Can you hear that? That’s the sound of your coworker banging her head on her desk because the boss just asked for another social media ROI report. As always, she’ll gather the same low-hanging data — likes, clicks, impressions, number of followers, etc. — in hopes that the boss can translate that into some sort of value for the company.

However, the boss will likely come back wanting more and will ask questions like:

• How can we improve the ROI of social media?
• Is social media actually valuable for our business?

Luckily, there are ways to improve and measure social media ROI without breaking budgets and derailing deadlines. If done well, these tactics can even pull in leads that will have your sales team singing your praises. Here are some ideas:

Run a contest

A client of ours recently asked how they could use Twitter to make the most of an upcoming trade show appearance. Since one of the show’s topics is 3D printing, an emerging industry for our client, we offered to help run a social contest in which the winner would get a 3D-printed bobblehead of themselves.

Attendees will hear about the contest on Twitter. Then, they will register at the client’s booth during the show by providing some basic info and posting a selfie on Twitter using a specific hashtag. The client will choose the winner at random or select a winner based on a person’s specific lead value.

A contest like this can provide ROI in a few ways:

• Gain leads by requiring information to sign up
• Increase booth traffic which improves the chances of leads
• Gain valuable Twitter followers
• Establish the client as a thought leader and innovator in an industry

Optimize Twitter for keywords

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just for websites anymore. Google indexes every Tweet your company publishes as a unique page on the internet. That means customers and prospects can find these pages while searching online. By including SEO keywords in your company tweets, your content has a better chance of appearing at the top of their Google search results.

You can further improve your keyword ranking by linking tweets to valuable, SEO-optimized content like blog posts and e-books. This tactic helps the tweets rank higher. It also directs visitors to your website and content landing pages where they can become leads.

Put calls-to-action (CTAs) on all self-published content

Our job as marketers is to make it as easy as possible for prospects to navigate our website and landing pages. Placing CTAs in every piece of content ensures that the prospect is moving through the lead funnel and converting in some way.

When you Tweet about a piece of content, your goal should be much more than simply offering a good read. You want that piece of content to begin, or support, a journey that helps buyers discover the benefits of the products and services you offer. Furthermore, your content should tell them why they should select your company.

Since the B2B sales cycle can be so long, most CTAs should guide prospects to other pieces of content that educate them and gradually convert them into a sales-ready lead. Offering a sales call or project estimate after one or two interactions can be a major buzzkill, and could create the wrong impression for your business.

All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing program becomes more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: The Better Path to Top-Tier Tech Marketing.