I have read a number of articles, blog posts, and discussions on the various ASAE list servers about the ability to gather solid metrics to show the return on investments (ROI) for social media.
And I have to admit, I don’t get it. To me, asking what the ROI is on social media is like asking what the ROI is on having a phone at your office. Your members expect it. It is a tool that strengthens your members connection to your association. Maybe not all members, maybe not even most members, but a small and growing number of your members.
The point of social media is to connect with your members who are using social media in their lives today, and will use it tomorrow. Just like taking the time to answer the phone at 4:59 on Friday, rather than letting it go to voice mail and calling back on Monday, it is about making your members feel cared for.
It was not that many years ago we were debating the ROI on email and websites. Is there an association today that is not using these tools? When I was at the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, which represents Oklahoma state employees, most of our members did not have email when we started using it. When I left, five years ago, most had email. And I would guess that number has grown.
At the United Suburban Schools Association, every members district superintendent has email, and at the Air Conditioning Contractors Association-Oklahoma Chapter, we use an email newsletter to communicate with our members.
It was not that long ago that I would have failed to show a ROI on those tools.
Does that mean you shouldn’t continue to place metrics on twitter, Facebook and blogging? No! But I would urge my fellow associations executives to recognize the ability to connect is more important than the metrics.
AssociationOkie 
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