Unlocking Insights: 52% Identify this as their primary concern over Social Media ROI

Social media and return on investment (ROI) share a complex relationship, often posing challenges for marketers seeking to attribute revenue accurately. In the evolving landscape of paid social media, key performance indicators (KPIs) are declining, prompting marketers to explore innovative approaches to align the value of social media with overarching business objectives.

According to a recent Hootsuite report, 66% of marketers express concerns about the ROI of their social media activities, with 40% categorized as "very" (27%) or "extremely" (13%) concerned.

Digging deeper into the reasons behind these concerns, a significant 52% of respondents identify the time and budget investment required to maintain a presence on multiple social platforms. The rapid pace of platform development further complicates matters, with 58% of marketers struggling to keep up with the constant release of new user and advertising features. This dynamic environment plays a pivotal role in marketers' decision-making processes, as they grapple with the challenges of adapting to evolving algorithms and features while staying attuned to emerging trends.

Interestingly, the burden of chasing audiences across platforms outweighs measurement issues for marketers. Concerns about the accuracy of campaign success metrics (35%), attribution uncertainty (34%), and an unsatisfactory connection between social media metrics and business metrics (33%) follow behind.

In the realm of social media metrics, engagement takes the lead as the primary indicator of ROI, followed by impressions/views, followers, and clicks/traffic. This aligns with previous research emphasizing the significance of engagement metrics, as marketers strive to quantify the value of engagement in terms of potential revenue impact.

While challenges persist, marketers do have a pulse on which platforms yield positive outcomes. LinkedIn stands out as the most trusted platform, with 70% expressing confidence in its ability to deliver a positive ROI. Following closely are Instagram (68%) and WhatsApp (66%). Facebook (62%), BeReal (60%), YouTube (52%), and TikTok (50%) also boast confidence among their users, whereas Twitter/X (30%) and Threads (16%) rank lower in ROI confidence.

As the AdTech landscape continues to evolve, marketers must navigate these challenges strategically, recognizing the nuanced interplay between platform dynamics, metrics, and ROI confidence. In this dynamic environment, staying attuned to emerging trends and harnessing the potential of engaging platforms will be key to unlocking the full spectrum of social media ROI.

Mikael Englund COO & Co-Founder Adcredo