The Types of ROI: Return on Investment vs. Return on Influence

By Christopher Tompkins

The Two Types of ROI: Return on Investment vs. Return on Influence

In the marketing world, many

businesses focus on ROI (return on

Investment). However, when they

don’t get the immediate monetary

results they desire, they begin

to pull away from social media

marketing.

But there is another side of the coin: ROI 2.0 (return on Influence). Many

businesses have begun investing more time and money into individuals

or organizations who can represent their brand and bring credibility and

value to them. Have you considered this?

Either way, both ROIs have a place in your marketing strategy - you just

need to keep in mind that the value of each one will be unique for your

business.

Return on Investment:

If you’re spending money trying to promote a product or service, it’s

essential to be fully aware of your ROI. There are a few things to consider

first:

1. Know how to budget correctly.

So many people think that spending thousands of dollars on advertising

will result in a huge win for their company.

Yes, more money can result in a greater ROI, but, what if you don’t have

thousands to spend in order to acquire new customers? You need to be

smart and strategic with what you do have. You’ll want to know as much

about your target audience as possible. Don’t waste your money showing

your ad to everyone in the world, when you could be showing your ad to

JUST your target audience.

2. Know your KPIs and marketing goals.

Speaking of being strategic, you must know your KPIs (key performance

indicators). These are specific S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable,

attainable, relevant, time-bound) that you can keep track of as your

campaign progresses

Without these, you’re making business decisions that are based on feelings

instead of figures. If you aren’t careful, you could be spending money on

marketing efforts that end up in little to no results.

3. Know how to track your ROI using analytics.

If you don’t already have traffic tracker set up on your website, what are you

waiting for? This is one of the easiest ways to see your website traffic, where

they came from, and what pages on your website had a greater increase

in visitors than others. Most social media sites offer their own specialized

pixel so you can maximize your advertising spend with them, enabling you

to only “pay” for when someone clicks through to your site.

Return on Influence:

While your return on investment is very matter-of-fact and measurable,

this is not always the case with return on influence. This is categorized

by the social media engagement factors that have a robust effect in terms

of business visibility and a knock-on effect in generating leads, sales, and

awareness.

The return on influence, while it may not be able to be transparently

measured in dollars - has a direct effect on the overall campaign.

1. Know your measurements...and what they mean.

When you are measuring your level of influence, there is not a fancy equation that will help you deliver the ideal metric. Each business has its

own needs and its own unique focus.

Is it important for you to have a high number of people connected

to your profiles? Then the size of your audience will be something that

you will want to measure and keep track of. Are you looking to get your

audience engaged with your content actively? Then you want to track likes,

comments, reactions, and shares. Want to use social media links as calls to

action to visit your website? Then you need to track the amount of traffic

that you are generating via each site.

2. Tell your story. Your full story. In real-time.

One of the largest returns you can get on ROI in the influence category

is being able to tell your brand’s story, in real-time, while you gauge and

measure engagement. Social media marketing is a beautiful compliment

and extension to a well-executed public relations campaign. Meaning,

you can really tell your brand’s story fully - without being hampered by

deadlines, timing, content lengths, restrictions, and more. You are able to

comment in real-time to anything that is happening in the universe that

you can tie your brand to.

This shows that you are available, have a finger on the pulse, and are

trustworthy. Who do people do business with? Those that they trust.

3. Positions you as an expert.

Your social media channels are an extension of your online presence.

Consider it the more interactive version of your website or online point

of sale. Here you are not just making claims, you are substantiating your

business. You can craft and share content that helps bring your target

audience closer to you. Showcase how your product/service/business

solves a problem they face.

Each one of your social media channels acts as a branding and expertise

hub where you can illustrate to your audience the value that you and your

brand bring to the table and why they need to be interested. Having these

authentic communications in real-time offers positioning like none other!

Now, it’s time to make the best out of both metrics...

While return on investment focuses on measurable goals, return on

influence is about the results you gain from having a presence on social

media, and of course, what your business does with this.

As you continue your marketing journey, look further into how both

ROIs can be factored into your strategy, and how you can reap the benefits

of these. Measuring your results from a monetary standpoint and an

influential standpoint can only help your business grow.

Meet Christopher Tompkins

Christopher Tompkins is founder, head strategist, and CEO of The Go! Agency. His devotion to helping companies harness the power of online marketing impacts every aspect of The Go! Agency. A fundamental believer in online marketing education, Christopher speaks at national and international conferences. His latest book, The Go Method: 22 Simple Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy That Works!, is now available! For more details, visit https://gosalesandmarketing.com.

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