All the metrics to measure its success were developed as the idea matured. Each new concept has its own set of unique metrics that are developed based on the idea itself. E.g. the idea of “Retweets” or “Fans” or “Friends” would not make any sense without the concept of Twitter or Facebook themselves.

This article is a step in the positive direction to determining the quantifiable results of Social Media Marketing. All marketing concepts revolve around the idea of reaching out and spreading the word to as many people as possible. It is human nature to get bored with one concept and move to newer avenues. Hence, in the history of marketing we see a trend of constant change from Gutenberg’s metal movable type to the use of the Telegraph to our modern day E-commerce. Now we find a huge bulk of the people involved in social media – more people talk to each other through Facebook than face-to-face. So, as the old adage goes “Fish where the fish are…”

Social media marketing is all about ‘Listening first and selling second’. As with any other channels of marketing, Social media marketing comes with its own set of implications, such as identifying the correct social media channel (Youtube, facebook etc…) for different types of target audiences and also aligning end goals to the type of channel.

Social media marketing can be measured through various metrics such number Retweets, number of blog mentions, number of friends or followers. The Non-financial and Financial impacts are clear ROI indicators. Even though social media marketing returns may not fit into currently existing metrics defined to calculate ROI. It has its own set of indicators to measure the cost saving and increased revenue for an organization. Hence I feel that the ROI of social media is as measurable as any other form of media and it is slowly but steadily gaining acceptance in professional environments.