I don’t think we’re in much disagreement. My caveat was that you thus have to provide enough information about the benefits of the videos plus some back-of-envelope calculations to make clients feel as comfortable about the decision.

But is there REALLY someone who sits down and CALCULATES (actually calculates) the ROI of investing in iPhones?? NO WAY.

At every company I’ve worked for and with, it is a casual decision where executives get together and say “We can make the salespeople more productive if we give them all iPhones. It will cost $2,000 a year each. They will sell more because they will be more efficient. Let’s do it.”

Nobody actually calculates the ROI by measuring salespeoples’ increased productivity rates during the year due to having the iPhones vs. not and compare against the assumptions made during the original decision, do they?

I say bullshit on that — they don’t. And if a company actually does, I want to know about it.

So why, I want to know, do the same executives hold feet to the fire for MBA-driven spreadsheet analysis for something equally fundamental like having YouTube videos on the company Web site???

Answer is simple. They understand iPhones and go with their gut. They are ignorant and fearful of YouTube and say no.

David

On the telephones point — sure — however, some companies provide iPhones for their employees whereas others provide basic landlines. The decision between these is clearly going to be based on how much value the extra investment is likely to deliver.

I think communicating on the Web with constituents is as fundamental as communicating on the telephone with them.

But I do not know of any company that calculates the ROI of investing in providing telephones (and the time it takes to talk on them) for employees.

David

Measuring social media is, of course, the big issue right now. Interestingly, it’s really not all that difficult, despite what David Meerman Scott implies (I’m reading between the lines here, but it looks like he’s saying that, like traditional media, it’s not all that measurable. Nothing could be further from the truth).

Your readers may be interested in a white paper on the 60 Second Marketer website called “Top 10 Ways to Measure a Social Media Campaign.” It’s available here:

http://www.60SecondMarketer.com/Social

It includes 10 different metrics you can use to measure the effectiveness of a social media campaign, the most important being profits.

I hope it helps!

Best,

Jamie Turner

Chief Content Officer

60 Second Marketer