Should Social Media Marketing Campaigns Even Be Measured?
April 7, 2008
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I read a post from Jake over at 10e20 blog recently with a promising title, “Social Media Marketing is NOT a Direct Response Channel.” I could not agree more. Jake’s point that you should not expect social media to compete with your direct response channels, like pay per click, is 100% valid.
Social media is not a switch that you turn on and off like a light. Engaging in a social media campaign is a commitment to a new form of communicating with your customers. And that can pay huge dividends.
But here’s where I disagree. In the post, Jake writes, “Events in Social spheres are sometimes tough to track and tie-back, but more importantly, Social is not about individual sales nor is it about the individual.” He also says that, while it’s possible to track certain things, doing so can be more expensive and time consuming then the campaign itself.
Some truth to that, but at Ignite we recognize that the budgets that fund our client’s
social media marketing campaigns could be used for any number of other tactics. And, while this business is in its infancy, pretty soon we’re going to be expected to justify the existence of our budgets.
Social media marketing is powerful stuff. I’ve seen it repeatedly. And tracking the footprints of something you don’t control is hard to do. That’s why we’re building new systems to do just that. I hope everyone in the social media marketing field is doing the same thing.
It won’t be long before the early adopters turn to us and say, “Why should we fund you next year?”
We’re working hard to make sure we have our answers. You should too…
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3 Responses to “Should Social Media Marketing Campaigns Even Be Measured?”
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Yes , he nicely discussed about how social media is effecting , how it is important .Social media is not a switch that you turn on and off like a light. Engaging in a social media campaign is a commitment to a new form of communicating with your customers. And that can pay huge dividends in pay per click.
I believe the old adage, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” will be applied to Social Media Marketing in the very near future. More importantly, the fluid nature of Social Media will challenge those responsible to report on the success (or failure) of their efforts.
We are beginning to see the first signs of a ‘canary in the coal mine’ as some of the early social networks begin to fall away, or give way to newer platforms and destinations. The closure/shutdown of BBC’s “Action Network” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A33049172) at the end of this month may be one of the first birds to succumb to bad air. The rapid rise of the likes of EveryBlock.com and good2gether.com will continue to redefine the market (of Social Media/Marketing).
For the advertiser and marketer, knowing where to put their time, money, and effort will be like herding cats. I have to believe this ‘market force’, especially in our current economic challenge, will lead them away from things that are uncertain or rapidly-changing (when it comes to measuring success). The nature of business will soon kick-in and favor something familiar and certain to those who control the outlay of expense.
When a downturn in business strikes, it’s easier to save money than to make money. The challenge to Social Media Marketing, in my mind, is not whether it has value or can demonstrate results, but what value does it represent in the bigger picture to putting cash in the coffers of the everyday businessperson (or company). It needs to coexist and not compete with other opportunities of “direct response channels” or “communicating with your customers”.
I agree with you when you said, “Social media is not a switch that you turn on and off like a light. Engaging in a social media campaign is a commitment to a new form of communicating with your customers. And that can pay huge dividends.” I am working on a presentation for the DMA Days about Social Media and Direct Response. My theory is that within much of our new world, we are moving away from a traditional perspective of response and a more authentic one of engagement.
One example that I am processing. We worked to launch a website for a client that raised a controversial point of view. There was a lot of traditional media, interactive media, PR, etc. The biggest buzz and pass along value that drove store traffic was the work that came from organic social media. We provided the forum, the topic, but the social media world leveraged it in an authentic way that created response. To me that is direct response at its finest…right message, right medium, right time…the only difference it that it was not controlled by the brand, but by the brand users.
There are new requirements on brands in this day and age. Things like credibility and reliability are vital. Brands must be trusted to be able to engage.