Watch the following video above and think in terms of your ministry, church, and their social media initiatives.
Does social media marketing, initiatives, and strategies pay off? Definitely. But, only if done really well. But what exactly is the payoff? What is the true measurable ROI?
I’ve had more than a few conversations recently about how effective social media is for ministry, especially the ROI, or Return on Investment.
Now, generally this term is associated directly with a financial return. Our goal, though, is not money, so ROI is calculated a bit differently. Sure, we definitely need to be fiscally responsible, but hoarding treasures that moth and rust destroys is not our primary goal.
It’s people, and is there really a price tag on salvation? Obviously not.
But, ROI also can be measured by the success of a particular campaign, product launch, or initiative. Social media can help make those things a success and a positive ROI. The key here is measurement and what exactly you’re measuring.
We need to be wise with our time and financial resources. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and your leaders as to what will result in a positive ROI (whatever that might be) and trust Him for the results.
austinklee says
John, when I talk to groups about how to measure their return on a social media investment I like to talk about it in terms of ROIn (Return on Influence). While you might not receive a measurable dollar return on your investment in social media, if done correctly you can and WILL receive a return on your influence.
In church terms that means more and more people will come to Christ because they are able to identify with what your church is doing in a way that is relevant to them.
You can't put a price tag on the ROIn that you receive by implementing a winning social media strategy in your church or organization.
human3rror says
love this. thanks austin.
Steven Rossi says
Yeah I like that idea, too. I think influence may eventually turn into financial returns, but in the long run I'd say that influence is much more important.
Graham Brenna says
Loved this post! Thanks for sharing the video. It's good to have this sort of thing in my back pocket as I continue to take on more of a communications role. My big excitement today is that I talked one of my pastors into taking me with him to Exponential 2010 in April! 🙂
Gary Atwood says
While I'm all for the use of social media in creative and engaging ways, I think that it's important to look critically at it as well. What are you trying to accomplish? What are your goals? How will you measure success? Too many people pushing social media are relying on hype and little else to justify their claims (for more on this see "Beware of Social Media Snake Oil http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_5… I'm not suggesting that social media tools don't work, but it's important to use the right tool for the right job.
Thanks for the post. Keep up the good work!
austinklee says
When I go into a company and talk to them about setting up a social media strategy I start by walking them through a series of questions about the objectives they have for their social media campaign. I talk to them about what they can expect (marathon not a sprint) and I talk to them about what they can't expect (major viral exposure).
Not everyone will get 6,000,000 YouTube views and truth be told, not all businesses or chuches should allocate tons of resources to the social media space.
There are snake oil salesmen…they are usually the ones that don't bother to show you the real picture. Just like ordering wine in a restaurant: If they suggest the most expensive bottle walk away.
Kian Gray says
investing will always be a part of get rich programs, sometimes you need to be a risk taker to succeed.`..