Hey there, business manager type. You've put a stake in the ground and invested in some post-web 2.0 social media platform/content initiatives, and now folks are looking for results.
So what do you say when a colleague asks you, "what's up with that social content web thingy that's been sucking up all our budget and resources? Is it working?"

I know when loaded questions like that are pointed at me, my first instinct is to pretend my phone is vibrating with a family emergency and run away promising to get right back to ya on that! But in this example, our irrational fear of failure or exposure can be tamed. One simply needs to remember that social and content programs are in a constant state of optimization. Then just state the last three things you agreed to do, in order of priority.

Here's an example of a good answer:

Well, since we launched version one, we've observed a lot of different behaviors in our user base. Some map to our goals, some don't. So in version two we're doing three things: First, we're gonna shift the energy of the site's content by working directly with known influencers in our most active topics. Then, we're going to follow the dialog around that content, and try and stimulate that audience of responders any way we can. Finally, when we see someone who really stands out as a topic enthusiast, we're going to elevate their content within the experience, and maybe even reach out to them directly for more input. That way, we're creating an audience around relevant topics and contributing to the conversation.

Pretty simple, really. Three responsive tactics that all back up to two common business goals; content generation and community building.

There's nothing in that answer about conversion, or performance, or bottom line. But it tells people very clearly that you are engaged in the process, know what you're talking about, and, most importantly, someone is steering the ship.

So what about the bottom line? What if the next question is, "we're losing money on that, right?"
Well, chances are if you're early in your organization's social and content development, making the case that your investment is literally paying off can be tricky. But you have to stick to your guns. Your company's social footprint – and the content & people that sustain its viability – will never be "finished." In this case, your program design is an ever-shifting call and response between you and your audience. You need to find them, learn from them, feed them, and reward them.

I'm not suggesting that you should feel comfortable looking your boss in the eye and saying the bottom line doesn't matter. That's just not gonna work in most cases. But you should be able to look your boss in the eye and say, with confidence, we're in good shape. We're being responsive and responsible. We're building important, essential equity.

And we are not giving up.

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note: you might be asking yourself; I thought this was a design blog? Well, I'm a designer. And today, this is something I had to think about for a real, paying client. Sometimes it's not enough to arm your clients with great creative work. Sometimes it's not enough to collaborate with them exhaustively. Sometimes, you just need to get in their shoes and understand the world they live in – otherwise, your design may not matter.