You’ve hired a social media marketing company. You’re paying them month after month. But there’s one question keeping you up at night: Is this actually working?
You scroll through your analytics dashboard and see numbers everywhere—followers, likes, reach, impressions. But none of it answers what you really want to know: Am I getting my money’s worth?
You’re not alone. Most business owners in Texas struggle with this exact problem. Social media feels different from traditional advertising. With a billboard, you know what you paid and can estimate the reach. With social media, everything feels abstract.
But here’s what you need to understand: the fog you’re experiencing is actually fixable. You don’t need a degree in data science to understand if your social media marketing company is delivering results. You just need to know what to look for.
The Real Problem: Why Most Business Owners Can’t See Their ROI
Let’s be honest. When you first met with your social media marketing company, they showed you a beautiful presentation. They talked about engagement, algorithms, and brand storytelling. They could have shown you competitor analysis and posted a few times per week.
But did they explain exactly how they’d measure success? Probably not as clearly as you needed.
Here’s what happens next: Months pass. Your feed looks nice. The content is professional. You’re getting some followers. But you can’t connect any of it to actual money coming in. That’s not your fault; your social media marketing company should have set this up from day one.
The real solution is understanding that social media marketing in Texas (or anywhere) isn’t some mystery science. It’s actually a chain of actions that leads to business results. If you can see each link in that chain, you can measure your ROI.
What You Actually Need to Track (Not the Vanity Stuff)
Stop counting likes. Seriously. A post with 500 likes that converts zero people into customers is worthless. But a post with 50 likes that brings in five paying customers? That’s gold.
Your social media marketing company should be measuring what actually matters to your business. Here’s what that looks like:
Clicks that lead somewhere real. When someone sees your Instagram post and actually visits your website, that’s a click. When they click through to your product page, that’s even better. Your company should be using UTM tracking codes so you know exactly which social platforms send you the most valuable traffic.
Leads generated. Maybe someone doesn’t buy immediately. Instead, they fill out a form asking for more information. That’s a lead. Your social media marketing company should track how many leads come from social platforms and how many eventually become customers.
Sales with actual attribution. This is the one that matters most. Did someone buy because they saw your Facebook ad? Did they shop at your store because an Instagram post reminded them you exist? There are ways to track this—unique coupon codes, tracking links, and call tracking software.
Phone calls and direct inquiries. Not everything happens online. If your social media marketing company posts about your services and someone calls your business, that’s a result worth tracking.
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The Framework That Gets Real Results
Step 1: Know what success looks like before you start.
Before your social media marketing company posts anything, you need specific goals. Not “increase engagement”; that’s meaningless. Instead, ask yourself:
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- Do I want more people to know about my business? (Brand awareness goal)
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- Do I want more people to visit my website? (Traffic goal)
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- Do I want more phone calls or form submissions? (Lead generation goal)
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- Do I want more sales? (Revenue goal)
Let’s say you own a plumbing business in San Antonio. Your goal might be: “Get 20 qualified leads per month from social media.” Now your social media marketing company has something to work toward. And you have something to measure.
Step 2: Set up tracking properly.
This is where most businesses drop the ball. Tracking needs to happen at the beginning, not months later when you’re wondering if it worked.
Your social media marketing company should:
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- Use unique tracking links for different platforms (one link for Facebook, one for Instagram, etc.)
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- Set up Google Analytics properly to see which social platforms send traffic.
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- Use platform-specific insights (Facebook Insights, Instagram Analytics)
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- Implement conversion tracking so you know when someone buys
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- Use UTM parameters in links so you can see exactly which campaign drove the result
Step 3: Give it time and track consistently.
Don’t expect results overnight. Most campaigns need at least 30-60 days to generate real data. However, meaningful patterns usually emerge after 90 days.
Your social media marketing company should send you monthly reports showing:
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- How much traffic came from social media
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- How many leads were generated
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- How many leads converted to customers
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- Total revenue attributed to social media
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- Cost per lead and cost per sale
How to Actually Calculate Your ROI
Here’s the simple formula:
(Revenue Generated – Total Cost) ÷ Total Cost × 100 = ROI%
Let’s use a real example. You spent $2,000 on social media marketing this month. Your tracking shows that social media brought in 10 leads, and 2 of those became customers, each spending $1,500.
Revenue: $3,000
Cost: $2,000
ROI: ($3,000 – $2,000) ÷ $2,000 × 100 = 50% return
For every dollar you spent, you made $1.50. That’s solid for most businesses.
But here’s something important: sometimes social media doesn’t drive immediate sales, and that’s okay. Maybe someone sees your post, gets interested in your business, but doesn’t buy for three months. Your social media marketing company should still help you track this “first touchpoint” value. It matters.
The Questions You Should Ask Your Social Media Marketing Company Right Now
“Can you show me exactly where my customers come from?”
If they can’t provide detailed tracking reports, that’s a red flag. You should see reports that break down which posts drove traffic, which platforms performed best, and which campaigns generated leads.
“How are you using content marketing services to support social media?”
Content and social media work together. Good content shared on social platforms performs better than just random posts. Your company should explain how it creates and distributes content strategically.
“What’s my cost per lead and cost per customer?”
This tells you if the investment makes sense for your business. If your average customer is worth $5,000 and your cost per customer from social media is $500, that’s excellent. If it’s $4,500, you need to optimize.
“When should I expect to see results?”
Honest answer: 30-90 days minimum. Anyone promising faster results is overselling.
“Can you show me what I’m paying for?”
You should know exactly what your social media marketing company is doing each week. How many posts? Which platforms? What’s the content strategy? Transparency matters.
FAQ: Getting Answers to Your Biggest ROI Questions
Q: My social media marketing company says engagement is up, but I don’t see more customers. What does that mean?
A: Engagement matters, but only if it leads somewhere. High engagement on posts that don’t drive traffic or leads is entertainment, not marketing. Push your company to show you the bottom-line impact.
Q: I’ve been doing social media for months without proper tracking. Can I still measure ROI?
A: Going forward, absolutely. Set up tracking today. Historical data is harder to attribute, but start fresh from this month and track everything moving forward.
Q: What’s a realistic ROI for social media marketing?
A: It depends on your industry. Retail and e-commerce often see 3:1 to 5:1 returns. Service-based businesses might see 2:1 to 4:1. B2B companies might have longer sales cycles but higher customer value. Your social media marketing company in Texas should know what’s realistic for your specific business.
Q: Paid ads or organic posts, which give better ROI?
A: Both work differently. Organic builds community and costs less per post. Paid ads reach new people quickly. Most successful businesses use both. Your social media marketing company should balance them based on your goals.
Q: How do content marketing services fit into social media ROI?
A: Quality content is what social media amplifies. Blog posts, videos, guides, and case studies give you something valuable to share. Great content marketing services combined with social distribution create compound results.
Q: My competitor’s social media looks amazing, but I don’t see how they’re making money. Should I copy their approach?
A: Looks aren’t everything. Your social media marketing company should focus on YOUR business goals, not industry trends. A beautiful feed that doesn’t convert customers is just decoration.
You deserve to know if your investment in social media marketing is working. Not someday. Now.
If your social media marketing company can’t answer your questions about ROI with specific numbers and data, something’s wrong. They should be able to show you the direct line from social posts to real business results.
At Unbound-IT, we believe every dollar a Texas business spends on social media should be traceable and accountable. That’s why we build measurement into every campaign from day one. We don’t just create beautiful posts; we create posts that move your business forward and prove it with data.
Start asking your social media marketing company the hard questions today. If they can answer them clearly, you’re in good hands. If they can’t, it might be time for a change.
Your business deserves a marketing partner who measures what matters. Contact Unbound Today and get a free consultation.
