Words Go Further

Social media: the backlash begins

Despite it being just a toddler in the world of marketing grown ups, social media marketing is being told to prove its worth or go home.

Over on e-consultancy, Karl Havard is predicting an impending backlash:

We’re about to see a wave of anti-social media feeling and a call for back to basics; with comments like “Why were we all getting so carried away!?”

I think he’s right. Many of the people who control the marketing budgets are going to be questioning every penny they spend - particularly when their budgets have been cut. And with social marketing, there are still too many questions over ROI and proof of value to make it a priority for many marketing managers.

On top of this, there are doubts over the consumer’s appetite for brand involvement in their social media spaces.

Tom Anderson discusses some recent research from Anderson Analytics into people’s views on brands in social media:

Fifty percent of participants said they have followed a commercial service, product, or brand on a social networking site. These efforts seem to be paying off, but the results are somewhat mixed: almost half of users surveyed (46%) report saying something positive about a brand on a social networking site, while just under one quarter (23%) have said something negative about a brand.

So there’s still not a clear picture. What we can assume is that like all advertising and marketing, their are good executions and bad ones. The clever brands are thinking about their strategy and engaging with audiences in creative ways. The current VW campaign - the People’s Reviewer - is clever, involving, pretty funny and utilises different social platforms appropriately. But it’s not always like this, and until social media marketers can prove the value of their work, it will increasingly be seen as a dubious space to invest.

What is needed to persuade the doubters?

As agencies, we need to show value to our clients and their customers.

For clients, this means:

Clear analytics that articulate ROI in a way they understand. Having loads of fans, followers and comments doesn’t strike a chord. They need to know what value there is in this interaction.

Case studies that show how similar brands are seeing real return in brand awareness as well as sales. These are still difficult to source for many sectors.

Convincing them that it’s a long game. Getting them away from the campaign thinking and instead seeing value in long term sustained relationship with customers.

For their customers, this means: