How can you justify time spent on social media? Obviously, ROI is essential.

And what about productivity? 

You will benefit from reconsidering your social media usage as doing more with less effort, not simply doing more.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing suggests considering these five things you are already doing and how to do them more efficiently and productively with social media:

1. Following up with prospects – rather than simply emailing a prospect after a trade show, ask to connect with him on LinkedIn and then share an information rich article on tips or best practices about the very thing you discussed at your show (I use the share functions of Wall Street Journal, Economist and Golf Global Post to inform prospects).

2. Staying top of mind with customers – stay in front of customers by continuing to educate them, and a blog is the perfect social media tactic, offering a consistent stream of valuable information and success stories. SeeMore Putter company has learned to do this very well to build brand exposure and communicate with customers, media and fans. 

3. Keeping up on your industry – you have unparalleled tools to learn about new products and services, and to keep up with customers, dealers, competitors and key industry reporters whether it's through Google Reader and Alerts and Twitter searches (John shows how to use Twitter this way). 

4. Providing a better customer experience– you can't provide too much service, especially these days. There are many online tools such as HighRise, and even Central Desktop (Duct Tape Marketing software program) to help you track CRM and even collaborate with your customers.

5. Networking with potential partners – when you find a strategic partner, start reading their blog to understanding their thinking and approach to solving problems. Comments on blogs and get noticed. You can also create a blog of network partners so you can all write about and promote your expertise.

So, when you consider social media as a way to do more with less, you can better value your investment.