Ultimate Social Media ROI Guide: Track Success in 2026

In today’s digital landscape, understanding and maximizing your Social Media ROI is crucial for any business looking to thrive. Social media is no longer just about likes and shares; it’s a powerful platform for driving revenue, building brand loyalty, and connecting with your audience. This comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively track, measure, and optimize your social media efforts for a significant Social Media ROI in 2026.

Understanding Social Media ROI: A Deep Dive

Defining Social Media ROI: Beyond Likes and Shares

Social Media ROI, or Return on Investment, goes beyond simply counting likes, shares, and comments. It represents the tangible value you gain from your social media activities in relation to the resources you invest. This value can manifest in various forms, including increased sales, lead generation, improved brand awareness, enhanced customer loyalty, and even cost savings through efficient communication. Understanding this broader definition is the first step in accurately measuring and maximizing your Social Media ROI.

The goal is to understand what truly generates revenue and what doesn’t. We once worked with a client who was hyper-focused on vanity metrics. They had thousands of followers, but those followers weren’t translating into sales. By shifting their focus to targeted content and engagement strategies, they saw a dramatic improvement in their Social Media ROI.

The Importance of ROI Measurement in Social Media Marketing

ROI measurement is the compass that guides your social media strategy. Without it, you’re navigating blindly, unsure of whether your efforts are yielding positive results. ROI measurement provides data-driven insights into what’s working and what’s not, allowing you to allocate resources effectively, optimize campaigns, and ultimately, achieve your business goals. It helps you justify your social media budget and demonstrate the business value of social media to stakeholders.

Effective ROI measurement is key to identifying which platforms deliver the most value. Here’s a breakdown of popular social media platforms based on our experience and their relevance to achieving ROI:

• Facebook: Ideal for broad audience reach, brand building, and driving traffic.
• Instagram: Excels in visual content, influencer marketing, and engaging younger demographics.
• LinkedIn: A professional networking platform best for B2B marketing, lead generation, and employer branding.
• Twitter: Suited for real-time updates, customer service, and participating in industry conversations.

Common Misconceptions About Social Media ROI

One common misconception is that Social Media ROI is solely about direct sales. While sales are a critical component, they don’t tell the whole story. Social media also contributes to brand building, customer loyalty, and lead generation, all of which indirectly impact revenue. Another misconception is that ROI is easy to calculate. It can be complex, requiring careful tracking, attribution modeling, and a clear understanding of your business objectives. Finally, some businesses believe that social media is “free,” ignoring the costs associated with content creation, advertising, and employee time.

> “Don’t get caught up in vanity metrics. Focus on the metrics that directly impact your bottom line, such as leads generated, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value.” – Neil Patel, Digital Marketing Expert

Setting Clear Objectives and KPIs for ROI Measurement

Aligning Social Media Goals with Business Objectives

Before diving into analytics and calculations, it’s crucial to align your social media goals with your overall business objectives. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or improve customer satisfaction? Your social media goals should directly support these broader business objectives. For example, if your business objective is to increase sales, your social media goal might be to generate qualified leads through targeted advertising and engaging content.

Our team in Dubai emphasizes this alignment when they work with clients. They stress that without a clear understanding of how social media contributes to the bottom line, measuring Social Media ROI becomes nearly impossible.

Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for ROI

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the specific, measurable metrics that you’ll use to track your progress towards your social media goals. The right KPIs will vary depending on your objectives, but here are some common examples:

• Brand Awareness Metrics
• Engagement Metrics
• Lead Generation Metrics
• Sales Conversion Metrics
• Customer Retention Metrics

Let’s delve into each of these categories:

• Brand Awareness Metrics: These metrics measure how well your brand is recognized and remembered. Examples include:

Reach: The number of unique users who have seen your content.
Impressions: The total number of times your content has been displayed.
Social Media Mentions: The number of times your brand is mentioned on social media platforms.
Share of Voice: Your brand’s visibility compared to competitors.
[IMAGE: A graph showing the trend of brand mentions over time]

• Engagement Metrics: These metrics measure how users interact with your content. Examples include:

Likes, Comments, and Shares: The number of users who have engaged with your posts.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click on a link in your post.
Engagement Rate: The percentage of users who engage with your content relative to your total audience size.
Video Views: The number of times your videos have been viewed.
[IMAGE: A dashboard displaying engagement metrics for different social media platforms]

• Lead Generation Metrics: These metrics measure how well your social media efforts are generating leads for your business. Examples include:

Number of Leads Generated: The number of users who have provided their contact information.
Cost Per Lead (CPL): The cost of acquiring a single lead through social media.
Lead Conversion Rate: The percentage of leads who convert into customers.
Website Traffic from Social Media: The number of users who visit your website from your social media profiles.
[IMAGE: A funnel showing the lead generation process from social media to sales]

• Sales Conversion Metrics: These metrics measure how well your social media efforts are driving sales. Examples include:

Revenue from Social Media: The total revenue generated directly from social media activities.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who complete a purchase after interacting with your social media content.
Average Order Value (AOV): The average amount spent per purchase.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): The total revenue a customer is expected to generate over their relationship with your business.
[IMAGE: A chart comparing sales conversion rates across different social media platforms]

• Customer Retention Metrics: These metrics measure how well your social media efforts are retaining existing customers. Examples include:

Customer Retention Rate: The percentage of customers who remain customers over a specific period.
Customer Churn Rate: The percentage of customers who stop doing business with your company.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): A measure of how satisfied customers are with your products or services.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): A measure of customer loyalty and willingness to recommend your brand.
[IMAGE: A graph illustrating customer retention rate over time]

Setting SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Once you’ve identified your KPIs, it’s essential to set SMART goals for each one. SMART goals are:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Measurable: Establish metrics to track your progress.
• Achievable: Set realistic goals that you can reasonably attain.
• Relevant: Ensure your goals align with your business objectives.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goals.

For example, instead of setting a vague goal like “increase brand awareness,” set a SMART goal like “increase brand mentions on Twitter by 20% in the next quarter.” This provides a clear target and a timeframe for measuring success.

Choosing the Right Analytics Tools and Platforms

Overview of Social Media Analytics Tools

Numerous social media analytics tools can help you track your KPIs and measure your Social Media ROI. These tools range from free, native platform analytics to more sophisticated, third-party solutions. Choosing the right tools depends on your budget, needs, and the complexity of your social media strategy.

• Native Platform Analytics (Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, etc.)
• Third-Party Analytics Tools (Google Analytics, Sprout Social, Hootsuite Analytics)

Let’s explore these options in more detail:

• Native Platform Analytics: Most social media platforms offer built-in analytics tools that provide basic insights into your audience, content performance, and engagement metrics. These tools are typically free and easy to use, making them a good starting point for ROI tracking.

Facebook Insights: Provides data on page likes, reach, engagement, and demographics.
Twitter Analytics: Offers insights into tweet performance, follower demographics, and audience interests.
LinkedIn Analytics: Tracks profile views, engagement, and follower demographics.
Instagram Insights: Provides data on follower demographics, post engagement, and reach.
[IMAGE: A screenshot of Facebook Insights displaying key metrics]

• Third-Party Analytics Tools: These tools offer more advanced features and comprehensive data analysis capabilities. They often integrate with multiple social media platforms and provide in-depth reports, custom dashboards, and advanced attribution modeling.

Google Analytics: A powerful web analytics platform that can track website traffic from social media and measure conversions.
Sprout Social: A social media management platform with robust analytics features, including social listening, competitive analysis, and custom reporting.
Hootsuite Analytics: A social media management platform with analytics features that track engagement, reach, and campaign performance across multiple platforms.
Buffer Analyze: A social media analytics tool that provides insights into post performance, audience engagement, and hashtag effectiveness.
[IMAGE: A screenshot of a third-party analytics tool displaying custom reports]

Integrating Analytics Tools for Comprehensive Data Collection

To get a complete picture of your Social Media ROI, it’s essential to integrate your analytics tools. This involves connecting your social media accounts to your web analytics platform (e.g., Google Analytics) and using UTM parameters to track traffic from specific campaigns. By integrating these tools, you can track the entire customer journey from social media interaction to website conversion.

Customizing Dashboards for ROI Tracking

Most analytics tools allow you to customize dashboards to display the KPIs that are most relevant to your ROI tracking efforts. This makes it easy to monitor your progress, identify trends, and quickly assess the performance of your social media campaigns. Customize your dashboards to include metrics such as website traffic from social media, lead generation, conversion rates, and revenue generated.

Implementing Advanced Tracking Methods

UTM Parameters: Tracking Campaign Performance

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags that you add to your social media links to track the source, medium, and campaign associated with each visit to your website. These parameters provide valuable data for understanding which social media campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions.

Here’s how UTM parameters work:

1. You add UTM parameters to your social media links.
2. When users click on these links, the parameters are passed to your analytics platform (e.g., Google Analytics).
3. Your analytics platform tracks the source, medium, and campaign associated with each visit.

Here are the main UTM parameters:

• utm_source: Identifies the source of the traffic (e.g., Facebook, Twitter).
• utm_medium: Identifies the medium used (e.g., social, paid).
• utm_campaign: Identifies the specific campaign (e.g., summer_sale, product_launch).
• utm_term: Identifies the keywords used in a paid campaign.
• utm_content: Used to differentiate between different ads or links within the same campaign.

For example, a link to your website from a Facebook post promoting a summer sale might look like this:

https://www.example.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

By using UTM parameters consistently, you can accurately track the campaign performance of your social media efforts and optimize your strategies accordingly.

Conversion Tracking: Measuring the Impact on Sales

Conversion tracking involves setting up goals in your analytics platform to track specific actions that users take on your website, such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or downloading a file. By tracking these conversions, you can measure the direct impact of your social media efforts on sales and lead generation.

To set up conversion tracking, you’ll need to:

1. Define your conversion goals.
2. Implement tracking code on your website (e.g., Google Analytics tracking code).
3. Configure goals in your analytics platform.

Once conversion tracking is set up, you can track the number of conversions generated from social media traffic and calculate the marketing ROI of your social media campaigns.

Attribution Modeling: Understanding the Customer Journey

Attribution modeling is the process of assigning credit to different touchpoints in the customer journey for driving conversions. This helps you understand which social media activities are most effective at influencing customer behavior.

There are several types of attribution models:

• First-Touch Attribution
• Last-Touch Attribution
• Multi-Touch Attribution
• Time-Decay Attribution

Let’s explore each of these models:

• First-Touch Attribution: This model gives all the credit for a conversion to the first touchpoint in the customer journey. For example, if a customer first visits your website from a Facebook ad and then makes a purchase after visiting from an email, the Facebook ad would receive 100% of the credit for the conversion.
• Last-Touch Attribution: This model gives all the credit for a conversion to the last touchpoint in the customer journey. In the example above, the email would receive 100% of the credit for the conversion.
• Multi-Touch Attribution: This model distributes credit for a conversion across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey. There are several ways to distribute credit in a multi-touch model, such as:

Linear Attribution: Each touchpoint receives equal credit.
Position-Based Attribution: The first and last touchpoints receive the most credit, with the remaining touchpoints receiving a smaller share.
Data-Driven Attribution: Uses machine learning to determine the optimal distribution of credit based on historical data.

ROI as a percentage = 2 100 = 200%

This means that for every dollar you invested, you generated $2 in revenue.

Calculating ROI for Different Social Media Activities

The specific formula for calculating ROI will vary depending on the social media activity you’re measuring. Here are some examples:

• Content Marketing ROI
• Advertising ROI
• Community Management ROI

Let’s break down how to calculate ROI for each of these activities:

• Content Marketing ROI: To calculate the ROI of your content marketing efforts, you’ll need to track the costs associated with creating and distributing content (e.g., content creation, graphic design, social media promotion) and the revenue generated from that content (e.g., sales, leads).

Formula: (Revenue from Content - Cost of Content) / Cost of Content
Example: If you spend $500 on creating and promoting a blog post that generates $2,000 in revenue, your ROI would be: ($2,000 - $500) / $500 = 3 = 300%

• Advertising ROI: To calculate the ROI of your social media advertising campaigns, you’ll need to track the costs associated with running the ads (e.g., ad spend) and the revenue generated from those ads (e.g., sales, leads).

Formula: (Revenue from Ads - Cost of Ads) / Cost of Ads
Example: If you spend $200 on a Facebook ad campaign that generates $800 in revenue, your ROI would be: ($800 - $200) / $200 = 3 = 300%

• Community Management ROI: Calculating the ROI of community management can be more challenging, as the benefits are often intangible (e.g., increased brand loyalty, improved customer satisfaction). However, you can still estimate the ROI by tracking metrics such as customer retention rate, customer lifetime value, and the cost of customer support.

Formula: (Increase in CLTV - Cost of Community Management) / Cost of Community Management
Example: If you spend $300 on community management and see an increase in customer lifetime value of $1,200, your ROI would be: ($1,200 - $300) / $300 = 3 = 300%

Case Studies: Real-World Examples of Social Media ROI

Numerous businesses have successfully leveraged social media to achieve significant ROI. Here are a few examples:

• Nike: Nike uses social media to build brand awareness, engage with customers, and drive sales. Their social media campaigns often feature athletes and celebrities, and they use data-driven insights to optimize their content and targeting.
• Starbucks: Starbucks uses social media to create a sense of community and build customer loyalty. They regularly engage with customers on social media, respond to questions and concerns, and run contests and promotions.
• Wendy’s: Wendy’s is known for its witty and humorous social media presence. They use social media to engage with customers, respond to competitors, and promote their products.

These case studies demonstrate the potential of social media to drive business results. By setting clear objectives, tracking the right KPIs, and optimizing their strategies, businesses can achieve a significant Social Media ROI.

Demonstrating Value Beyond Direct Sales

Measuring Intangible Benefits of Social Media

While direct sales are an important indicator of Social Media ROI, it’s crucial to recognize and measure the intangible benefits that social media provides. These benefits include:

• Brand Awareness and Recognition
• Customer Loyalty and Advocacy
• Improved Customer Service and Support

Let’s explore how to measure each of these benefits:

• Brand Awareness and Recognition: Social media can significantly increase brand awareness and recognition by exposing your brand to a wider audience. You can measure brand awareness by tracking metrics such as reach, impressions, social media mentions, and share of voice.
• Customer Loyalty and Advocacy: Social media can help build customer loyalty and turn customers into brand advocates. You can measure customer loyalty by tracking metrics such as customer retention rate, customer satisfaction, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
• Improved Customer Service and Support: Social media provides a platform for providing quick and efficient customer service and support. You can measure the effectiveness of your social media customer service by tracking metrics such as response time, resolution rate, and customer satisfaction.

Quantifying Intangible Benefits: Surveys and Sentiment Analysis

To quantify these intangible benefits, consider using surveys and sentiment analysis. Surveys can help you gather direct feedback from customers about their perception of your brand, their level of satisfaction, and their likelihood to recommend your products or services. Sentiment analysis can help you gauge the overall sentiment towards your brand on social media by analyzing the tone and content of mentions, comments, and reviews.

Communicating Value to Stakeholders

When presenting your Social Media ROI to stakeholders, it’s essential to tailor your message to their specific interests and priorities. For example, senior management may be most interested in the impact of social media on revenue and profitability, while the marketing team may be more interested in metrics such as brand awareness and engagement. Use data visualization techniques to present your findings in a clear and compelling way.

Showcasing both tangible and intangible benefits provides a comprehensive view of the value of social media, demonstrating its contribution to overall business success.

Optimizing Social Media Strategies for Maximum ROI

A/B Testing: Optimizing Content and Campaigns

A/B testing involves creating two versions of a social media post, ad, or campaign and testing them against each other to see which performs better. This allows you to optimize your content and campaigns for maximum ROI.

To conduct A/B testing effectively:

1. Identify the element you want to test (e.g., headline, image, call to action).
2. Create two versions of the element.
3. Run the two versions simultaneously, using the same targeting parameters.
4. Track the performance of each version (e.g., click-through rate, conversion rate).
5. Implement the winning version.

Audience Segmentation: Targeting the Right Customers

Audience segmentation involves dividing your social media audience into smaller groups based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. This allows you to target your content and campaigns to the right customers, increasing engagement and ROI.

To segment your audience effectively:

1. Gather data about your audience (e.g., demographics, interests, purchase history).
2. Identify common characteristics and behaviors.
3. Create audience segments based on these characteristics.
4. Target your content and campaigns to specific audience segments.

Continuous Monitoring and Analysis: Identifying Areas for Improvement

Continuous monitoring and analysis are essential for optimizing your Social Media ROI. This involves regularly tracking your KPIs, analyzing your data, and identifying areas for improvement.

To monitor and analyze your data effectively:

1. Set up dashboards to track your KPIs.
2. Analyze your data regularly to identify trends and patterns.
3. Identify areas where you can improve your performance.
4. Implement changes and track the results.

Leveraging Data-Driven Insights for Strategy Refinement

By leveraging data-driven insights, you can continuously refine your social media strategy and maximize your Social Media ROI. This involves using data to inform your decisions about content creation, targeting, and campaign optimization.

For example, if you find that a particular type of content is generating high engagement, you can create more content of that type. If you find that a particular audience segment is not responding to your ads, you can adjust your targeting parameters.

Reporting and Communicating Social Media ROI

Creating Comprehensive ROI Reports

Creating comprehensive ROI reports is essential for communicating the value of your social media efforts to stakeholders. These reports should include:

• Executive Summary: A brief overview of your social media activities and their impact on Social Media ROI.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): A summary of your performance against your key KPIs.
• Data Analysis: An in-depth analysis of your social media data, including trends, patterns, and insights.
• Recommendations: Recommendations for improving your social media strategy and maximizing your Social Media ROI.
• Appendix: Supporting data and documentation.

Visualizing Data for Easy Understanding

Visualizing data is essential for making your ROI reports easy to understand. Use charts, graphs, and other visual aids to present your findings in a clear and compelling way.

Some common data visualization techniques include:

• Line charts: To track trends over time.
• Bar charts: To compare performance across different categories.
• Pie charts: To show the distribution of data.
• Scatter plots: To identify correlations between variables.

Presenting ROI to Stakeholders: Tailoring the Message

When presenting your ROI reports to stakeholders, it’s essential to tailor your message to their specific interests and priorities. For example, senior management may be most interested in the impact of social media on revenue and profitability, while the marketing team may be more interested in metrics such as brand awareness and engagement.

Using ROI Data to Justify Social Media Budgets

Ultimately, the goal of measuring and reporting Social Media ROI is to justify your social media budgets and demonstrate the value of your social media efforts to the organization. By providing clear and compelling evidence of the impact of social media on business results, you can secure the resources you need to continue growing and improving your social media presence.

Troubleshooting Common ROI Measurement Challenges

Dealing with Incomplete or Inaccurate Data

One of the biggest challenges in measuring Social Media ROI is dealing with incomplete or inaccurate data. This can be caused by a variety of factors, such as tracking errors, data silos, and inconsistent reporting.

To address this challenge:

• Implement robust tracking mechanisms.
• Integrate your data sources.
• Establish clear data governance policies.
• Regularly audit your data for accuracy.

Addressing Attribution Issues

Attribution issues can also make it difficult to accurately measure Social Media ROI. This is because it can be challenging to determine which touchpoints in the customer journey are responsible for driving conversions.

To address attribution issues:

• Implement multi-touch attribution modeling.
• Use UTM parameters to track traffic from social media campaigns.
• Integrate your social media data with your CRM system.

Overcoming Resistance to ROI Measurement

Some stakeholders may resist the idea of measuring Social Media ROI, either because they don’t believe it’s possible or because they’re afraid of the results.

To overcome this resistance:

• Educate stakeholders about the importance of ROI measurement.
• Demonstrate the value of social media through case studies and success stories.
• Involve stakeholders in the ROI measurement process.

Adapting to Changes in Social Media Algorithms and Platforms

Social media algorithms and platforms are constantly evolving, which can make it challenging to maintain accurate and consistent ROI measurement.

To adapt to these changes:

• Stay up-to-date on the latest algorithm and platform updates.
• Adjust your tracking mechanisms and attribution models as needed.
• Experiment with new strategies and tactics.

Future Trends in Social Media ROI Measurement

The Rise of AI and Machine Learning in Analytics

AI and machine learning are poised to revolutionize social media analytics and ROI measurement. These technologies can automate data analysis, identify patterns and insights, and predict future outcomes.

Predictive Analytics: Forecasting ROI

Predictive analytics uses historical data and statistical algorithms to forecast future Social Media ROI. This can help businesses make more informed decisions about their social media investments.

The Importance of Data Privacy and Security

As data privacy regulations become increasingly stringent, it’s essential to prioritize data privacy and security when measuring Social Media ROI. This includes obtaining consent from users before collecting their data and implementing robust security measures to protect their data from unauthorized access.

The Evolving Role of Social Media in the Customer Journey

As the customer journey becomes more complex, social media will play an increasingly important role in influencing customer behavior. This means that ROI measurement will need to take into account the full range of social media’s impact on the customer journey, from brand awareness to customer loyalty.

Conclusion: Mastering Social Media ROI for Long-Term Success

Mastering Social Media ROI is not just about crunching numbers; it’s about understanding the profound impact social media has on your business. By implementing the strategies and techniques outlined in this guide, you’re well-equipped to track, measure, and optimize your social media efforts, translating them into tangible business results. We’ve empowered you to align your social media goals with your business objectives, select the right analytics tools, implement advanced tracking methods, and communicate the value of social media to stakeholders. Embrace these insights and watch your Social Media ROI soar!

We are confident that by applying these principles, you’ll unlock the full potential of your social media strategy and drive long-term success.

FAQ Section

Q: What is Social Media ROI?
A: Social Media ROI (Return on Investment) measures the profitability of your social media activities by comparing the gains from your investment to the costs. It encompasses direct sales, lead generation, brand awareness, customer loyalty, and other tangible benefits.

Q: Why is measuring Social Media ROI important?
A: Measuring Social Media ROI allows you to understand what’s working and what’s not, optimize campaigns, allocate resources effectively, justify budgets, and demonstrate the business value of social media to stakeholders.

Q: What are some key performance indicators (KPIs) for Social Media ROI?
A: Key KPIs include brand awareness metrics (reach, impressions), engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares), lead generation metrics (number of leads, cost per lead), sales conversion metrics (revenue from social media, conversion rate), and customer retention metrics (retention rate, customer satisfaction).

Q: How do I calculate Social Media ROI?
A: The basic formula is: ROI = (Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment. The specific formula will vary depending on the social media activity being measured (e.g., content marketing, advertising).

Q: What are UTM parameters and how do I use them?
A: UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags added to social media links to track the source, medium, and campaign associated with each visit to your website. They help you understand which social media campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions. Common UTM parameters include utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.

Q: What is attribution modeling and why is it important?
A: Attribution modeling is the process of assigning credit to different touchpoints in the customer journey for driving conversions. It helps you understand which social media activities are most effective at influencing customer behavior. Different models include first-touch, last-touch, multi-touch, and time-decay attribution.

Q: How can I measure the intangible benefits of social media?
A: Intangible benefits like brand awareness, customer loyalty, and improved customer service can be measured through surveys, sentiment analysis, and tracking metrics such as customer retention rate, customer satisfaction, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Q: What are some common challenges in measuring Social Media ROI?
A: Common challenges include dealing with incomplete or inaccurate data, addressing attribution issues, overcoming resistance to ROI measurement, and adapting to changes in social media algorithms and platforms.

Q: How can I optimize my social media strategies for maximum ROI?
A: Optimize your strategies through A/B testing, audience segmentation, continuous monitoring and analysis, and leveraging data-driven insights for strategy refinement.

Q: What are some future trends in Social Media ROI measurement?
A: Future trends include the rise of AI and machine learning in analytics, predictive analytics for forecasting ROI, the importance of data privacy and security, and the evolving role of social media in the customer journey.