ROI, it’s a term we’ve all heard. Typically this acronym stands for Return On Investment, but in this case we’re referring to Return On Influence. Mark Schaefer ( @markwschaefer ) presented at BlogWolrd (on his birthday) on some of the key concepts in his new book Return on Influence: The New Rules of Creating and Leveraging Power on the Social Web . At the very beginning of his presentation Mark made an interesting observation. In the past a speakers audience was a group of people who passively sat in the auditorium and listened to what the speaker was saying. Mark Schaefer shares “Now, I am talking to an audience of audiences.” What does that mean? Not only are the bloggers in the room soaking up with is being shared but they are also sharing this information with their audience, in real time. What did this session teach me about Klout, content, and creating more influence online?
While the topic of return on investment with social media participation seems to polarize many marketing, advertising, and public relations pundits, there are a growing number of companies and agencies that are implementing social media marketing and analysis efforts to answer the question firsthand. We’ve all read about or seen favorite examples going back to Dell Outlet selling a few million dollars worth of discounted computer equipment through Twitter, to Blendtec selling more blenders because of its YouTube videos showing what happens when a Blendtec meets an iPhone, or a rake