the writing on the wall : the case for social ROI

If you live, work and breath social, you probably believe that it is core to the future of marketing.  Justifying that belief by say, demonstrating Social ROI however, is a bit harder.  Justifying a commitment and ongoing investment before proving that ROI is even harder.

The writing is on the wall.  Interruptive advertising is in decline.  Content can earn People trust and listen to their peers.  Brands can now be like peers.  So we should learn to market like people, right?

Here's the issue: the C-Suite doesn't read the writing on the wall, they read the ink on the balance sheets.  And without investing seriously in social measurement, the balance sheets aren't going to tell the full story.  But the case to make this investment is slow getting to the balance sheets.  And so, the case to make social core to business is slow to advance.

Forward looking execs look up from the table and read the wall, they invest in growth opportunities.  They don't just experiment in tactics, they invest in strategies for tomorrow.  But until measurement gets sexier and more serious, social will continue to be an experiment for a majority of marketers.

The writing may be on the wall, but it's going to take a new crop of marketers to get it onto the balance sheet.