One of the most common things I hear is: “I’ve tried social media before and it doesn’t work. I never got anything off of it. It’s a waste of time.” Comments like this usually mean that they tried for a couple of weeks and didn’t see any sort of traffic during that time, assumed it was a waste of time and called it quits. It’s a fair concern. As business owners, we want the time and money we are spending on marketing to actually generate a return. 

So many people think that all they need to do is create a page, make a couple posts and boom- they’re suddenly flooded with leads.. We all hear the success stories: someone started their page and immediately got all these sales from it, hundreds of followers, and more work than they can handle. But let’s get real: For every one page that does that there are hundreds behind them where “social media doesn’t work”. If you’re expecting that social media is going to solve all of your sales problems you are going to be disappointed.

Social media is not a magic bullet.

The challenge is that social media doesn’t act like a traditional marketing channel. In many cases, you may never attribute a single dollar to something you did on social. 

Unlike paid advertising, organic social media plays more of a supporting role. It builds awareness, establishes credibility, and ultimately, builds trust. Someone might see your post dozens of times over months before they ever actually need your service. Then, when that moment comes, you’re going to be top of mind. We buy from people we know, like, and trust. They’ve seen you, they know you, and most importantly, they trust you. 

Here’s where it gets frustrating: when you do ask where a customer found you, they’re more likely to say Google or a friend. The reality, though, is that social media helped build that familiarity long before the first conversation. 

Reptetition, Repetition, Repetition

In a way, social media is a lot like traditional advertising – it’s about repetition. Rarely do we see something one time and decide to buy it immediately. Each post becomes another touchpoint. Each post is an opportunity to share what makes you different and tell your story. It’s your chance to give people the reason to know, like and trust you. 

It’s also important to remember that social media is just one piece of a larger marketing puzzle. You may be posting on social, running ads, sending mailers, having a billboard, radio, Google ads, and or have a website. All of it works together. A potential customer might see your post and not need your service. Then when they do they ask their friends, Google what’s around them, see more ads all before reaching out. Once they decide to make a purchase, which one worked? The answer is all of them.

This is why proving ROI in social media marketing can be difficult. When customers are asked where they found you, they’re not going to rattle off every touch point. They’ll think of one and move on. 

There’s also the long-term nature of social media. Social media marketing is not designed to be a last-second solution when business slows down. Building trust takes time. The content you post today may influence someone months from now. When you treat it like a short-term advertisement instead of a long-term investment you’ll likely be disappointed with the results. 

Prove Your ROI

So how do you actually prove ROI? Start by identifying the goals that aren’t directly tied to sales. Maybe your goal is to increase brand awareness. In that case, your key metric might be reach or impressions. Over time, you can evaluate whether your average reach is increasing. Maybe your goal is engagement, website traffic, or follower growth. These metrics help show if your content is working, even if the sales result isn’t obvious.

I want to close with a personal example. Earlier this year I needed to buy new glasses. I didn’t want to go to an optometrist and get an eye exam- I just wanted new lenses. For nearly a year, I had been seeing content from Zenni Optical on TikTok. Nearly every time, I’d scroll right past the post. When I finally decided it was time to buy glasses, I Googled where to buy glasses online. They weren’t the first result but when I saw their name, all the posts I’d seen came back to me. Ultimately, I purchased the glasses and for the most part, I’m really happy with them. 

That’s the power of social media. It may not generate a sale today, tomorrow, or even 6 months from now. But with consistency, repetition, and realistic expectations, social media becomes a powerful tool for building awareness, trust, and ultimately, a real return on investment.