One of the most frequently asked questions of marketers looking to engage with "social media" tools is:  what's my return on investment (ROI)?

The number of blogs (and even books) that have been written on this topic is seemingly endless.  

I think we should stop looking for the "ROI" and instead start talking about "Benefits of Engagement" (BOE).

Here's why ...

Too many folks begin their social media odyssey with an eye on how they can turn a quick buck.  That leads to the all-too-common "tweetbot" syndrome that causes people to fill your Twitter accounts with spam, online coupons and other junk.

Looking at your engagement with online tools with an eye first on profits leads to impatience, attempts to cut corners in order to make fast cash, and hurts the long term effort of your communications program.

It also can lead you to utilize online tools as a one-way communication device, focusing on eyeballs and clicks — rather than truly engaging in conversation, networking and providing real value.

For someone like me, who works with many advocacy and political clients, focusing on "ROI" is simply a drawback.  These clients especially want to focus on how they can utilize online tools as an ATM machine.  They see a handful of candidates like Barack Obama raising huge sums of money, and want to do the same (ignoring the fact that the Obama campaign spent almost a year engaging in conversation and creating a narrative before they ever asked for even a dollar donation from their network.)

We also work with think tank clients, where looking at "ROI" simply isn't a good measure.

That's why I like the term "Benefit of Engagement."  It puts the focus where it should be (on engagement) and takes note that the benefits your organization receives may not simply be financial — but measured in a host of other ways.

In the end, it's all just semantics.  But these types of semantics are important when trying to get newbie organizations into the right mindset on how to engage effectively online.