This will be quick. Was on a solid panel the other day with Amber Naslund discussing measurement in social media.
Amber said something so obvious, yet so important for every social media marketer to hear. Paraphrasing ...
Anyone who's read a business book or gone to college should know ROI is a number derived from a simple mathematical formula.
Nailed it. Her point [or my take on her point] is very simple: If you want to be taken seriously by your management, your clients or your colleagues, understand what ROI actually is and figure out how to calculate it.
No one wants the round-about, long-form, chock-full-of-caveats explanation of ROI. They just want the #. And if you can't measure return for something in particular, then just say so.
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I'll keep my comment short. You're right.
When a brand hires you to do something they are looking for a clear ROI as well. If your R has an asterisk in front of it, then they their eyes may start to move towards someone more confident in their analysis.
Posted by: Len Kendall | October 24, 2009 at 04:42 PM