Three posts each week in one emai!

  • Get smart - with tutorials on Google Plus, Facebook, YouTube, WordPress and more.

  • Get more - from your nonprofit's social media marketing investment.

  • Stay informed - about the latest research and tech news.

Measuring the ROI of a Handshake

Fotolia handshake Measuring the ROI of a Handshake

Today I was asked for the thousandth time what the ROI of a social network is.

I answered with my own question: “You mean the network of people who care about your cause, participate in conversations that create greater awareness (not to mention good ideas) about your nonprofit?”

Not getting that my question was intended to show how silly his question was, he replied “Yes. I want to know if my efforts are worth anything.”

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe the only reason why people seek to measure the ROI of their social network is that they can. Or maybe measuring is the only thing they feel at home with.

We now have the ability to measure clicks, shares, comments, hits, conversions, retweets and more. But all this data doesn’t really tell us the value of our network. For example, I can count how many people I shake hands with, but that won’t tell how much value I’ll get in return for my efforts.

Don’t get me wrong, measuring and monitoring will show you where to spend your time, and might give you hints about what direction you need to go.

But the value of those efforts? My answer is “yes”

What’s yours?

Rehydrate your inbox here. Send hate mail here.

Read more articles about Be Human
  • http://twitter.com/togetherwf Susan Smith

    People ask me the same question.  I generally ask if they see value in things like networking events and parties.  It’s the same process.  You just get to do a lot more of it in less time and sometimes in you pj’s!!

  • http://twitter.com/LaToniyaAJones LaToniyaAJones

    It also opens opportunities that may not actualize until a future date but you have planted a seed in their minds about your organization… and hopefully they will share with someone who is not in your circle (or within your reach). Handshakes should work in a similar manner if your pitch was effective and you should mutual value in the conversation.

  • http://youtu.be/zkRthPzFtzM researchpaperwriter.net

    wow… cool! Thanks!

  • the shadow

    This is the proverbial “blue sky” that for-profit businesses have sold for years.  Over and over we hear that you cannot make the “big ask” of a person who neither knows, nor cares about, your cause or organization.  So LOTS of handshaking, baby kissing and schmoozing has to happen before a non-profit asks for even the time of day!  Unlike the maker of widgets, who can count how many more went out the door after his radio or internet ad went out, donations, volunteers, grants and so forth can come in LONG after that ad, because the seed may have been planted but not fertiilzed until much later. As long as an organization keeps track of it’s successes, and makes them known on a regular basis, in the most publicly effective way, and keeps those handshakes coming, you can almost guarantee you will always be in somone’s mind.  The trick is to keep sewing the ground, until the crop begins to grow.