Alyssa Gregory has written a great article with tips for creating your  social media marketing plan. The article is entitled Tips for Using Blogs, Twitter and Facebook to Find New Clients . While this is not a top-ten list type post, it is a collection of best practices that when used consistently will build a following of loyal fans for your content.

So, you are out there on the web, actively publishing blogs or videos about something. But what exactly are you getting for that effort? Are you getting one time sales, or long term investments?

A lead is a person that is interested in what you are promoting. It might be a weight-loss product, or a financial service.  They might buy the product. But their interest is over once they make the decision to purchase or not. They are a one-time sale, for all intents and purposes.

A following is a person that is interested in what you are doing. They may, or may not, be interested in what you are offering in your promotion, but they are interested in how you are promoting and what you have to say. They are long term investments.

And in the long run, that following has far greater potential. The following will keep listening long after this particular product offering is gone. And when you do have a new product offering, that following is there for you to spread the word to, because they were following what you were doing. You have earned their trust. And they will want to buy a product you recommend if it solves a current problem of theirs.

If you are only generating leads, then with each new product offering you will have to develop those leads all over again. Yes, you still have your leads of those that purchased your previous offering, but you will have to recapture that previous lead’s interest.

I like to think of it like this: Would you rather take a $100 sale today, or an average $5 sale each month over the next two years? I know which one I would choose.

Keep this in mind as you plum the depths of Twitter and Facebook and MySpace. Be sure you are developing a following.