Social media is so much more than how many “likes” you can score on Facebook. It's much more than your Klout score. It's also much more than how much “voice” your brand has within a specific conversation in the digital space.

Certainly, there is a place for all of those metrics. In 2012, however, we need to challenge ourselves to become more focused on how social actually affects our business. Some of it will come to life in lieu of advertising, ...