand — or change our world. Cases in point: JK’s Wedding Entrance Dance, Will it Blend?— and We Are All Khaled Saeed.

Over two billion videos are downloaded every day on Youtube. That is roughly equivalent to the programming that the three major television networks put out.In one year. And, in my estimation: user-generated videos are just getting started. As these tools (such as smartphones) become more pervasive — and they are — an increasing number of people will produce video content.

Predicting the success of a video is next to impossible. Who would have ever guessed that “Charlie Bit My Finger” would have garnered more views than five Superbowl commercials? However, there are some guiding principles to help you produce winning videos, whether they’re for your personal brand, your business — or your cause. Here they are:

1. Keep it Short & Sweet.

People, particularly in social media, have shorter attention spans. Studies show that attrition rate after 30 seconds is roughly 82% (unless the video is compelling or celebrity-driven).

2. Start Strong.

A Jupiter research study found that people decide — in the first two seconds — whether or not they will watch the remainder of a video. It’s important to capture their attention in those two seconds, not necessarily with stagecraft. Strive to be compelling and given them a reason to keep watching. Have you ever watched thoroughbred horses break out of the gates? It’s so jaw-dropping that we cannot help but keep watching! Break out of the gates in your videos!

3. Make One Point (and No More Than Three).

Nielsen reports that humans can only process, and retain, three simple messages in a short span of time. Do not overload the viewer with granular facts and minutiae. You needn’t make them an expert. Just pique their interest. Pick 1-3 concepts you want to convey and use anecdote, humor and color to bring texture your videos.

4. Entertain, Inspire, Inform—or, Ideally, Do All Three.

Frame messages in the interest of the viewer. The fact is that people care less about your product, brand or cause than they do about how it improves their lives. Stay viewer-centric and seek to leave them informed, inspired, entertained—or all three. Humor is powerful, engaging and effective—if you can pull it off.

5. Produce Share-Worthy Content.

This relates to the point above, but it warrants its own coverage, because it’s essential to understand in this “word of mouth economy”: in a single click, People can share your content farther and faster than ever before. Here’s a litmus test: Produce content you’d be compelled to share with your family.

6. Speak From the Heart.

People have sensitive antennae in social media. These channels were created as a very refuge away from corporate marketing. people know contrived when they see it, and it can do more harm than good. Speak with a “human voice.” Mean what you say. If you’re interviewing someone, ask them to be honest (even if it means they aren’t uniformly positive; it will be more credible.). If you try to message people, you will never reach a wide audience. If you win people’s hearts, you can reach the world.

7. Have a Clear Call to Action.

Ask yourself: What do you want the viewer to do? You need to move people to action, otherwise you may achieve non-financial outcomes    (video    views)    in    lieu    of    financial    outcomes (conversions/revenue). tell viewers what you want them to do. And, if it’s possible to edit the video with a graphical outro, do so.

A single video that resonates in the hearts of enough people can achieve breathtaking results for you, your business or your cause. You have never been more empowered.

The question is: what will you do with that power?

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- Coming Soon!

I have found that among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.

-Maya Angelou

It is said that when someone gives you something of perceived value, you immediately feel a desire to give something back. When my wife, Alexandra, is cleaning the house, I feel an immediate desire to get in there and start scrubbing. (Factoid about me: I’m quite the uber-sexual who enjoys housework!)

One our agency’s clients once asked: “I noticed you are Tweeting content that has nothing to do with driving sales. How does that help our bottom line?” It was a valid question. We were posting “how-to content” in order to generate discussion and endear the community to the brand. The client was paying us a lot of money and wanted to know why we were Tweeting content that did not directly drive their bottom line.

Answer: It was—by engaging the Law of Reciprocity.

Gary Vaynerchuck said it, and I agree: We are in the midst of a “thank you economy.” When you genuinely help people live better lives, they will be inspired to return the favor. It may take a minute, a month or six months, but most people will reciprocate. And when they do, via social media, it can have big impact on your bottom line.

What most brands don’t understand is this: why would a person engage with your organization in social media? Why would they follow you? No, really: why? To be marketed to? To be sold? Absolutely not. They get enough of that in their lives. Social media was created as a very refuge away from the sales-driven bacchanalia of corporate marketing.

The brands that serve up a steady buffet of relevant, useful and sumptuous content inspire people to dine–and to engage with them. The socially-savvy brands nurture the relationship. They give. They might elegantly weave in a product offer, but they will have built sufficient social capital; their community won’t mind the errant promotion.

Let’s say you have a travel company. If you Tweet entertaining and informative content about “how to pack” or “how to stay safe overseas,” for example, you will earn people’s trust. You will win their hearts. You may inspire them to retweet you or even to write a blog post. It’s all powered by the Law of Reciprocity.

Your social media strategy should be to give, to deliver value and information that is so good and so compelling that it inspires people to pass it on.

Remember: The magic isn’t in the Tweet; it’s in the retweet. Post share-worthy content. Just ask yourself: “Would I share this with my friends and family?” That’s a good litmus test for deciding what to post in social media. Would you share it?

If you give and give and give, people will give and give and give right back.

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- Coming Soon!

“What is uttered from the heart alone
will win the hearts of others to your own.”

–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

THE INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE in the film Love, Actually changed the way I think about people. It went like this:

“Whenever I get gloomy about the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed. But, I don’t see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy. But, it’s always there. Fathers and sons. Mothers and daughters. Husbands and wives. Boyfriends and girlfriends. Old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge. They were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling that love actually is…all around.”

I know: so sweet, it’s practically saccharine. But, I’m quaffing Pinot, and that scene makes me verklempt. And, it conveys an important point about us humans: we’re inherently good. I resolutely believe that. And, I’ll never stop believing that.

When I decided to engage in social media in March 2009, I went in with four beliefs: 1. We naturally elevate to the company we keep; 2. Lifting others up lifts me up; 3. Anything worth doing takes work; and 4. Good business is good for business.

These four guiding principles have served me well, personally and professionally. I’ve been on Twitter for two years, and while I only have 25,000 or so followers, they are emotionally engaged. I sought to build social capital, not actual capital. I didn’t monetize my Twitter followers by pushing my books. I gave them advice and answered their questions. I cared. I delivered value and my expertise. They got around to finding out about my books—and, in some cases, buying them.

In social media, you don’t want to win minds. You want to win hearts. (So important, it bears repeating: you don’t want to win minds. You want to winhearts.) Do this and people will be naturally inspired to help you, without your having to ask. That’s the Law of Reciprocity in its glorious splendor. Or, as Vaynerchuk says: the (*@#&! “Thank You Economy!”

Old-School Rules, New-School Technologies

To be successful in social media, you have to say what you mean and mean what you say. This applies to companies and individuals alike. (And, I promise you, if you try to pull the wool over people’s eyes, they will punish you dearly for it. Just ask Bank of America or United Airlines or Dell, ad infinitum…)

When a consumer wants to know if your product is worth buying, they bypass expert reviews (could be planted, solicited, paid–or all three). They don’t bother with your website (it’s pure marketing). They Google you. They scan review sites like Amazon and Yelp (filtering by 1-star reviews first). They check out search.twitter.com or ask their friends on Facebook. They “social-search” you.

Staid corporate diatribes, cheesy sales pitches and tired marketing messages only draw our ire and push us away. Speak in a human voice. Relate to me in a sincere and authentic way. Tell me about the good things you are doing in our world. Do those things, and I will buy from you and evangelize your brand.

The following story–and many others like it–prove that in social media: nice guys (and gals) can finish first.

Social media success story: TOMS Shoes

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. That is to have succeeded.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

TOMS Shoes is living, breathing—and walking—proof that in this “world-of-mouth” economy, good business is good for business.

I haven’t met one person who doesn’t love this brand. I’ve been compelled several times to Tweet about TOMS Shoes. I can’t help myself: it’s the kind of company you want to see succeed. I have generated thousands of dollars of free promotion for TOMS—without their having to ask. When you do good business, people will spread the word far, fast and wide.

Here’s what makes TOMS so special and “share-worthy”: With every product sold, TOMS helps someone in need.

While competing in The Amazing Race with his sister, Blake Mycoskie visite

d Argentina. That’s where the idea of TOMS Shoes came to him.

“I was sitting on a farm pondering life,” he said. “And it occurred to me, ‘I’m going to start a shoe company, and for every pair that we sell, I’ll give a pair to someone who needs them.’” After he noticed the numerous children without shoes in the poorer villages, he returned to the United States and sold his online driver education company to finance the shoe company.

That is tailor-made for social media. Everyone loves a story like that. The secret sauce is the “share-worthiness” of the social good aspect: for every pair they sell, they donate a new pair to a child in need of shoes.

Don’t take my word for it. Google “TOMS Shoes”—and you will see a flood of positive publicity about this brand. That is “reputation management” at its finest! As more people engage in social media, and more people learn how to use these tools, companies like TOMS are going to win increasing amounts of free, positive publicity in the most trust-based way: word of mouth.

Companies approach our agency all the time asking for help with “brand monitoring and reputation management.” We’re happy to help. But I always tell them: If you manage your reputation by doing good business, you won’t have to “monitor your brand.”

Actionable insights:

To rally people to your cause–to win their hearts–whether it’s around a product, service, point of view or movement, do three things:

1. Have the goods. Create a stellar product/service/position that people cannot help but evangelize. People have the tools to promote you, but you must inspire them to do that. Convey your information compellingly, with humor, passion, insight—or all three. Put out “share-worthy” content. Remember, the magic isn’t in the tweet (reaches your followers); it’s in the retweet (reaches the world).
2. Care. Care about your customers. Seriously. They put food on your table. Have #gratitude. If you must shift your mindset (or your culture to get employees to care about customers), then do that. Otherwise, all the social media in the world won’t help you. In this economy, caring isn’t everything. It’s the only thing. Get your people squared up on what the vision is for 2011 and enlist them. Fire them up. Ignite their passions. Get them engaged in social media (within the confines of a well-defined social media policy; you have one, right?). Inspire them to care.
3. Make a movement. If you engage in social good, good for you. Let the world know. If not, decide what one thing makes your blood boil and your heart ache. Commit to helping that cause. Social media can unleash a world of social good, and good for our world is indeed good for business in this “world-of-mouth economy.”

Social media has ushered in a new era in which everyone is more connected and empowered than ever. Meet the new vanguard of empowered influencers: the Jure Klepic’s, the Jan Minihane’s, the Teri Conrad’s. Your company no longer controls the message. These beautiful people do. Their influence is strong, and it’s growing by the minute.

Robert Louis Stevenson said: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” Social media takes time—especially if you do it right. It’s not a marketing channel, it’s a human relationship.

Put people first. It’s not merely the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to d

o.

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- Coming Soon!

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

~Thomas Jefferson

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MOMENT when everything came together? When all the hard work well and truly paid off? When the reality shot so far past the expectation that it brought tears to your eyes?

That happened to me on October 8, 2011.

I finished this year’s Ironman Triathlon World Championships in 9:01:34, good enough for 40th overall (and 9th American) out of 1,900+ competitors. My family witnessed everything. The backbreaking sacrifices we made for this all year came out at the finish line on Ali’i Drive, in a long, emotional embrace–and a torrent of tears.

Ironman is a heart-stirring and awe-inspiring display of the strength, courage and indomitable will of the human spirit. It takes place on the Big Island every October and consists of a 2.4-mile rough-water swim, a 112-mile bike ride on a road that cuts a swath through the legendary lava fields and a 26.2-mile marathon, much of it along the barren and exposed Queen Kaahumanu Highway. This road gets so hot that it’s been known to melt the rubber clean off a runner’s shoes. This year, pavement temperature was 135 degrees. It felt like 140. At one point I thought: “Crikey O’Reilly. What in the heck am I doing out here? Why didn’t I take up chess, or cricket…or curling?”

The answer of course is: self-discovery. I learned more about myself in nine hours than I have in nine years. This event has a way of doing that: it strips everything away and reveals your “true self.” It’s why people are so fanatical about it.

Now, I know it’s a facile analogy–not to mention corny and trite–to compare athletic events to life: “Why Marriage is Like the Marathon,” “Why Parenting is Like Base Jumping,” “Why Sex is Like is Like…Curling.” But, over the past year, I have been utterly engrossed in triathlon and social media, and I found six striking similarities between the two.

Here they are:

1. Slow and steady wins the race.

Ironman is hard. If it weren”t, I suppose they would call it: “Aluminum-man.” I mean, let’s be honest: human beings were not designed to race all day in a place like Hawaii. We were meant to frolic in the ocean and partake of umbrella-festooned drinks.

The race was concocted by a bunch of moustachioed men in 1978, who were far too many umbrella-festooned drinks into a debate over which athlete was fittest: swimmer, cyclist or runner. So, they said: “Let’s put all of those events into one and we’ll find out! Now bartender, another round!”

Social media is similarly hard. Like Ironman, it requires a lot of work. Every day. One reason why most people don’t see results in social media is that they give up too soon. They see the jaw-dropping speed of these channels and are lured by the quick fix. When they don’t see stratospheric results, they give up … when success was likely around the corner.

Lesson: To achieve great heights, you must be in it for the long haul. Social media is not a marketing channel or a media. It’s a human relationship. As such, it takes time, patience and work. Stick in there. Slow and steady. You’ll get to where you’re going.

2. You never know who’s watching.

This was an interesting, and unexpected, one for me. Part of my motivation to break the 9-hour mark was to raise $1 million for CARE. We leveraged social media to do that. I knew a lot of people were paying attention, but I didn’t realize how much–and how passionately.

When I returned home, I had hundreds of people on training rides, and in my hometown, come up to me and say: “We watched you all day on the live coverage. It was amazing!”

I never knew these people were paying attention. They hadn’t messaged us in social media. But, they were there.

In social media, you might feel like you’re playing to an empty room, but you’re not. Most people are “watchers.” They won’t necessarily contribute much to the conversation, but they’re there–and you’re having an impact on them.

Lesson: Don’t be a caution expert and let fear dictate your decisions. In social media, and in life, people won’t remember your failures; they’ll celebrate your successes. Dream like you’ll live forever, but live like you’ll die tomorrow. If you pour your heart into social media, you’ll produce “share-worthy” content, which unlocks the real power of social media.

3. Have a plan, but watch the data.

Ironman, like social media, requires serious planning! I spent months planning everything down to the minutest detail: I knew where to line up in the swim; what feet I would draft; how many calories I would take in on the bike; how many watts I would produce; what pace I would run, and so on. Most of it materialized perfectly, but here’s the critical caveat: if I weren’t watching the data and assessing in real-time, I would have bombed.

Here’s an example: for some reason early in the bike, I was having a hard time holding my goal of 300-310 watts. I was only supposed to take in 400 calories an hour (which I was doing), but I also knew that to drive up the power, I needed to eat more. I doubled my intake (to 800-calories per hour, which is slightly insane. But, that’s what the data was telling me!). And, it worked. Within minutes of eating more, my power meter showed 300+ watts.

Lesson: Spend the necessary time designing a well-conceived social strategy for 2012. But once it’s underway, watch that data–and be willing to shift course based on the numbers. I cannot over-emphasize how important that is. If people aren’t retweeting your content; if your LinkedIN ads aren’t pulling; if your videos aren’t being shared, then mix things up!

4. Efficiency trumps effort.

I felt like a svelte, unstoppable Gladiator warrior when I arrived in Hawaii. I think I may have had 10-pack abs. But, when I saw some of my competitors, the finest triathletes on the planet, I lost a bit of my swaggery confidence. These guys were clearly fitter and stronger than me. They looked like absolute machines. I mean, their EARS looked muscular! But, on race day, I left them in the proverbial dust. Why?

Efficiency. I channeled my effort into forward motion more effectively than they did.

Lesson: Ironman, like social media, is not about how many hours you put in; it’s what you put into those hours. Strive to be efficient with your time. Use tools like Hootsuite and e.gg timer to do more in less time.

5. Without purpose and passion, you’ve got nothing.

Twenty minutes before the start of the event, with the helictopers buzzing overhead, tens of thousands of people cheering–and the most difficult day of my life beckoning–I had to remind myself why I was there. For me, it was to honor my family and try to break 9 hours and raise $1 million for CARE. That focused my mind, calmed my nerves and put purpose and passion into every move I made on race day.

Lesson: Know why you’re engaging in social media. List three things you want out of it in 2012. Knowing that will better define your strategy, your tactics and how you measure success.

6. When you don’t think you can take another step, take another step.

Ironman tested my soul, and I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t think about quitting a dozen times on the marathon course. But, in those moments of nagging doubt, I said to myself: “Just run to the next aid station, to that guy holding the ice–and then decide if you want to quit.” When I got there, and the guy greeted me with a smile and ice, I realized it wasn’t so bad. So, I ran to the next guy at the next aid station. Before I knew it, I was running down the finishing chute on Ali’i Drive high-fiving the crowd in a blaze of glory!

Lesson: Anything worth doing is hard. Sometimes it tests our soul, whether it’s parenting, work or a sporting event. But, let me tell you this, and I know it to be true, because I’ve seen it first-hand: you are far more powerful than you realize. You are. You may have forgotten it, but you are. I saw 70-year-olds finishing Ironman. And, I’ve seen all kinds of people, from all walks of life, succeed magnificently in social media.

If you take a long-term approach, watch the data and come from the heart with passion and noble intentions, you’ll succeed in social media. It make take more time than you thought, but you’ll get there.

Just take it one step at a time.

Eric Harr is the new Social Media Expert for CBS News and the Founder & President of Resonate Social, an integrated marketing agency in San Francisco. He is the author of “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed” now available in Barnes & Noble nationwide and on the REAL TRUTH Website. [Use code “GIVEBACK” and receive 10% off. Proceeds benefit CARE, to defend dignity and fight poverty worldwide.] Resonate Social is the creator of SocialSee, the first technology that shows True ROI from social media in a real-time dashboard- Coming Soon!