Can You Calculate The ROI Of Your Blog?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Monday, 27 of August , 2007 at 3:56 pm

This was an interesting discussion on blog ROI. Unfortunately, Forrester closed the comments to the thread so I can’t trackback, thereby proving the ROI.

There really is no way to calculate the bottom line ROI. That’s because there are so many variables to blogging and so many of them are unmeasurable. For instance, what is the value of 100 customers commenting on your blog every month? What is the value of one trackback to another blog that delivers 1,000 visitors to your blog over the course of one year? It is somewhat even difficult to calculate the expense of your blog, let alone the ROI.

For example, you might spend $20 per month on blog hosting or you can set up a blog on a free blog host (I don’t recommend this, by the way). You can download WordPress for free (and I do recommend this) or spend thousands of dollars on a fancy schmancy blogging platform that under-performs. You can blog yourself (if you have the time) or spend anywhere from $100 per month to $10,000 per month for a blog copywriting service. Some corporations hire a full-time blogger to write their daily blog and pay them a nice salary plus expenses. You may not need to do that.

Your Company Blog’s Measurable Value

So the real question is, “What is the value of your blog to your business goals?” Depending on your industry, it could be very valuable. In a highly competitive industry such as search engine optimization, real estate, or the technology sector, a blog is indispensable. It allows you to communicate back and forth between customers, colleagues, and industry peers, competitors and non-competitors inclusive. Plus, there are many purposes and missions for blogs and which one you choose for your blog determines a lot in terms of your expense outlay and ROI.

All of that said, there are some definite things that you can measure about blogging. You can know how many calls you get from members of the press to quote you or a company official regarding your area of expertise. That’s free advertising. How much would you normally spend on advertising to get the same exposure?

Another thing you can measure is feedback from your customers. If you’ve ever spent money on a focus group or another market research initiative then you know it could get expensive. If you can get good, honest feedback on your blog and you don’t have to conduct your focus group or research then how much money could that save you?

Blog Consultation From Nick Stamoulis

While there is no real way to measure ROI for your blog, there are some measurable results that you can look at to determine the value of your blog overall to your company. But before you can do that you have to have a blog. Call me for a consultation and I can help you decide the right kind of blog for your company, or whether you need a blog at all.

Affordable Internet Marketing Services, including SEO, Pay Per Click, Blog Marketing & More! For More Info Call Expert Nick Stamoulis at: 877-295-0620.

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Category: Blogging

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