Social Media Measurability

One of the most important facets of online marketing is measurability. Datran Media’s recent “4th Annual Marketing & Media Survey” found that measuring and understanding audiences was a priority for the majority of respondents since it could increase brand awareness, performance or revenues. However, producing hard metrics in social media advertising remains difficult. Increased site traffic is generally the leading metric used to measure social media success, but by itself does not justify heavier investment in social media.

“For the few marketers who do attempt to apply quantitative measures to their social marketing efforts, the metrics they use are not terribly sophisticated,” noted eMarketer CEO and co-founder Geoff Ramsey in the eMarketer Insight Brief “Seven Guidelines for Achieving Social Media ROI.” “Most marketers today do not invest sufficient time, effort or money on social media measurement.”

Datran’s respondents, with about 72% having Facebook and Twitter profiles—were most likely to track all their online campaigns based on clicks, conversions and impressions. A gap exists, however, between finding and monitoring appropriate metrics and actually quantifying the results in a meaningful way. To remedy this, marketers must connect business goals, such as increased sales and leads, to social metrics before they can quantify social media return.