Social Media ROI Calculator — Measure Your Return
Prove the value of your social media marketing with hard numbers. Input your costs and returns to instantly calculate ROI percentage, cost per lead, and cost per acquisition.
Free calculator. No signup required. Works for paid and organic social media campaigns.
Your Investment & Returns
Enter your monthly social media costs and outcomes.
Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.
Scheduling tools, design software, analytics platforms
Signups, inquiries, or form submissions from social media
Lifetime value per customer
Your Social Media ROI
Total Investment
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Ad spend + tools + labor
Total Return
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Leads x conversion x value
Cost Per Lead
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Investment / leads
Cost Per Acquisition
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Investment / customers
Net Profit / Loss
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Customers Won
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Pro Tips: Boost Your Social Media ROI
Cut labor costs with automation
Use scheduling tools to batch-create and auto-publish content across all platforms. PostEverywhere's cross-posting saves 10+ hours per month.
Post at peak engagement times
Check analytics insights to find when your audience is most active. Scheduling during peak windows increases engagement without extra spend.
Repurpose top content with AI
Use the AI content generator to turn one idea into posts for every platform, multiplying your reach per dollar spent.
Track everything with UTM links
Use our free UTM builder to tag every link so you know exactly which posts drive leads and conversions.
How to Calculate Social Media ROI
Social media ROI measures the return you get from the time, money, and resources invested in social media marketing. The standard formula is:
Here is how each component breaks down:
1. Total Investment
Add up all costs: monthly ad spend across platforms, software subscriptions, freelancer fees, and employee time (hours x hourly rate). Many marketers forget to include labor costs, which leads to inflated ROI numbers.
2. Total Return
Calculate the revenue generated: number of leads from social media x your lead-to-customer conversion rate x average customer lifetime value. Use UTM tracking to attribute leads accurately to social channels.
What's a Good Social Media ROI?
ROI benchmarks vary widely by industry, business model, and whether you are running paid or organic campaigns. Here are general guidelines for 2026:
| Industry / Channel | Average ROI | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce (Paid Social) | 300-800% | Direct purchase attribution via Instagram and Facebook shops |
| B2B / SaaS | 200-500% | Higher customer value, longer sales cycle via LinkedIn |
| Local Business | 100-300% | Brand awareness + foot traffic from organic social |
| Organic Social (All) | 200-1,000%+ | Lower cost base (labor only), use content calendars to stay consistent |
| Influencer Marketing | 150-600% | Varies by niche, track with UTM links |
As a rule of thumb: 100% ROI means you doubled your money. Anything above 100% is profitable. Below 0% means you are losing money. Use the calculator above to see where you stand.
5 Ways to Improve Your Social Media ROI
Automate Scheduling to Reduce Labor Costs
Manual posting across multiple platforms is the biggest hidden cost in social media marketing. Use PostEverywhere's scheduler to batch-create a week of content in one sitting, then auto-publish across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads. Teams using scheduling tools save an average of 6-10 hours per week.
Use AI to Scale Content Creation
The AI content generator can turn one idea into platform-optimized posts for every channel. Combined with a hashtag generator, you can dramatically increase reach without increasing production costs.
Track Attribution with UTM Parameters
You cannot improve what you cannot measure. Use our UTM link builder on every social media link. This reveals which platforms, campaigns, and individual posts actually drive leads, so you can double down on what works and cut what does not.
Consolidate Tools Under One Platform
Most teams pay for 3-5 separate tools (scheduler, analytics, design, link tracking). PostEverywhere workspaces combine cross-posting, calendar management, AI writing, and analytics in a single affordable subscription.
Post Consistently at Optimal Times
Consistency is the number-one factor in organic social media growth. Use analytics insights to identify your best posting times, then use the content calendar to maintain a steady cadence. Plan an entire month of content using our guide on planning a month of content in one day.
Why Track Social Media ROI?
Social media managers face constant pressure to justify budgets and prove results. Without ROI tracking, social media often gets treated as a cost center rather than a revenue driver. Here is why measuring ROI matters:
Justify Your Budget
Show stakeholders exactly how much revenue each dollar of social media spend generates. Hard numbers prevent arbitrary budget cuts and strengthen the case for increased investment.
Optimize Spend Allocation
When you know ROI by platform, you can shift budget from underperforming channels to high-performers. Move spend from low-ROI X campaigns to high-ROI LinkedIn campaigns, for example.
Set Realistic Goals
Historical ROI data helps you set achievable targets for the next quarter. Instead of guessing, you can project returns based on past performance from campaign data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is social media ROI?▾
Social media ROI (Return on Investment) measures the revenue or value generated from your social media efforts compared to the cost of those efforts. It is calculated as: ROI = ((Return - Investment) / Investment) x 100. A positive ROI means your social media marketing is profitable, while a negative ROI indicates you are spending more than you earn.
How do you calculate social media ROI?▾
Add up all costs (ad spend across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., plus tool subscriptions and labor). Then calculate returns (leads x conversion rate x customer lifetime value). Apply the formula: ROI % = ((Total Return - Total Investment) / Total Investment) x 100. Use the calculator above for instant results.
What's a good ROI for social media marketing?▾
A 100% ROI (2x return) is generally the minimum target. E-commerce brands often see 300-800% from paid social, while B2B companies see 200-500% from LinkedIn marketing. Organic social media can exceed 1,000% ROI since the only cost is labor. The key is to benchmark against your own past performance and industry averages.
Should I include organic social media in ROI calculations?▾
Yes. Organic social media is not "free" — it costs time. Calculate your labor cost by multiplying hours spent by your hourly rate. Include scheduling, content creation, community management, and reporting time. Tools like PostEverywhere significantly reduce this time through automation, cross-posting, and AI content generation.
How do I track leads from social media?▾
Use UTM parameters on every link you share on social media. Set up dedicated landing pages per platform. Install tracking pixels (Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, TikTok Pixel). Configure Google Analytics goal tracking. Use CRM attribution to connect social media touches to closed deals. Most importantly, be consistent with your tracking setup across all campaigns.
What tools help improve social media ROI?▾
Social media scheduling tools like PostEverywhere improve ROI by reducing time spent on manual posting, enabling consistent publishing, and providing analytics to optimize performance. The AI content generator, hashtag tools, and cross-posting features help maximize reach while minimizing effort and cost.
How often should I measure social media ROI?▾
Measure ROI monthly at minimum, and quarterly for trend analysis. Paid campaigns should be monitored weekly or even daily during active spending periods. Use the content calendar to plan review cycles, and PostEverywhere Insights to track performance metrics in real-time. Consistent tracking reveals seasonal patterns and helps optimize future campaigns.
What if my social media ROI is negative?▾
A negative ROI does not necessarily mean social media is not working — it may mean your tracking, targeting, or strategy needs adjustment. First, verify your attribution is accurate using UTM tracking. Then review whether you are targeting the right audience on the right platforms. Reduce costs by automating with scheduling tools, and focus budget on the channels with the best engagement rates. Use our engagement rate calculator to benchmark performance.
Improve Your Social Media ROI with PostEverywhere
Schedule posts across all platforms, generate content with AI, and track performance from one dashboard. Teams using PostEverywhere save 10+ hours per week and see measurable ROI improvements.
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