I recently found a blog post by Aaron Murnahan on understanding what not to spend money on in social media. Does it square with your philosophy.

http://jonhartley.com/blog/what-do-you-really-need-when-you-buy-social-media-expertise/

i didnt  get much out of that  blog post….but what i would look for is  aLOCAL person  who  could   help   organize  our   wide marketing  efforts.and help me  get the  best out of our  faccebook  ….and  integrate  pinterest in  everything   …and who  got to know the store and had  good photo skills and  the general feel of the place……..and  could maybe  manage some projects  thati dont have time for…and ebook, setting up   you tube, a calendar to give away,   they would be a part   p.r.  person  too…..

Hey, @jon-hartley, it’s always a good idea to recap the major points of an article if you’re posting in the clubs, since many people prefer to stay here, AND we’re trying to keep the conversation here.

My philosophy is that it’s always wise to spend money w/an expert who can speed up the learning process if it means you can start earning more, quicker. 

Focus on what you do best and outsource the rest.

@jon-hartley I would post here and provide a link(s) to any relevant articles.

@jon-hartley ;iif  you  are trying to sell ,  how about showing  the  potential client   a  great  example of  a business in that niche  doing well on  social media?   im sure there are alot of  obstacles, and  reallly many   businesses   wouldnt  work on  facebook  very well …imho…  ….

im with  rich…..dont need/go to ,most of   the links on here… as i go to  lots of places already……..and  they   would pull  you away  from here…a members   real take on an issue is   more interesting…. 

It all comes down to clearly outlined goals of your campaign and overall strategy, not just what you do on Facebook. @annfurnivall I know where you are coming from with regards to many businesses not working very well on Facebook, in my experience its more down to incorrect/unrealistic goals before going onto the platform.

With so many users on Facebook every month, almost every segment of every target market is on the site, so its how you strategically use that to a businesses benefit. Sometimes just creating a community where people interact with each other, not just the business and sales team is capable of large increases in customer acquisition and retention.

But, its certainly no quick fix where you try for 2-3 months and start counting the sales

Yeah, the turnaround for a retail focused biz or ‘Facebook friendly niche’ (like it!) means its easier to realise a return in a shorter space of time. Having a solid database to start with is also a great booster, especially with the custom audience feature in Facebook advertising. For those niche businesses that aren’t so FB friendly, there is still a huge benefit to being on Facebook, but not if it isn’t a thought out and planned strategy. Businesses are run by people after all