QUANTIFYING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGNS: ENGAGEMENT AND RETURNS

Abstract

Social media has become one of the most dominant platforms for digital marketing, allowing brands to engage directly with consumers and measure campaign effectiveness in real time. However, quantifying the actual impact of social media campaigns remains a challenge due to diverse engagement metrics, evolving algorithms, and the difficulty of translating digital interactions into financial returns. This paper investigates key performance indicators (KPIs) for evaluating social media campaigns, including reach, impressions, engagement rate, click-through rate (CTR), and return on investment (ROI). By employing both qualitative and quantitative analysis across multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X), the study identifies the correlation between user engagement patterns and marketing ROI. Findings reveal that while engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) demonstrate audience interest, financial ROI is more strongly influenced by conversion-based metrics such as CTR and cost-per-acquisition (CPA). The study concludes that an integrated framework combining engagement analytics and ROI measurement provides the most accurate assessment of social media campaign success.