The BrandBuilder Blog. Social Media ROI By Olivier Blanchard. A Q&A with the CEO of ROI Tracker Ifbyphone. Social Media ROI: It’s Gray Matter. When we consult with clients for the first time, many of them ask, “What’s going to be my ROI with social media?” Let’s start with a big disclaimer. Social media is not magic. It’s not a silver bullet, a cure for the broken business, another advertising channel, a membership to an exclusive club and it’s certainly not a one-way ticket to immediate profits.
Social media is a form of communication; a platform for building relationships. And, like most relationships, it takes time, effort, and energy. Social media shouldn’t receive a separate distinction or category in any business marketing strategy. In a recent conversion I had with a colleague, we discussed the two different marketing mindsets. The business offers value by giving its audience solutions to challenges and problems. Until social media evolved, the latter was likely done via networking, referrals, and WOM. So, where are businesses going wrong?
What do you think? Where Are the Professionals? Reflections on the #sxsmroi Panel Debacle. I was scheduled to participate in a panel on Social Media and ROI at the #sxswi conference this week. My schedule being what it is, I couldn’t be in two places at once and had to make the painful decision last week of cancelling my trip to Austin altogether. As much as I was looking forward to finally making it to Sx and being on this panel, priorities are priorities.
Muchas gracias to the panel’s organizers for having invited me to participate. In spite of what I am about to say here, I am very grateful to them. Anyway. After days of reading tweet after tweet about how wonderful and fun SxSWi was, how much of a blast everyone was having, seeing pictures of some of my favorite people meeting up and smiling big for the camera, it was with a heavy heart that I logged into Tweetdeck for the #sxsmroi session Monday afternoon, in the hopes of at least being there from a distance. I guess not. Let me give you a taste of some of the brilliant “insights” retweeted from this unfortunate session: