According to social media guru David Meerman Scott, trying to measure traditional marketing ROI is a waste of time. His e-book “Lose Control of Your Marketing” brings some interesting thoughts to light about the old techniques of offline ROI measurement and the new world of online marketing. Here’s what we think bubbles to the top of a 30-page document that’s worth a read:
• Sharing ideas, telling stories, and creating interest are more important than capturing lead information.
• The old rules of measurement don’t apply to the new world of online marketing. (i.e. number of business cards collected, email addresses captured, or folks that filled out a form on your website)
• The very act of tracking leads prevents great ideas from being shared. Today, most people know that providing information (in exchange for a white paper for example) only leads to unwanted phone calls and email solicitation … so most won’t even bother.
• Obsessing over precise ROI measurements causes marketers to become cautious and boring