Money Talks? | Brand Republic Feature

Whilst reading a recent white paper on trends within Social Commerce, I came across a quote from Douglas Rushkoff that basically said the goal of social media isn’t sales. Social media should be about building the culture of your company.

Now that makes a lot of sense to me.

However, in the subsequent paragraph of the report, Seth Greenberg of Intuit told us all to “Give up the idea that it’s not about the money. It is about the money.

Now that makes a lot of sense to me too.

But let’s step back a touch and think about it. We’re operating in a commercial environment one that has become extremely rarified. So right now return on investment is a big issue amongst clients.

So, getting them to buy into social media inevitably leads to discussions about financial returns. To a certain degree if you’re a Starbucks, Dominos or Lastminute.com type organisation then yes it’s pretty clear how to turn it into a sales tool.

But otherwise? Well perhaps, it’s time to fess up and play the long game.

OK Mr Client, Social Media isn’t necessarily going to deliver immediate monetary returns on investment. BUT as part of a brand experience, as part of a tool that can uplift sales thenYES it will do that.

Generally speaking are people going to visit your Facebook page, or read your tweets and then immediately buy (the previous comments accepted) from you? Probably not.

But can it enhance the brand experience? Yes most definitely.

Would it contribute to enhancing sales by ensuring people could enjoy positive brand experiences? Yes, if handled correctly.

You know, well of course you do, ROI doesn’t have to be money related. But the key here is managing the expectation from a strategic and creative point of view.

And by taking the time to be clearer on deliverables within a brand experience, the client, budget and desire willing, should see the value in it.