Is the ROI bar too low for digital?

There are some moments in life that are burned into your memory like the grill marks of a BK flame broiled burger…which I imagine are probably artificially placed on the meat. Sometimes those memories are major events like say, the birth of a child or a wedding. Then there are those that are far less significant in the scheme of one’s existence, but occupy a similar amount of geography within the hippocampus. For me, an example of this is from my first ever higher ed tech conference in October of 2011. It was there I heard a presenter say, in reference to digital/social media, “we shouldn’t be asked to prove ROI, our job is to provide ROE-return on engagement. We’re “

Perhaps I was a little extra sensitive because I had heard whispers of cranky colleagues who didn’t understand why the division of alumni affairs and development just hired a guy to “play on facebook all day,” but more than that, it felt like digital media specialists were running from the expectation that they should have to prove how they’re supporting the institution’s bottom line. Not only did it feel like a bad strategy, but phrasing it as an obligation versus an opportunity would only slow the adoption of digital strategy within the industry. After that, I made it a mission to start talking more about how social/digital media not only SHOULD address the ROI question, but how it was in tremendous position to show it’s value in a way that would inspire more investment in hiring staff to focus on digital full-time.