big question out there these days is: What is the ROI of Social Media? Or the ever popular how do I measure the ROI of social media?  Often when I get this question it’s appropriate for me to retort: “What’s the ROI of your phone?&#   Other times it’s not appropriate to respond with this answer, which, if done in the wrong tone, or place, can win you a free punch in the face.  Then there are the naysayers that adamantly proclaim, “We aren’t doing social media because there isn’t any ROI.&#. by Erik Qualman. 20-23.  25-28.  MORE >>

But is the quantity of data a strong enough KPI/metric to justify the time and resources companies dedicate to their social media efforts? The confusion on social ROI might remain the same unless social media professionals stop trying to evaluate their online efforts the same way they measure the success of their other marketing activities. Following are four of those metrics for measuring social media ROI, which we see as of great importance. of their rival companies with help from social media analytic platforms, such as SocialBakers. Brand Awareness. MORE >>

Social media is an important community builder, but there may come a time when you have to demonstrate to company leaders how social media efforts impact business objectives, especially revenue. For more granular analysis, you can also assign unique phone numbers to specific social media elements or activities, such as: Account bios of company reps. At any time, get a pulse on social media ROI by running sales reports by lead source and totaling revenue generated from social media leads. What technologies do you use to track social media ROI? Conversations (e.g MORE >>

Another year of measuring social media ROI. Because first, we should dispel some myths about measuring social media ROI. I’m an advocate for social media ROI, but before we can measure social media ROI, we have to kick these myths to the curb. Social media requires the planning and respect of your entire company, just as any other marketing and communication initiative. If you hope to measure ROI, you must first have an investment. There is no single way to measure social media ROI. Can they support the company’s social mission? MORE >>

The post sparked quite the discussion in the comments, a lot of it about ROI (return on investment). This stemmed from a quip Gary had made to an event attendee who was asking a few times about the ROI of social media, to which Gary replied, “What’s the ROI of your mother?&#. said as much in the comments, and Chris Theisen raised an interesting point with his question: “Do companies actually measure whether each employee has a positive ROI on the company?&#. Insights Business employees roiIf they don’t, then they should. MORE >>