So you've built a website, started a Facebook page and got your Twitter handle. Now you're ready to sit back and watch the crowd accumulate and begin throwing money at you.

That whole "Build it and he (they) will come" bit only worked in Hollywood.

Social media isn't microwave-ready: Pop it in and 30 seconds later you have a 'meal'. It requires time and attention. You have to get the ingredients right, try it out, tweak it, try again. You have to interact, engage, listen and respond.

From Seth Godin's Blog:

The reason social media is so difficult for most organizations

It's a process, not an event.

Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.

On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery.

Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.

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If you're unwilling to invest time in your social media efforts - don't bother building them.