You should never ever ever ever SPEND money on marketing.

You should INVEST it.

The #1 issue that I face day in and day out is companies that look at marketing as a cost of doing business.  Here’s a reality check.  Toilet paper is a cost of doing business.  Office equipment is a cost of doing business.  Marketing is an investment in the continued profitability of your company.

Lots of people have said there is no way to measure ROI in social media.  It’s true that it does take some creative thinking to get reliable estimates of your return.  It is VERY difficult to get exact numbers, and I don’t know if that’s even necessary.  

Break it up into little bites that are easier to swallow.

Look at each activity you’re doing.  Break it down.  Look at all the benefits and drawbacks analytically.  You don’t need exact numbers to tell if you’re getting something out of it.  

The thing to remember is to look at where your marketing budget is going every month and look for places to cut back and areas to increase time and money.

Here are some invalid reasons to pursue a marketing channel.

1. We’ve always done it.
2. Everyone else is doing it.
3. It probably works as well as anything else.

And here are some good reasons.

1. It’s making us $x per month.
2. It’s saving us this many  hours per month.
3. It’s helping us connect with this many customers per month.
4. It’s getting our salespeople in front of this many prospects per month.
5. It’s making the phone ring this many times per month.

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