Can we measure the ROI of our actions in Social Media? Is it possible to quantify what our marketing strategies report to us?

If we take into account that what is mainly pursued in Social Media is the construction of our branding strategies, those that support online influence and reputation, as well as establishing a close link with our customers, and also incorporating them as part of the mark the creative processes, can in a first approximation, seem that we are so far from an efficient ROI, as we have always been. But it’s not like that!

Actions in Social Media are the best formula to achieve the growth of our brand, this is so because it seeks to ensure that the construction of solid and long-term links emerge as a thread of constant growth.

How much are our actions on Twitter, what does customer service on Facebook tell us, how many strategic alliances have been derived from the interaction on Google+, the interventions in the Linkendin groups and the image marketing campaigns on Pinterest? Which is the most suitable formula to measure the ROI.

Objectives, we can only measure the efficiency of something that we know what is

We always talk about them and we will do it until there are no doubts, what are the partial objectives that we seek to achieve with our actions in social media. To be more visible, to reach a greater number of allies and clients, to form work teams under the umbrella of social philosophy, to show our catalog of products as part of the social action on Pinterest, in order to deliver a unique presence? Whoever they are, we can only measure the efficiency of something we know what it is!

Unless we are able to clearly define what part of our global growth actually corresponds to our actions in social networks, we will not even be close to measuring our ROI in social media. It can be done through a market study between our networks, we can analyze what the competition does and what is the added value of its actions that supports growth, it can be done through dialogue and interaction, analyze in order to guide . Only knowing the real benefits that social networks give us, we can establish the percentage of growth that defines our ROI

Metrics, much more than reports and numbers

Once we have followers, readers, followers, circles full of people, groups of debate, once we have formed a community united by images and walls, we can begin to analyze everything. In relation to the metrics and their importance, there is also a lot of literature, it is essential to keep in mind that the conversion, the final goal of the metrics, is only possible through the global and exhaustive knowledge of our potential clients.

Finally, we summarize the measurement of ROI as the ability to identify what we should analyze; followers, traffic, conversion, virality, reach, how we should do it; using ad-hoc tools and resources, specific to each social fabric and how to incorporate the conclusions obtained into our global business strategies. Thus we approach a more efficient ROI of our efforts in the social networks.