Top Three Quotes
- “The value of social media is not the platform, it is what you do with it.”
- “If you don’t understand how to measure ROI, you don’t understand business.”
- “Social media is not free. It takes time, it takes resources, and it takes money.”
Book Theme
Social Media ROI’s main theme is demystifying social media’s impact on business performance, focusing on how to measure, manage, and optimize social media activities to generate clear, quantifiable ROI.
Why You Should Read This Book
You manage marketing budgets and must demonstrate clear, measurable returns on investment to executives or stakeholders.
You need to prove the business value of social media initiatives and show how they contribute to revenue or cost savings.
You want to move beyond surface-level metrics such as likes, shares, and followers, and instead focus on meaningful business outcomes.
You are looking for a structured framework that helps integrate social media activities into your organization’s broader business objectives.
Key Ideas and Arguments Presented
Sustainability: Success requires long-term commitment and appropriate resource allocation over time.
Social Media Requires Business Alignment: Social media efforts must connect directly to overall business objectives.
ROI Must Be Defined Clearly: The return on investment in social media should be tied to measurable financial outcomes rather than vanity metrics.
Strategy Before Tactics: Many organizations jump into social platforms without a clear strategy, but the book emphasizes the need for thorough planning first.
The Importance of Governance: It is essential to establish policies, processes, and guidelines to manage risks and ensure consistency across teams.
Measurement Framework: Clear definitions of goals, key performance indicators, and success criteria are critical for tracking progress and impact.
Change Management: Adopting social media affects company culture and workflows, so managing this change intentionally is necessary.
Training and Enablement: Employees and teams require education on tools, processes, and expectations to be effective.
Customer Engagement: Listening to customers, responding effectively, and creating value for the audience are fundamental components of social media success.
Integration with Other Functions: Social media cannot operate in isolation and should be connected to sales, customer service, and product teams.
Book Outline
The following are the main sections and chapters as listed in the book:
- I. Social Media Program Development
- 1. Creating the Social Company
- 2. Aligning Social Media to Business Goals
- 3. Planning for Performance Measurement
- 4. Establishing Clarity of Vision, Purpose, and Execution
- II. Social Media Program Integration
- 5. Understanding How Social Media Plugs into the Organization
- 6. The People Principle
- 7. Establishing Social Media Guidelines for the Organization
- 8. Laying the Operational Groundwork for Effective Social Media Management
- 9. The New Rules of Brand Communications in the Age of Social Media
- III. Social Media Program Management
- 10. Listening Before Talking
- 11. Social Media and Digital Brand Management
- 12. Real-Time Digital Support: Fixing Customer Service Once and for All
- 13. Social Media Program Management: Putting It All Together
- IV. Social Media Program Measurement
- 14. Creating a Measurement Practice for Social Media Programs
- 15. ROI and Other Social Media Outcomes
- 16. F.R.Y. (Frequency, Reach, and Yield) and Social Media
- 17. Social Media Program Analysis and Reporting
Key Takeaways
- Training and change management are critical elements that are often overlooked but essential for success.
- Social media ROI is achievable and measurable when objectives are clearly defined.
- Businesses must approach social media as an investment rather than treating it as a side project.
- Metrics should be linked to actual business outcomes instead of focusing only on engagement numbers.
- Establishing governance helps reduce risk and improve efficiency across teams.
Key Techniques
ROI Calculation Templates: Apply practical formulas and templates to quantify and demonstrate financial returns.
Measurement Frameworks: Define goals, key performance indicators, and conversion metrics early in the process.
Social Media Audit: Evaluate the current state of your social media presence and readiness for improvement.
Governance Model: Establish clear rules, escalation paths, and responsibilities to manage activity and risks.
Alignment Process: Connect social media objectives directly to overall business strategies and priorities.
Author’s Qualifications
Olivier Blanchard is a recognized expert in brand management and social business strategy. His background includes:
- One of the earliest voices advocating for accountability in social media investments
- Principal at BrandBuilder Marketing
- Consultant for global brands across multiple industries
- Frequent speaker on social media measurement and digital transformation
Comparison to Similar Books
Compared to Measure What Matters by Katie Delahaye Paine, Blanchard provides more comprehensive operational guidance for implementing ROI programs.
Compared to Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Social Media ROI is more focused on financial measurement rather than adoption strategies.
Unlike Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, this book emphasizes processes and frameworks instead of storytelling.
Target Audience
- Business Analysts responsible for marketing KPIs
- Marketing Directors and Managers
- Social Media Strategists
- Digital Transformation Leads
- CMOs and Executive Leadership
- Small Business Owners who are serious about measurement
- Consultants and Agency Professionals
Critical Response to the Book
Social Media ROI has been widely praised for:
- Providing practical frameworks in an area often dominated by hype
- Demystifying complex measurement concepts
- Being accessible without oversimplification
Some critiques note:
Certain examples could be more current as platforms evolve
It assumes readers have some foundational marketing knowledge
One Sentence Takeaway
Social media only becomes valuable to business when you align it with strategy, measure its impact rigorously, and treat it as an investment that demands accountability.