social media explorer

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Bravo!!! That's right you said it! Embracing the fact that ROI isn't always about the Benjamins would do some of these stakeholders good.

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Is there not a bit of an elephant in the room, in that a business which is participating in conversation is still doing it to grow business and eventually make money – or it's not actually a business?

Even open source business models are still business models which in some way aim to reward the originators financially to allow them to do what they do?

And there are quantifiable aspects around human conversations – e.g. the amount of them happening. Then it's down to automated/human interpretation to judge the sentiment and value of each one if that's whats required.

I'm a big fan of Katie and Avinash, and the quality and value of conversation are definitely the best metrics of engagement – but you still need to figure out where engagement sits for the rest of the business, and how it's integrated into other areas. If it's contributing to natural search results, for example, then without any measurement of other outcomes, the results are all attributed to SEO work, and engagement is disregarded. If it's driving purchase conversions, but not being tracked, then the natural assumption is that traffic from search, or a bigger display ad etc have driven the end result.

It's easy, when you've involved in social media every day, to assume that it's just a natural thing that everyone gets should be integral to every part of a business, and that quality of conversation in itself should be accepted as result enough – but that's not going to convince anyone who isn't already a convert…

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

Agreed. Still, without the Benjamins, the business fails. So we have to find a way to justify it. We just haven't found it yet.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

All valid points, Dan. Thanks for the push back.

My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media. So we're comparing apples to oranges but have convinced the C-level folks that the apple actually IS an orange. I'm advocating that we feed them real oranges, but that requires they unlearn what an orange is.

From a practical, here-and-now stance, however, you are right. We must show them the old metrics, the apple-as-orange, to keep them happy and spending. But we must also find a way to make the actual orange, the real value of the conversations, appealing to them.

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

No problem. As a Community Marketing Manager, tackling the strategy and tactical implementation of engagement across the portfolio of a 'traditional' magazine,radio,TV and internet company, it's obviously a philosophical and practical dilemma I'm pretty familiar with!

I think on a philosophical level, it's easier to say what we should be doing, but there's a risk that we never join the dots between the philosophical end game (with some case studies), and the practical reality of most companies – this is the area where the biggest challenge occurs.

There's a big responsibility for social media specialists to be able to plan the ideal strategy from the social perspective, the old school perspective, and the transitional perspective, and to somehow juggle the three in a way which educates and transforms business and marketing for the better. The good thing is that the very tools and philosophy we all espouse, which is collaboration etc, is actually a huge asset in doing this!

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the insights, J. Wish I could have heard that session. Difficulty in quantifying results for SM is a continuation of the measurement frustrations PR has experienced for decades. SM is best compared to a focus group. You gain a lot of insight and understanding, but you can't generalize and you can't assign statistics. That's frustrating for bottom-line folks who've been told in business school “if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.”

I'm optimistic that folks like Katie Paine will find ways to apply content analysis to the “conversation,” just as they have in measures of traditional publicity messages. It will take time, and it won't be precise. But it will help.

You are smart to shift the focus from ROI. SM is a lot like corporate ethics. You do it because it's the right thing to do, and the entire organization benefits from the exchange and the transparency of it. It protects your reputation and it builds trust.

SM is a tough sell to the accountants, but executives with vision grasp it pretty quickly. (P.S. It'll take them some time to get Twitter. I'm still having a hard time myself!)

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

Thanks for the post, Jason. Measurement will continue to be difficult as long as we're dealing with qualitative outcomes. I think the advantage that many social tools have are the measures built into the tools. Being able to show number of followers, friends, views, etc combined with traditional measures like site traffic provide an improved view of roi, even though, to your point, it doesn't provide a true reflection of the value of the conversation. But, we may be getting closer to business justification for our efforts.

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

ROI on human interactions is always very tricky. I've worked in fundraising and development for years, and have always held that fundraising events cannot always be about the bottom line. It can't be about just the dollar figure you amassed that night. Events are also about cultivation and engagement. I would spend time making sure everyone, not just the big donors, feel like VIPs because that guy who only bought a $20 ticket today, could be the guy who gives you $20K in 10 years. So how do you how do you put a value on that? Social media is the same. I run a blogging program at http://www.indium.com/blogs and I'm very keen for our bloggers to understand that the engineering student who asks a goofy question today, could be the head of a major customer down the road. Thankfully, all the decision makers understand that the blogs are not money-makers, they are perception-builders

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

This is dead on: “If your goal is to participate in the conversation, to enhance your relationship with your audiences and become a trusted member of the community that surrounds your brand, then your measures should prove you’ve done those things. Your ROI is what you got out of the conversation, not what you got out of their checkbook.”

Doing these things, correctly, should influence your brand recognition, market share, & ultimately your sales volume. But Social Media is not the ultimate tool, it is just one tool in your repertoire. Your business also needs to manage its core functions well also. As you can see with the example of General Motors, who seemed to do SM right, their core business and labor model is wrong and the company suffers for it.

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

It's all about long-term commitment – because it's the RIGHT and SMART thing to do – not short-term metrics. Long-term business growth will happen. A whole post on this at MarketingProfs Daily Fix (Return on Whatever)

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

I think the key is, you have companies that are NEW to social media, wanting to use metrics and measurements that they are used to when using TRADITIONAL marketing methods to 'get their message out there'. Their thinking is 'how do we make money from this?', whereas companies that have been active in this space for a while, such as Dell, understand that by PARTICIPATING that they will make more money as a BYPRODUCT of their efforts. Dell has been in the game long enough to see the impact that their efforts are making, and as a result have shifted away from the 'how do we make money with this?' mentality.

Attempting to DIRECTLY monetize social media efforts is the quickest way to ensure they fail. But companies that aren't familiar with this space don't know any better. In a few years, after more companies are more familiar with these tools, I think we'll see them looking to INdirectly monetize their efforts, while putting the focus on SM as a way to DIRECTLY connect with their customers.

At least, that's the hope…

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

Great post! Because short-term social media ROI is so fuzzy, my advice to clients is make a long-term commitment to social media marketing, and stay engaged with their audience over time.

Sometimes I think quantitative ROI measurements should be left in the hands of semanticists. What is an apple, or an orange anyway? Are we talking Delicious, Rome? Blood, or Navel?Things can be measured, but connecting those things to actual business growth in the short term might be a matter of perspective, depending on the industry. As Dan commented, if metrics aren't attached to social media, the departments doing metrics will naturally take any increase as their own. Social media certainly has proven itself to have tremendous value for many businesses, so in order to assuage accounting, do certain assumptions/financial projections need to be made about the business value of conversations?

[...] Press the arrow to hear a welcome messageJason Falls has started a stimulating conversation on What Is The ROI For Social Media? [...]

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

Nice post, Jason.

It all comes back to objectives really. What does success mean in this case – not just for the social media activities but for the person who's in charge? I agree with you that you can't attach a dollar figure to conversation. Sometimes, though, you can find proxies for business objectives that you can't attribute directly to social media.

There's no way I'm going to walk into a marketing VP's office and tell them they need to use social media so they can “be part of the conversation.” I'd get laughed out of the room. Instead, I'm going to walk into their office and show how being part of the conversation can contribute to their end goals (if, in their case, it can). If that involves money then you have to find a way to draw a line between that and social media activities (reputation, awareness, product feedback etc) or you have to step away from social media tactics in their case.

As you clearly realize, it's a mistake to try to apply a standard measure to social media (or public relations activities for that matter), in the same way that it's a mistake to blindly recommend the same communications tactic in every case. ROI and objectives for the activities must revolve around the (internal or external) client's success criteria.

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

I have to say that needing to quantify does not doom an effort to failure, and a direct response is possible. If we can get out of the mindset of bigger brands and companies, and perhaps try to think this through in a smaller, more targeted way, that would help. Also, this gets back to the root of PR anyway communicating to the public about a company. In this case, its about communicating with the public.

The realities of today's world – particularly in marketing/PR – is that metrics get you budget. Sure, its nice to say that social media is important to have a relationship with your public, but you need to translate that into a metric if you want ongoing funding.

Just a reality check-

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

Something that continues to frustrate me is that we've spent millions of dollars over the years taking our clients out for dinner or to a golf game, and we understand the inherent value in developing that relationship, even if that one transaction (or interaction) didn't drop to the bottom line. The understanding is that if I develop my relationship with this person, I'm deepening their affinity for me as a person, and therefore my brand and my company. I can't remember the last CEO who demanded that the straight line be drawn from the golf game to the account buy. Why can't we make the same connection in social media?

Relationships – the currency of social media – are unique and distinctive, and the lifecycle of each follows a different path. Perhaps if we weren't so concerned about getting directly from Point A to Point B, and more comfortable with the idea that point A might lead to B, C, D, E and maybe even F before we see a dollar sign, we might be more inclined to find a measurement that makes sense. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but I'd be inclined to say that more often than not, cultivating a relationship over time is never a waste.

I'd put an analogy here about how many times you go on a date before you get to third base, but I'm going to resist that temptation.

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

This post got me to think that maybe a way to rephrase the question of ROI is to ask: Does Value = Price?

Traditional measurements of ROI have always been bullshit. What I believe all of us involved in social media are really looking for is a way to justify the value of our work in a manner that reflects something more honest than the traditional models of impressions, hits, clicks and pageviews with an arbitrary dollar figure imposed on each one.

I understand that businesses make decisions based on the bottom line, but isn't social media engagement all about humanizing organizations? Ultimately, businesses are made of human beings and most human beings I know are motivated by a number of things in different measure — profit is only one such motivator. In fact, we have a word for human beings who are solely motivated by profit: psychopath.

Maybe instead of humanizing businesses, social media engagement will simply make businesses healthier, with new definitions of success that include profits, but that are more multifaceted and closely aligned with those of us not suffering from a destructive mental affliction. Or, maybe I'm just especially hopeful today. : )

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

“My argument is a bit more philosophical than practical. The old metrics of impressions, click-thrus, etc., are what we've mistakenly made people comfortable with. We can show an ROI, but those numbers don't accurately justify or balance the goals we (should) set out to achieve with social media.”

Jason, you are correct. Many have been calling “the old metrics” ROI. Click-thrus, links, impressions are subscribers are not ROI. True ROI can only be measured in dollar return on investment. That is, our business earned $25 on a $20 investment, making the ROI $5. Any other measurement is not ROI and when we say it is, we drive C-level executives nuts. And rightfully so.

I served as a VP of Marketing in the corporate world, and have worked PR. Marketing and PR, including social media, can be measured in ROI, although it need not be to show value. In order to measure the ROI of social media, we first must established a measurable goal as determined by dollars returned on dollars spent..

To make this simple in terms of PR or social media and for the sake of this argument, let's assume we spend $500 on both this quarter. Our measurable goal is to return $1000. We measure both in terms of sales by either applying a special code or a special 1 800 number to be used by anyone purchasing via a blog for example. In terms of the press release, we always ask buyers how they came to purchase an item. And then we determine the return.

However, not all social media or public relations or any kind of marketing has an ROI goal. At least some of it is designed to build brand, trust and or credibility. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to measure any of that as ROI. You can't and you shouldn't.

Finally, when it is said that “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable,” we can argue that this is a false statement. I can tell you precisely what my blog's ROI is in terms of dollars returned on dollars invested. Everything is quantifiable when it is designed to be so.

Hope this windy comment makes some sense. My primary warning is, let's use ROI correctly and understand it is measured only in dollars. Then we can justifiably claim that sometimes we correctly have marketing and communications objectives that are not designed to deliver ROI.

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

I don't know if you can place a concrete number on how much value and potential value you can gain through engaging in conversations and establishing relationships. Building trust for your brand and acting as a thought leader go a long way. The bottom line though, is that the bottom line matters. It's easy to write off that companies should not worry about the ROI, but they have to in order to succeed, especially in times like theses. Even though additional traffic (impressions, clicks, sign-ups) may not be the best way to judge social media, it certainly can give a quantifiable result. For now, that might be the best way to judge. I think sometimes people involved with social media don't fully understand that ROI is important and hitting numbers is important. May be traditional and old school, but those values in business are still important. Now we just need a better system to measure the two.

Craig
http://www.budgetpulse.com

Well put Amber, though I am sorely disappointed that I can't pass on some charts and graphs to my teen son to think about as he moves into the bases. Ok, I didn't just write that…

Well put Amber, though I am sorely disappointed that I can't pass on some charts and graphs to my teen son to think about as he moves into the bases. Ok, I didn't just write that…