Social Media ROI Quickly Supplanting Earned for Many Clients

I couldn't agree more with the findings of this industry survey.

At our firm, social media services now account for more than a third of our total revenue, and this will likely double by this time next year. We are seeing increasing demand for such services as part of our more existing engagements and, in some cases, prospects have deferred earned media-focused programs altogether, seeing greater ROI in the CGM alternative.

As a result, we have evolved our professional development programs accordingly, requiring that all staff block out time each week to become proficient in blogging/blogger relations, social network engagement, new media utilization and community creation. The ultimate goal in this endeavor, beyond new business growth and client retention, is to more effectively educate, engage and entertain the diverse industry stakeholders less readily influenced through more traditional communications tactics.