Social media measurement ‘missing the point'

US-- Marketers should avoid getting hung up on quantitative measurement of social media activity and instead embrace qual measures, according to a study by MarketingSherpa.

The survey found that the most effective social media tactics are also the hardest ones to measure.

User reviews and ratings, and relations with bloggers and online journalists were deemed to be the most effective tactics – but among the hardest to measure accurately. At the other end of the scale, advertising on blogs and social networks had by far the highest rating for accuracy of measurement, but the lowest rating for effectiveness.

The study said: “Like any tactic that is more aligned with PR than direct marketing, [social media measurement] results are difficult to measure quantitatively. What marketers can do is measure the value of the resulting conversations and relationships qualitatively, and not focus on moment-in-time transactions like traffic, hits, etc. Marketers obsessed with only tracking social media results quantitatively are missing the point and may find themselves employing much less effective social media tactics for the sake of measurability.”

Inability to measure effectiveness was one of the major barriers stopping marketers from adopting social media strategies, according to the survey.

Forty-six per cent of respondents cited “lack of knowledgeable staff” as a barrier, while 43% cited inability to measure ROI.

MarketingSherpa's Social Media Marketing and PR Benchmark Guide is based on a survey of 1,886 people conducted in December 2008.

Author: Robert Bain

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